Christian Tsui Hesse, popularly known as Chris Hesse (born 29 August 1932) is a

Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

cinematographer, filmmaker, film administrator, photographer and Presbyterian minister who is known for his cinematography in several award-winning films such as the critically acclaimed ''

Love Brewed in the African Pot ''Love Brewed in the African Pot'' is a 1980 Ghanaian romantic drama film directed by Kwaw Ansah. It was reportedly the first privately financed Ghanaian feature film and is considered a classic. Plot The film takes place in Ghana during the Gol ...

'' (1980) and ''Heritage Africa'' (1989). He was the personal photographer of Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Chris Hesse helped to document the visual history of the political leadership and development of the country. He also worked for the United Nations, serving as a photographer, documenting the

Congo crisis The Congo Crisis (french: Crise congolaise, link=no) was a period of political upheaval and conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The crisis began almost immediately after ...

in 1960.

Early life and education

Chris Tsui Hesse was born on 29 August 1932 at Osu, Accra. He attended the all-boys' Presbyterian boarding middle school, the Salem School and the Odorgonno Secondary School, obtaining the Cambridge Overseas Certificate in 1954. In the same year, he was employed at the Ghana Film Industry Corporation (GFIC). He attended the

National Film School in Łódź National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in Poland and graduated in 1960. He also obtained a post-graduate certificate in Film and TV Arts from the

University of Sorbonne The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...

in Paris. His other academic credentials include a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

(1985) and a PhD (1989) in Film and Arts, both earned from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, California.

Career

His entire working career spans four decades (1954–1994), spent in the service of the Gold Coast Film Unit, later called the Ghana Industry Corporation. He worked on the

British Academy Film Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

which later got nominated for Best Film from any Source,

The Boy Kumasenu ''The Boy Kumasenu'' is a 1952 feature film made in Ghana by a British film crew. It was produced and directed by Sean Graham from a script by Graham and John Wyllie. The score was by Elisabeth Lutyens. The movie became popular and had an impa ...

(1952) directed by British director Sean Graham. Hesse rose through the ranks to become the managing director of the Ghana Film Industry Corporation (GFIC) for ten years until his retirement from government service 1994. Chris Hesse has a wealth of experience in film production, including being the head of News Department of the GFIC for ten years (1974–1984) within which he produced several newsreels, magazines, adverts and short documentaries, some of which have won international awards. He won the Golden Camera Award (First Prize in Cinematography in Africa) at the Pan African Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (

FESPACO The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou or FESPACO) is a film festival in Burkina Faso, held biennially in Ouagadougou, where the organization is based. It ...

) in 1985. He was the director of photography for Kwaw Ansah's award-winning films ''

'' (1980) and ''Heritage Africa'' (1989). He was also the director of photography for the filmmaker Ato Yanney Snr.’s ''His Majesty's Sergeant'' (1984). He also travelled extensively throughout the world filming conferences at the UN, Commonwealth,

OAU The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide. The movement originated in the aftermath o ...

, visits of Heads of State and various international seminars. Chris Hesse is known to be the first war cameraman to shoot a film on the

Congo Crisis The Congo Crisis (french: Crise congolaise, link=no) was a period of political upheaval and conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The crisis began almost immediately after ...

in 1960 for worldwide distribution in the capacity as an Honorary Captain in the Peace Keeping Force in 1960. From pre-colonial to post-independent Ghana (1956–1966), he was the official cinematographer to

Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah (born 21 September 190927 April 1972) was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An in ...

(1956–1966) and also to subsequent Heads of State namely: J. A. Ankrah, A. A. Afrifa, K. A. Busia, I. K. Acheampong,

Fred Akuffo Lieutenant General Frederick William "Fred" Kwasi Akuffo (21 March 1937 – 26 June 1979) was a Ghanaian soldier and politician. He was Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces from 1976 to 1978, and chairman of the ruling Supr ...

, Hilla Liman and

J. J. Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (22 June 194712 November 2020) was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the de ...

. He was ordained into the

Christian ministry In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith, the prototype being the Great Commission. The '' Encyclopedia of Christianity'' defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", in ...

of the

Presbyterian Church of Ghana The Presbyterian Church of Ghana is a mainline Protestant church denomination in Ghana. The oldest, continuously existing, established Christian Church in Ghana, it was started by the Basel missionaries on 18 December 1828. The missionaries had ...

in 1985 and served in several congregations. He also became the executive director of the Prisons Ministry of Ghana. Chris Hesse has been married to Regina Hesse (a retired Officer of the

Bank of Ghana The Bank of Ghana ( BoG) is the central bank of Ghana. It is located in Accra and was formed in 1957. The bank is active in developing financial inclusion policy and is a member of thAlliance for Financial Inclusion History The Central Ban ...

) since 1959 and they have five adult children and grandchildren. His hobbies include lawn tennis, jogging, cycling and

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

. He is fluent in English, French, Ga and

Twi Twi () is a dialect of the Akan language spoken in southern and central Ghana by several million people, mainly of the Akan people, the largest of the seventeen major ethnic groups in Ghana. Twi has about 17-18 million speakers in total, includ ...

. In 2014, Chris Hesse was honoured for his immense contributions to cinema and the nation at the 3rd '' NAFTI Film Lectures on the Motion Pictur''e Industry which focused on his work as a cinematographer, film director and documentary photographer. Hesse is one of the individuals who have consistently called for the passage of the film bill which is intended to put in place all the necessary structures and systems for the film industry. Chris Tsui Hesse is a founding member and former President of the Ghana Academy of Film and Television Arts (GAFTA). In 2017, Hesse has been honoured at the National Film and Television Institute Awards night in Accra.

Filmography

* ''The Boy Kumasenu'' (1952) * ''Progress in Kodjokrom'' (1953) * ''Mr Mensah Builds a House'' (1956) * ''Beyond the Volta'' (1956) * ''Plebiscite of Togoland'' (1957) * ''Freedom for Ghana'' (1957) * ''Operation Congo'' (1960) * ''Love Brewed in the African Pot'' (1980) * ''His Majesty's Sergeant'' (1984) * ''Heritage Africa'' (1989) * ''Harvest at 17'' (1994) * ''Cross Road of People, Cross of Trade'' (1994)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hesse, Chris Living people 1932 births Ghanaian film producers Ga-Adangbe people Ghanaian educators Ghanaian civil servants Ghanaian clergy Ghanaian chaplains Ghanaian people of Danish descent Ghanaian people of German descent Ghanaian Presbyterians Ghanaian Protestants Hesse family of Ghana Łódź Film School alumni People from Accra University of Paris alumni University of Southern California alumni Osu Salem School alumni