Maïmouna Hélène Diarra, also Helena Diarra (1955 – June 10, 2021) was a Malian

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

known for playing the roles of older women from her young age. She is the CEO of the International Fund for the Development of Active Retirement (FIDRA). She is the Vice President of the Professional Association of Decentralized Financial Systems of Côte d'Ivoire (Apsfd-CI).

Early life and education

Diarra was born in 1955 in Segou,

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

but got orphaned at an early age and was raised by her uncles and grandmother. In 1975, she got admitted into the National Pedagogical Institute for a Diploma of Fundamental Studies (DEF) in the teaching profession. After a switch to sports, between 1975 and 1977 she played for the Bamako Reds women's basketball team. In 1981, she obtained a diploma in theatre arts at the National Arts Institute (INA).

Career

In 2000, she was featured as "Aminate" in

Michael Haneke Michael Haneke (; born 23 March 1942) is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. His work often examines social issues and depicts the feelings of estrangement experienced by individuals in modern society. Haneke has made films in French, G ...

's drama film, ''

Code Unknown ''Code Unknown'' (french: Code inconnu : Récit incomplet de divers voyages) is a 2000 film directed by Michael Haneke. Most of the story occurs in Paris, France, where the fates of several characters intersect and connect. ''Code Unknown'' is co ...

''. Other cast include: Aïssa Maïga,

Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer. She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...

Thierry Neuvic Thierry Neuvic (born 3 August 1970) is a French actor. He has appeared in more than 50 films and television shows since 1996. He starred in the film ''Code Unknown'', which was selected in the 2000 Cannes Film Festival The 53rd Cannes Film Fes ...

Josef Bierbichler Josef Bierbichler (born 26 April 1948) is a German actor. Filmography * 1976: '' Heart of Glass'' – director: Werner Herzog * 1976: ''Die Atlantikschwimmer'' * 1977: '' Bierkampf'' – director: Herbert Achternbusch * 1977: ''Servus Bayern'' ...

and others. In 2004, she was featured in

Ousmane Sembène Ousmane Sembène (; 1 January 1923 or 8 January 1923 – 9 June 2007), often credited in the French style as Sembène Ousmane in articles and reference works, was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer. The ''Los Angeles Times'' consider ...

's Bambara language film,

Moolaadé ''Moolaadé'' ("magical protection") is a 2004 film by the Senegalese writer and director Ousmane Sembène. It addresses the subject of female genital mutilation, a common practice in a number of African countries, from Egypt to Nigeria. The film ...

, playing the role of "Hadjatou". Other cast include:

Fatoumata Coulibaly Fatoumata Coulibaly is a Malian film actress, director, journalist, and women's rights activist, particularly against female genital mutilation (FGM). Early life Coulibaly comes from a family of musicians, and her grandmother Bazéko Traoré w ...

and Salimata Traoré. The film was presented at the 2007

Ebertfest Ebertfest is an annual film festival held every April in Champaign, Illinois, United States, organized by the College of Media at the University of Illinois. Roger Ebert, the TV and ''Chicago Sun-Times'' film critic, was a native of the adjoin ...

. It was nominated for a "Best Film" award at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. In 2006, she was starred in

Abderrahmane Sissako Abderrahmane Sissako (born 13 October 1961) is a Mauritanian-born Malian film director and producer. His film '' Waiting for Happiness'' (''Heremakono'') was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival official selection under Un Certain Regard, wi ...

's drama film, ''

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...

'', in which she played the role of "Saramba". Other cast featured include: Aïssa Maïga and Tiécoura Traoré.

Filmography

References

External links

Hélène Diarra
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Maimouna Hélène Diarra
on Premiere {{DEFAULTSORT:Diarra, Helene Living people Malian actresses 1955 births People from Ségou 21st-century Malian people