Revolts in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya: rerun as of African films

OUAGADOUGOU - The only filmmaker to twice win the grand prize at Africa's biggest film festival, Souleymane Cisse

'The wind is blowing away the authoritarian regimes or dynasties'

Filmmaker Souleymane Cisse proud of industry's focus on 'what's happening in North Africa'.

is proud of his industry's focus on daily lives and the tough questions facing the continent, like democratic reforms.

"What's happening in North Africa, cinema has already dealt with that," the Malian said, referring to the wave of popular unrest that has struck Tunisia, Egypt and now Libya.

"African filmmakers are already beside their peoples so are very engaged.

"Very few live in exile, even though they are not very appreciated at home," he said at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO).

Cisse, who will turn 71 in April, won the festival's top prize, the Etalon de Yennenga or Stallion of Yennenga, in 1979 for his film "Baara" (Work) and again in 1985 for "Finye" (Wind).

"A film like 'Finye', which came out in 1982, was already dealing with this (calls for reform)," he said of the feature that showed two Malian teenagers challenging the country's established order.

"This film foreshadowed the democratisation in Africa in the 1990s. But we can also link it with the popular uprisings today in North Africa, where the wind is blowing away the authoritarian regimes or dynasties in place."

The veteran director urged the new generation of African filmmakers to steer for independence from European funding.

"Today young people have a miserabilist approach to film, of beggars who must plead every time for financing from Europe," he said.

"The new generation of African filmmakers must not see themselves as cursed, they must see that their duty is to help people move forward," he said.

Cisse said winning FESPACO awards were a blessing for the exposure they gave him but something of a curse for its burden of expectation.

"It gives you respect, for all eternity you will be recognised as a winner of the Etalon de Yennenga," he said.

"(But) from the moment you are carrying the Etalon, you no longer have the luxury of mistakes, you cannot fail. It's a heavy distinction to carry, other winners will tell you."

"It gives some international recognition. The titles helped a little bit to obtain financing for other films, but not as much as we hoped. It's not like winning the Palme d'or at Cannes!" he said.

Despite efforts like FESPACO, African films still struggle to obtain financing and global recognition, he said.

However, "I live off my films so I can't complain in that regard, when you look at the realities of the continent."

FESPACO, a biennial event that gathers thousands of fans from across the continent and the African diaspora in the capital of Burkina Faso, ends Saturday when this year's Stallion of Yennenga will be awarded.

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