| Cinema of Niger | |
|---|---|
| No. ofscreens | 4 (2011)[1] |
| • Per capita | <0.1 per 100,000 (2011)[1] |
| Produced feature films | |
| Animated | – |
| Number of admissions[2] | |
| Total | 50,010 (2013) |
| National films | 3,010 (6.0%) |
| Gross box office (2011)[2] | |
| Total | XOF 30 million |
TheCinema of Niger began in the 1940s with the ethnographical documentary of French directorJean Rouch, before growing to become one of the most active national film cultures in Francophone Africa in the 1960s-70s with the work of filmmakers such asOumarou Ganda,Moustapha Alassane andGatta Abdourahamne.[3][4] The industry has slowed somewhat since the 1980s, though films continue to be made in the country, with notable directors of recent decades includingMahamane Bakabe,Inoussa Ousseini,Mariama Hima,Moustapha Diop andRahmatou Keïta.[5] Unlike neighbouringNigeria, with its thrivingHausa andEnglish-languagefilm industries, mostNigerien films are made inFrench with Francophone countries as their major market, whilst action and light entertainment films from Nigeria or dubbed western films fill most Nigerien theatres.
The first Nigerien films were made in the 1940s, when Niger was still under French rule as part ofFrench West Africa.Jean Rouch, a French ethnographic filmmaker, is generally considered 'the father of Nigerien film'.[4] Arriving initially as an engineer in 1941, Rouch remained in Niger after independence, and mentored a generation of Nigerien filmmakers and actors, includingDamouré Zika,Moustapha Alassane andOumarou Ganda.[3][6] Rouch made his first film in Niger in 1947, with the short documentaryAu Pays des Mages Noirs (In the Land of Black Mages), going on to make a number of similar short ethnographic documentaries, such asLes Magiciens de Wanzarbé (1948),Initiation à la danse des possédés (Initiation to the Dance of the Possessed; 1949) andChasse à l'hippopotame (Hippopotamus Chase; 1950).[3][7]
During the 1950s, Rouch began to produce longer, narrative films. In 1954 he filmed Damouré Zika inJaguar as a youngSonghai man travelling for work to theGold Coast (modernGhana).[8] Filmed as a silent ethnographic piece, Zika helped re-edit the film into a feature-length movie which stood somewhere between documentary and fiction, and provided dialog and commentary for a 1967 release.[9] In 1957 Rouch directed inCôte d'IvoireMoi un noir with the young Nigerian filmmaker Oumarou Ganda.[3]
Niger gained independence from France in August 1960; the 60s saw the development of the careers of two of the most prominent Nigerien film-makers - Moustapha Alassane and Oumarou Ganda.[3] Alassane's first film was the shortAouré (Wedding Marriage; 1962), about aZarma marriage.[3] He went on to make several short films, as well a number of animations, having been trained in animated cinematography inCanada. His 1966 animationLa Mort de Gandji won the "Prix de Dessin" at the firstFestival Mondial des Arts Nègres inDakar.[6] Alassane also made number of longer films, such asLe Retour d'un aventurier (The Return of an Adventurer; 1966), the social satireFVVA: Femme, villa, voiture, argent (WVCM: Woman, Villa, Car, Money; 1972) andToula ou Le génie des eaux (Toula or the Genie of the Waters; 1974).[3][5][6]
Oumarou Ganda's first film was theZarma languageCabascabo, based on his experience serving inFrench Indochina; it became the first African selection at theCannes Film Festival, and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the 19696th Moscow International Film Festival[10][6] Ganda was one of the dominating figures of early African cinema, demonstrated by his awards at thePanafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), a festival he and other Nigeriens helped to found.[citation needed] Ganda'sLe Wazzou polygame (1971) won the first prize (Étalon de Yennenga) at the 1972 FESPACO, while he also won the "Congratulations of the Jury" at the 4th (1973).[citation needed] His 1973 filmSaïtane won a "Special mention" at the fifth FESPACO; this festival now presents an "Oumarou Ganda Prize", given for the best first film.[11]
Another Nigerien filmmaker of this period wasGatta Abdourahamne; in 1979 he won theCaméra d'or at FESPACO for his filmGossi.[6] In the same year he won the Screenwriters Award forLa Case at the UNESCO festival inNairobi,Kenya.[citation needed] Another Nigerien director whose career began in this period wasDjingarey Maïga (L'étoile noire, 1976;Nuages noirs, 1979).[12]
Jean Rouch, who had stayed in Niger following independence, also continued to produce drama films in this period, includingPetit à petit (Little by Little; 1971),Cocorico! Monsieur Poulet (Cocka-doodle-doo Mr. Chicken; 1974) andBabatu (1976), as well as continuing to make ethnographic shorts.[13][6]
Since the 1980s Nigerien film-making has slowed somewhat, in part due to weakening state sector financing, as well as due to the growth of lighter action and romance films, especially the Hausa language film industry of neighbouring Nigeria.[6] Moustapha Alassane, who died in 2015, continued to produce films (such asKokoa, 1985;Les Magiciens de l'Ader, 2000) up until the early 2000s. Oumarou Ganda made his last filmL'éxilé in 1980, before his death in 1981.[6] Other notable film-makers from the period includeInoussa Ousseini (Wasan Kara, 1980),Moustapha Diop (Le médecin de Gafire, 1986;Mamy Wata, 1990) andMahamane Bakabe (Si les cavaliers, 1982).[5][6] In the 1980s-90sMariama Hima, the first female director from Niger, won acclaim for documentaries, such asBaabu Banza (1985),Katako (1987) andHadiza et Kalia (1994); after a number of high-profile cultural roles she later became ambassador to France.[14][15]
In 1994, Nigerien producer/directorOusmane Ilbo Mahamane founded the Niamey African Film Meeting (Rencontres du cinéma africain deNiamey, RECAN) as a biennial festival without prizes and also a centre for film-making and film studies.[6]
In 2004 Jean Rouch was killed in a car crash in Niamey whilst he was on his way to a Nigerien film festival.[3] He had made his last film,Moi fatigué debout, moi couché (I'm Tired Standing, Tired Lying Down), in 1997.[5]
The first NigerienTuareg feature film,Akounak Teggdalit Taha Tazoughai (Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red in It), was released in 2015 and stars the musicianMdou Moctar; it was directed by American musicologistChristopher Kirkley.[16][17][18] It tells the story of a struggling musician fromAgadez and is loosely based onPurple Rain.[19] Other notable figures working in the contemporary Nigerien film industry include the actressZalika Souley, who won theInsignes du mérite culturel at the 1990Carthage Film Festival and the directorsRahmatou Keïta (Al'lèèssi... Une actrice africaine, 2005;The Wedding Ring (2016 film), akaZin'naariya, 2016),Malam Saguirou (La Robe du temps, 2008) andSani Elhadj Magori (Pour le meilleur et pour l'oignon!, 2008;Koukan Kourcia (Le cri de la tourterelle), 2011).[5][6]
