Charles Mensah (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: تشارلز منساه) was a

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

ese

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

, screenwriter and production manager. Popularly known as "The Gentleman of African Cinemas", Mensah contributed in several critically acclaimed documentaries including ''Équateur'', ''Les Couilles de l'éléphant'' and ''Lybek, the crunch of the alive''. He worked as an activist for the development of independent southern cinema for a career spanned more than three decades.

Personal life

He was born on 1948 in Omboué,

. He died on 3 June 2011, at the age of 63.

Career

In 1976, he made his first fiction, ''Obali'' co-produced with Pierre-Marie Ndong. Then in 1977 he made the second venture ''Ayouma'' co-produced with Ndong and Patience Dabany. With the success at film making, Mensah got involved in production, this time with the film ''Équateur'', signed

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...

. Along with renowned filmmaker Henri-Joseph Koumba Bididi in 1995, Mensah involved in the television serial ''L'Auberge du Salut'', a full Gabonese film. As executive producer, Mensah participated in numerous productions including: ''Le Damier de Balufu Bakupu Kanyinda'' in 1996, ''Dôlè (l'Argent)'' by Imunga Iwanga in 2000, ''Les Couilles de l'éléphant'' in 2001 and ''N'Djamena City'' directed by Issa Serge Coelo in 2006. He also involved in short documentary on ''Lybek, le crunch du vivant''. Until 2009, he held the position of Director General of the National Center of Gabonese Cinema (CENACI), which is currently known as Gabonese Institute of Image and Sound (IGIS). In the same year, he became the president of Pan-African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) as well as in Film Assistance Fund Commission of the International Francophone Organization. In 2011, he worked in Bididi's ''Le collier du Makoko'' which gained international recognition including

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

inclusion.

Filmography

References

External links

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CINEMA / DOCUMENTARY ESCALS OF LIBREVILLE (EDL): WHAT ABOUT THE 2016 EDITION?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mensah, Charles 1976 births 2011 deaths Documentary film directors Gabonese film directors People from Ogooué-Maritime Province 21st-century Gabonese people