Idrissou Mora-Kpai | |
|---|---|
| Born | Idrissou Mora-Kpai (1967-07-14)July 14, 1967 (age 57) |
| Nationality | Beninese-American |
| Education | MFA Film Production |
| Alma mater | Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg Free University of Berlin |
| Occupation(s) | Director, producer, screenwriter, editor, lecturer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Awards | Recipient of theJohn Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, andPrince Claus Fund[1] |
| Website | https://idrimora.com |
Idrissou Mora-Kpai (born 14 July 1967), is aBeninese-Americanfilmmaker.[2] He is most notable as the director of critically acclaimed filmsIndochina Traces of a Mother,Arlit The Second Paris, andSi-Gueriki The Queen Mother.[3] He is a recipient of theJohn Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship[1] and theDutch Prince Claus Award[4]
He was born on 14 July 1967 inBéroubouay, Northern Benin to a family of commercial cattle farmers. His father was Mora-Kpai Sounon Dangnon and mother was Bougnon Yarou Signangui.[2]
He graduated with M.A. degree at theKonrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg, Germany. He also worked as a visiting lecturer atCornell University,Duke University,University of Pittsburgh andIthaca College.[2][4] Currently he lives in the US.[5] As of 2024 Mora-Kpai accepted an associate professorship at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
At the age of 13, he moved toCotonou and attended high school. At the age of 19, he went to Algeria and then emigrated via Italy to Germany. Then he studied North American studies at theFree University of Berlin from 1988 to 1993. After the graduation, he studied film production at the Konrad Wolf Film University from 1994 to 1999. During this university period, he made several two short films,Transient andFake Soldiers.[2][5]
In 1999, Idrissou moved to Paris and made his maiden documentary,Si-Gueriki[6][7] in 2002. The film received critical acclaim and international attention.[8] It was screened at theInternational Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR),Cinema du Réel, Paris and theCopenhagen International Film Festival (CIFF). The film later awarded Best Documentary Award at theFestival International du Film Francophone de Namur.[2][5]
In 2002, he founded the production company 'MKJ Films'. With the production house, he produced two other films;Arlit The Second Paris[9][10][11] was screened at TheBerlin International Film Festival[12] at theSheffield International Documentary Festival and was subsequently awarded, among others, the Best Documentary Award and the TV5 Award at theFestival International du Film Francophone de Namur, the best documentary award at theAsian and Latin American Film Festival,[13] Milan, the best documentary award at theMuestra de Cine Africano de Tarifa.[14] His filmIndochina Traces of a Mother[15][16] produced with the same company, was screened at theBusan International Film Festival,[17] at theCannes International Film Festival,[18] French Institute Screening. The film attracted the media’s attention due to exposing a hitherto little know piece of history about African Soldiers fighting for in the French Indochina war.Indochina was awarded the best documentary award at theAlger International Film Festival.[19]
In 2019, he made the documentary filmAmerica Street. It explores the daily struggles of an African-American community in Charleston, South Carolina after the2015 Walter Scott killing. The film received critical acclaim and was screened at several film festivals, includingFID Marseille.[20][21][22][23]
| Year | Film | Role | Genre | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Transient | Director, producer, writer, editor | Short film | |
| 1999 | Fake Soldiers | Director, writer | Short film[24] | |
| 2002 | Si-Gueriki, la reine-mère | Director | Documentary | [25][26] |
| 2005 | Arlit: The Second Paris | Director, producer, writer | Documentary | [27] |
| 2011 | Indochina Traces of a Mother | Director, producer | Documentary | [28] |
| 2019 | America Street | Director, producer, cinematographer | Documentary |
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