Idrissa Ouédraogo
Idrissa Ouédraogo | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 18 February 2018 | (aged 64)
Nationality | Burkinabé |
Alma mater | Institut des hautes études cinématographiques |
Occupations | |
Years active | 1970s–2018 |
Notable work | Yam Daabo |
Idrissa Ouédraogo (21 January 1954 – 18 February 2018) was a Burkinabé
Early life and education
Idrissa Ouédraogo was born in
Early career
On graduating from IAFEC in 1981, Ouédraogo set up his own independent film company, "The Future of Films", which became "Les Films de la Plaine".[3] In 1981, before moving to Kyiv, he worked for the Burkina Faso Directorate of Cinema Production (Direction de la Production Cinématographique du Burkina Faso), where he directed several short films.[3]
In his earliest short, Pourquoi (1981), a man dreams of killing his wife, but is unsure if it is a dream or reality.[4] Ouédraogo followed this with another short film, Poko (1981), which won the short film prize at that year's Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO). Poko follows a young pregnant woman who dies after failing to reach medical facilities whilst being transported on a cart. The film highlighted the fact that despite paying their taxes, the poor gain little real help in day to day necessities from the government.[4] This was followed by the shorts Les Écuelles ("The Platters"; 1983), Les Funérailles du Larle Naba, ("Larle Naba's Funeral"; 1984), Ouagadougou, Ouaga deux roues ("Ouagadougou, Ouaga Two Wheels"; 1985) and Issa le tisserand ("Issa the Weaver"; 1985).[6] His last short was Tenga (1985), which explores a villager who after moving to the city, returns to his hometown. In these shorts Ouédraogo explores themes and film techniques that he would return to in his future feature films.[6]
Feature films
Ouédraogo's first feature,
His next film
Ouédraogo's output has been criticised as being too focused on appealing to audiences in Africa and the West.[8] Françoise Pfaff names Ouédraogo, amongst a group of African directors, as a storyteller who has a predilection for filming shots of atypical African rural scenes, such as "monotonous images of women pounding millet or corn".[10] Pfaff's view is that Ouédraogo's work is too focused on non-African audiences and alienates African viewers.[10] In defence, Sharon A. Russell argues that Ouédraogo must always consider the needs of a director who wishes to keep filming in Africa, and that funding for the next film is a priority and that he is a talented person making films under difficult circumstances.[8]
Later life and death
In February 2015, Ouédraogo announced shortly before the opening of the 24th Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) his desire to direct "an important film" on foreign colonization of the African continent, the anti-colonial struggle and the leading figures of that movement.[11] During a March 2015 interview with Le Monde, Ouédraogo underlined what he believed to be three issues facing the film industry of Burkina Faso. Among those issues are the lack of sufficient knowledge and professionalism when it comes to cinematography. Funding shortages and the absence of a demanding local market are the two other problems he mentioned.[12] During his last few years, Ouédraogo's relatives noted his disappointment in modern African cinema due to what he considered to be deficiency in talent and in means of production.[13]
At around 5:30 a.m. GMT on 18 February 2018, Ouédraogo died at the Bois clinic in Ouagadougou at the age of 64 as a result of an unspecified "illness", according to a statement by the UNCB (Union nationale des cinéastes du Burkina).[14][15] Shortly after his death, Burkinabé president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré said that his country "had lost a filmmaker of immense talent".[16] On 20 February, he was buried at the Gounghin Cemetery. On its way there, the funeral procession stopped by the Monument of African Filmmakers at the Place des Cinéastes, close to the Ouagadougou City Hall, where he was commemorated by the city's mayor. The convoy then stopped in front of the gate of the FESPACO. Politicians, religious figures and artists were present at the procession, where he was given a military funeral.[17]
Filmography
Shorts
Release year | Title |
---|---|
1981 | Pourquoi? (Why?) |
1981 | Poko |
1983 | Les Écuelles (The Platters) |
1983 | Les funérailles du Larle Naba (Larle Naba's Funeral) |
1984 | Ouagadougou, Ouaga deux roues (Ouagadougou, Ouaga Two Wheels) |
1984 | Issa le Tisserand (Issa the Weaver) |
1985 | Tenga |
1991 | Obi |
1994 | Afrique, mon Afrique (Africa, My Africa) |
1996 | Samba et Leuk le lièvra (Samba and Leuk the Rabbit) |
1994 | Gorki |
1997 | Les parias du cinéma (The Outcasts of Cinema) |
2001 | Scénarios du Sahel |
Source:[18] |
Films
Release year | Title |
---|---|
1987 | Yam Daabo (The Choice) |
1989 | Yaaba (Grandmother) |
1990 | Tilaï (The Law) |
1991 | Karim and Sala |
1993 | Samba Traoré |
1994 | Le cri du cœur (The Heart's Cry) |
1997 | Kini and Adams |
2003 | La colère des dieux (Anger of the Gods) |
2006 | Kato Kato |
Source:[19] |
Television series
Segments
- Lumière and Company (1995)[21]
- 11'09"01 September 11 (2002)[22]
See also
References
- ^ Cinéma : le réalisateur burkinabè Idrissa Ouedraogo est mort Archived 2018-02-18 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
- ^ a b "Idrissa Ouédraogo". africultures.com/ (in French). Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Idrissa Ouédraogo". leaders-afrique.com (in French). Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-29621-5. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-02-24.
- ^ "About the director – Biography: Idrissa Ouedraogo". africanfilmny.org. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-29621-5. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-02-24.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Tilaï". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-29621-5. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-02-24.
- ^ "Berlinale: 1993 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-520-91236-6. Archivedfrom the original on 24 February 2018.
- ^ "Idrissa Ouédraogo: "J'ai envie de faire un grand film sur la pénétration coloniale"". Les Echos du Faso. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^ "Idrissa Ouedraogo : " Le cinéma low-cost ne veut rien dire "". Le Monde. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^ Le Cam, Morgane (19 February 2018). "Ouagadougou rend hommage au " maestro " Idrissa Ouedraogo". Le Monde. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^ Talabot, Jean (18 February 2018). "Le réalisateur burkinabé Idrissa Ouedraogo est mort". AFP via Le Figaro. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^ Deguenon, Vincent (18 February 2018). "Burkina-Faso : le baobab du cinéma africain Idrissa Ouédraogo a cassé sa pipe". Benin Web TV. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Burkina Faso: mort du cinéaste Idrissa Ouédraogo". RFI. 18 February 2018. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ Ouédraogo, Dimitri (21 February 2018). "Cinéma : Idrissa OUEDRAOGO repose désormais au cimetière municipal de Gounghin". LeFaso.net. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ISBN 9782845860605. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-02-24.
- ISBN 9782845869585. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-02-24.
- ISBN 9780253348296. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-02-24.
- ISBN 9780816640355. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-02-24.
- ISBN 9780809325566. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-02-24.
External links
- Idrissa Ouédraogo at IMDb
- Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
- Ouédraogo on Kini and Adams
- Film references
- Idrissa Ouedraogo Archived 2017-04-25 at the Wayback Machine at Culturebase.com