Bamako (Mali), 20 Feb (LaPresse/AP) – Malian director Souleymane Cissé, a pioneer of African cinema with a career spanning 50 years, has died at the age of 84. This was announced on Wednesday by Malian television. The cause of Cissé's death was not disclosed. The Malian government stated that Cissé ‘had just held a press conference to present two trophies as a prelude to the 29th edition of Fespaco, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, which opens next weekend in the capital of Burkina Faso’. Cissé was the first African director to win a feature film award at the Cannes Film Festival in France. He won the jury prize in 1987 for ‘Yeelen’ (The Light), and in 2023 he won the Carrosse d'or for ‘Finye’ (The Wind). Cissé has also twice won the Étalon d'or de Yennenga, the Grand Prix of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou. Born in Bamako, Mali, Cissé studied in Mali, Senegal and Moscow. He was president of the Union of Film and Audiovisual Creators and Entrepreneurs of West Africa. ‘Pope died today in Bamako. We are all in shock. He dedicated his whole life to his country, cinema and art,' said Mariam Cisse.
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