{{Short description|Gabonese filmmaker (1948–2011)}} {{About|the Gabonese filmmaker|other people}} {{use dmy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Charles Mensah <br>تشارلز منساه | other_names = | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = 1948 | birth_name = Charles Mensah | birth_place = Omboué, Gabon | death_date = {{death date and age|2011|06|03|1948|04|30|df=yes}} | death_place = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} --> | alma_mater = | years_active = 1983–present | party = | spouse = | children = | awards = | father = | mother = | relatives = | signature = | website = | footnotes = | occupation = Director, producer, screen writer }}

'''Charles Mensah''' (1948 – 3 June 2011; Arabic: تشارلز منساه) was a Gabonese filmmaker, screenwriter and production manager. Popularly known as "the Gentleman of African Cinema", Mensah contributed to several critically acclaimed documentaries including ''Équateur'', ''Les Couilles de l'éléphant'' and ''Lybek, the crunch of the alive''. In a career spanning more than three decades, he worked the development of independent southern cinema.

==Personal life and Death== Charles Mensah was born on 1948 in Omboué, Gabon. He died on 3 June 2011, at the age of 63.<ref name= gabonactu>{{cite web | url=https://gabonactu.com/il-y-a-4-ans-le-cineaste-charles-mensah-tirait-sa-reverence/| title=4 years ago the filmmaker Charles Mensah bowed out| first=Martin| last= Safou| publisher=Gabonactu | accessdate=8 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101113357/http://www.gabonactu.com/il-y-a-4-ans-le-cineaste-charles-mensah-tirait-sa-reverence/| archive-date= 1 Nov 2016}}</ref>

==Career== ===Filmmaking=== In 1976, Mensah directed his first feature fiction film, ''Obali'' co-produced with Pierre-Marie Ndong. Then in 1977 he made the second venture ''Ayouma'', co-produced with Ndong and Patience Dabany. Experiencing success with these, Mensah got involved in production, this time with the film ''Équateur'' (''Equator''), written and directed by Serge Gainsbourg, which he co-produced with Alain Poiré. Along with renowned filmmaker Henri-Joseph Koumba Bididi in 1995, Mensah was involved in the Gabonese television series ''L'Auberge du Salut''.<ref name= union>{{cite web | url=https://www.union.sonapresse.com/personnalites-gabonaises/charles-mensah-la-vie-est-un-film-au-commencement-etait-limage-14446| title=Charles Mensah, Life is a film: in the beginning was the image| publisher=L'Union (Sonapresse)|date=1 Jan 1999 | accessdate=8 October 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018202142/http://www.union.sonapresse.com/personnalites-gabonaises/charles-mensah-la-vie-est-un-film-au-commencement-etait-limage-14446| archive-date= 18 Oct 2016}}</ref>

As executive producer, Mensah participated in numerous productions, including: ''Le Damier de Balufu Bakupu Kanyinda'' in 1996, ''Dôlè (l'Argent)'' by Imunga Iwanga in 2000, ''Les Couilles de l'éléphant'' in 2001 and ''N'Djamena City'' directed by Issa Serge Coelo in 2006. He was also involved in the short documentary film ''Lybek, le crunch du vivant''.<ref name= union />

In 2011, he worked on Bididi's ''Le collier du Makoko'', which gained international recognition, including being selected for screening at the Cannes Film Festival.<ref name= union />

Mensah was popularly known as "the Gentleman of African Cinemas".<ref name= union />

===Other activities=== In a career spanning more than three decades, he worked the development of independent southern cinema.<ref name= gabonactu />

He was director general of the Centre National du Cinéma Gabonais (CENACI), later known as Gabonese Institute of Image and Sound (IGIS), for more than 20 years.<ref name= gabonactu /> He was also president of Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) as well as in the Film Assistance Fund Commission of the International Francophone Organisation.<ref name= gabonactu />

==Filmography==

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Film !! Role !! Genre !! Ref. |- | 1976 || ''Obali'' || Director, co-producer || film || <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.spla.pro/file.film.obali.4075.html| title=Obali| publisher=spla | accessdate=8 October 2020}}</ref> |- | 1983 || ''Ayouma'' || Director || film || <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.spla.pro/file.film.ayouma.14219.html| title=Ayouma| publisher=spla | accessdate=8 October 2020}}</ref> |- | 1983 || ''Équateur'' <br> (''Equator'') || co-producer || film || |- | 1983 || ''L'Auberge du Salut'' <br> (The Auberge du Salut) || producer || TV series || |- | 1996 || ''Le Damier de Balufu Bakupu Kanyinda'' <br> (The Checkerboard of Balufu Bakupu Kanyinda) || executive producer || film || |- | 2000 || ''Dôlè (l'Argent)'' <br> (Dôlè (Money)) || executive producer || film || |- | 2001 || ''Les Couilles de l'éléphant'' <br> (The Balls of the Elephant) || executive producer || film || |- | 2006 || ''N'Djamena City'' || executive producer || film || |- | 2009 || ''Lybek, le crunch du vivant'' <br> (Lybek, the crunch of the alive) || executive producer || film || |- | 2011 || ''Le collier du Makoko'' <br> (The Makoko Necklace)|| producer || film || |}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==External links== * {{IMDb name|nm0579794}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20161207160128/http://www.union.sonapresse.com/gabon-culture-societe/cinemaescales-documentaires-de-libreville-edl-quid-de-ledition-2016-14916 Cinema / documentary escals of Libreville (EDL): What about the 2016 edition?]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mensah, Charles}} Category:1976 births Category:2011 deaths Category:Documentary film directors Category:Gabonese film directors Category:People from Ogooué-Maritime Province Category:21st-century Gabonese people