Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, a visionary of African cinema, passed away on Wednesday in a Bamako clinic at the age of 84.
His daughter, Mariam Cissé, confirmed his death, expressing shock and mourning over the loss of a man who dedicated his life to film and art.
Tributes flooded in for Cissé, whose decades-long career was defined by a fierce commitment to African storytelling, humanism, and political engagement.
Cissé gained international recognition in 1987 when his film Yeelen (Brightness) won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
The film, rooted in the legends of West Africa’s Bambara people, cemented his reputation as one of the continent’s most influential directors.
In 2023, Cannes honored him again with the prestigious Carrosse d’Or, recognizing his boldness and artistic integrity in shaping global cinema.
“This award encourages me to make new films, to reinvent myself and change my vision,” Cissé told AFP during his visit to Cannes.
A year later, the award was stolen from his home, only to be recovered, mirroring the resilience that defined his life and work.
Malian director Boubacar Sidibé declared the country’s film industry in mourning, while Culture Minister Mamou Daffé called Cissé a “monument of African cinema.”
Cissé was one of only two filmmakers to win the top prize twice at Burkina Faso’s FESPACO, Africa’s most prestigious film festival.
He was set to travel to Ouagadougou on Thursday to preside over the jury for the festival’s 29th edition, starting February 22.
Throughout his career, he urged young African filmmakers to seek financial independence, criticizing reliance on European funding.
Hours before his death, he called on Mali’s leaders to invest in cinemas and support the nation’s struggling film industry.
“This is the appeal I make before my death, if God wills it,” he said in his final public statement.
