Joseph Akouissonne (1 January 1943 – 17 February 2019) was a Central African film director, actor, and journalist.
Biography
Akouissone was born in
Bangassou
Bangassou is a city in the south eastern Central African Republic, lying on the north bank of the Mbomou River. It has a population of 24,447 (2003 census) and is the capital of the Mbomou prefecture. It is known for its wildlife, market, and near ...
in 1943. He completed his secondary studies at the Lycée Technique de Bangui. Akouissone moved to France in 1985 to study mathematics and train as an engineer. Instead of continuing on this path, he took Audiovisual courses at the Ecole pratique des Hautes Etudes de Paris X and did a postgraduate thesis under Jean Roach on ethnography. Akouissone made an unfinished film about a potter from Sauveteur de Rouergue.
In 1975, he directed his first short film, ''Josepha'', on the theme of Black women in Europe. On assignment from the
Upper Volta
Upper Volta (now named Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to ...
Ministry of Cooperation, Akouissone directed ''Festival de Royan'' in 1977, a half-hour short film about the troupes of musicians and dancers at the festival. In 1980, he produced ''Dieux Noirs du State'' for French television, covering three footballers and a basketball player.
The following year, Akouissone directed the first documentary filmed in the Central African Republic, ''Un homme est un homme''. In 1982, Akouissone directed ''Zo Kwè Zo'', which received the prize for the best picture at the eighth
Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou as well as the prize of the international TV Cinema Commission, awarded from UNESCO.
During the 1980s, he worked for France 3 Limousin. He retired in 2007, but remained active in retirement, writing a blog and denouncing violence in editorials. Akouissone died on 17 February 2019 at the age of 76.
Partial filmography
*1975: ''Josepha'' (director)
*1977: ''Festival de Royan'' (director)
*1978: ''Safrana or Freedom of Speech'' (actor)
*1980: ''Dieux Noirs du State'' (director)
*1981: ''Un homme est un homme'' (director)
*1982: ''Zo Kwè Zo'' (director)
*1985: ''Burkina Cinema'' (director)
*1987: ''FESPACO Images 87'' (director)
*1989: ''Africa Cinema'' (director)
References
External links
Joseph Akouissoneat the
Internet Movie Database,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akouissone, Joseph
1943 births
2019 deaths
Central African Republic film directors
Central African Republic actors
Central African Republic journalists
People from Bangassou