Cinema of Benin

The Cinema of Benin refers to the film industry of the Republic of Benin in West Africa.

History

Sources differ as to the which was the first Beninese film, with some pointing to the short Lumière des hommes (1954, director unknown),[1] with others pointing to the work of Pascal Abikanlou, who made a number of documentaries in the 1960s, followed by his first feature film Sous le signe du vaudou in 1974.[2][3] Richard De Medeiros was another noted director of the early independence years, beginning with 1970's Le roi est mort en exil, an examination of Béhanzin, the last king of Dahomey.[4] He went on to make the feature-length Le nouveau venu (1972), which explored the issue of corruption and the conflict between modernity and tradition in Benin.[5] François Okioh made a number of short documentaries in the 1980s, as well as the feature-length dramas Ironou (1985) and Enfants de... (1985).[6] Noted filmmakers of the last two decades are Jean Odoutan (Barbecue Pejo, 2000; Pim-Pim Tché, 2010), Idrissou Mora Kpai (Si-Gueriki, la reine-mère, 2002) and Sylvestre Amoussou (Africa Paradis, 2006).

List of Beninese films

This is a sortable list of films produced in Benin.[7][1][8][4][6]

Year Title Director Genre Notes
1954 Lumière des hommes ? Short English title: Light of Men
1967 Ganvié, mon village Pascal Abikanlou Documentary, short English title: Ganvié, My Village
1968 Escale au Dahomey Pascal Abikanlou Documentary, short English title: Stopover in Dahomey
1969 Premières offrandes Pascal Abikanlou Documentary, short English title: First Offerings
1969 Fête de l'igname Pascal Abikanlou Documentary, short English title: Yam Festival
1970 Le roi est mort en exil Richard de Medeiros Drama, short English title: The King Died in Exile
1971 Opération Sonader Pascal Abikanlou Documentary, short English title: Operation Sonader
1971 De l'eau et de l'ombrage Pascal Abikanlou Documentary, short English title: Water and Shade
1972 Téké, hymne au Borgou Richard de Medeiros Documentary, short English title: Téké, Hymn of Borgou
1972 Silence et feu de brousse Richard de Medeiros Drama, short English title: Silence and Bushfire
1974 Sous le signe du vaudou Pascal Abikanlou Drama English title: Under the Sign of Voodoo
1975 L'Afrique au Rendez-vous de l'Année Sainte Pascal Abikanlou Documentary short English title: Africa at the Rendezvous of the New Year
1976 Le Nouveau venu Richard De Medeiros Drama English title: The Newcomer
1980 Ces Collines ne sont pas muettes François Okioh Documentary, short English title: These Hills are not Silent
1982 Le Fleuve a tout emporté François Okioh Documentary, short English title: The River Swept Everything
1983 Ogu François Okioh Documentary, short
1985 Enfants de... François Okioh Drama English title: Infants of...
1985 Ironou François Okioh Drama
1989 Dan xome royaume des Huegbadjavi Pascal Abikanlou Documentary English title: Dan Xome, Kingdom of Huegbadjavi
1991 Debout les morts ? Television production English title: Up the Dead
1991 Les Tresseurs de Corde François Okioh Drama English title: The Mat Cutters
1992 Vent de l'espoir Pascal Abikanlou Documentary English title: Wind of Hope
1993 Ouidah 92 Pascal Abikanlou Documentary
1998 Divine carcasse Dominique Loreau Drama English title: Divine Carcass
1999 Génération perdue M. Pounie English title: Lost Generation
2000 Barbecue-Pejo Jean Odoutan Drama
2000 Le Pays Idaasha François Okioh Drama English title: Dassa Country
2002 Si-Gueriki, la reine-mère Idrissou Mora Kpai Drama English title: Si-Gueriki, the Queen Mother
2004 La Valse des gros derrières Jean Odoutan English: The Waltz of the Big Behinds
2006 Abeni Tunde Kelani Drama Benin-Nigeria co-production
2006 Africa Paradis Sylvestre Amoussou Drama/comedy English title: Africa Paradise
2006 Abeni 2 Tunde Kelani Drama Benin-Nigeria co-production
2006 Crânes épais... lèvres fausses François Okioh Documentary, short English title: Thick Skulls... False Lips
2007 L'Amazone candidate Sanvi Panou Documentary English title: The Amazon Candidate
2010 Pim-Pim Tché Jean Odoutan Drama
2010 Shed No Tears Kaitlyn Summerill Documentary
2011 Un pas en avant - Les dessous de la corruption Sylvestre Amoussou Comedy English title: One Step Forward - The Bottom of Corruption
2011 Indochine, sur les traces d'une mère Idrissou Mora Kpai Documentary English title: Indochina: Traces of a Mother
2011 Femme d'Afrique Milja Viita Documentary short English title: Woman of Africa
2011 Larmes de sang Laitan Faranpojo & Mark Koumagnon English title: Tears of Blood
2012 La personne de Georges Adéagbo Matteo Fritelli Documentary English title: The Person of Georges Adéagbo
2012 Possessed by Voodoo Sergey Yastrzhembskiy Documentary
2012 The Camp Jean-Frédéric de Hasque Documentary
2014 Dreamcycles Nelson Roubert Documentary
2015 Gangbé! Arnauld Robert Documentary
2016 Vindicte Ange-Régis Hounkpatin Drama, short English title: Retribution
2016 Bight of the Twin Hazel Hill McCarthy III Documentary
2016 Dassa-Zoume Christophe Blanpied Documentary, short
2017 L'orage africain: un continent sous influence Sylvestre Amoussou Drama English title: The African Storm
2017 Studio Harmattan Stefanos Pavlakis Experimental short
2018 In Search of Voodoo: Roots of Heaven Djimon Hounsou Documentary
2018 ZanKlan Arcade Assogba Drama, short
2018 When God is Among Us Aidan Macaluso Documentary, short

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Houngnikpo, Mathurin C.; Decalo, Samuel (2013). Historical Dictionary of Benin (Fourth ed.). Lanham: The Scarecrow Press. pp. 164–65. ISBN 978-0-8108-7171-7.
  2. ^ Blaise Ahouansè (13 January 2013), Hommage à Pascal Abikanlou, le précurseur du cinéma béninois, La Nouvelle Tribune, archived from the original on 18 January 2020, retrieved 7 December 2019
  3. ^ Pascal Abikanlou, Africine, retrieved 7 December 2019
  4. ^ a b Richard de Medeiros, Africine, retrieved 7 December 2019
  5. ^ Le Nouveau Venu, Africine, retrieved 7 December 2019
  6. ^ a b François Okioh, Africine, retrieved 7 December 2019
  7. ^ IMDb - Benin, 6 December 2019
  8. ^ Various (2000) Les cinémas d'Afrique: Dictionnaire, Editions Karthala, p. 18