Cinema of Niger

{{Short description|Overview of film production in Niger}} {{Infobox cinema market | name = Cinema of Niger | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | screens = 4 (2011)<ref name=screens_uis>{{cite web|title=Table 8: Cinema Infrastructure – Capacity|url=http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=5542|publisher=UNESCO Institute for Statistics|access-date=5 November 2013|archive-date=5 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105031441/http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=5542|url-status=dead}}</ref> | screens_per_capita = <0.1 per 100,000 (2011)<ref name=screens_uis/> | distributors =  | produced_year = | produced_ref = | produced_total = | produced_fictional = | produced_animated = – | produced_documentary = | admissions_year = | admissions_ref = <ref name=adm_gross_uis>{{cite web|title=Table 11: Exhibition – Admissions & Gross Box Office (GBO)|url=http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=5538|publisher=UNESCO Institute for Statistics|access-date=5 November 2013|archive-date=3 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103112139/http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=5538|url-status=dead}}</ref> | admissions_total = 50,010 (2013) | admissions_national = 3,010 (6.0%) | box_office_year = 2011 | box_office_ref = <ref name=adm_gross_uis/> | box_office_total = XOF {{Format price|30030000}} | box_office_national =  }} The '''Cinema of Niger''' began in the 1940s with the ethnographical documentary of French director Jean 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 as Oumarou Ganda, Moustapha Alassane and Gatta Abdourahamne.<ref name="Bradt"/><ref name="Jean Rouch 1917–2004">[http://lhomme.revues.org/index1543.html Jean Rouch (1917–2004)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304064744/http://lhomme.revues.org/index1543.html |date=4 March 2010 }}, ''L'Homme'', 171–172 July–December 2004, Online 24 mars 2005. Consulted 7 April 2009</ref> The industry has slowed somewhat since the 1980s, though films continue to be made in the country, with notable directors of recent decades including Mahamane Bakabe, Inoussa Ousseini, Mariama Hima, Moustapha Diop and Rahmatou Keïta.<ref name="IMDb - Niger">{{citation |url= https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?countries=ne&sort=release_date,asc|title=IMDb - Niger |date=5 November 2019}}</ref> Unlike neighbouring Nigeria, with its thriving Hausa and English-language film industries, most Nigerien films are made in French with Francophone countries as their major market, whilst action and light entertainment films from Nigeria or dubbed western films fill most Nigerien theatres.

== 1940s-1950s: Colonial beginnings == The first Nigerien films were made in the 1940s, when Niger was still under French rule as part of French West Africa. Jean Rouch, a French ethnographic filmmaker, is generally considered 'the father of Nigerien film'.<ref name="Jean Rouch 1917–2004"/> Arriving initially as an engineer in 1941, Rouch remained in Niger after independence, and mentored a generation of Nigerien filmmakers and actors, including Damouré Zika, Moustapha Alassane and Oumarou Ganda.<ref name="Bradt">Geels, Jolijn, (2006) ''Bradt Travel Guide - Niger'', pgs. 36-7</ref><ref name="histdict">{{cite book|last1=Idrissa|first1=Abdourahmane |last2=Decalo|first2=Samuel |title=Historical Dictionary of Niger|year=2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0810870901|pages=121–23}}</ref> Rouch made his first film in Niger in 1947, with the short documentary ''Au Pays des Mages Noirs'' (''In the Land of Black Mages''), going on to make a number of similar short ethnographic documentaries, such as ''Les Magiciens de Wanzarbé'' (1948), ''Initiation à la danse des possédés'' (''Initiation to the Dance of the Possessed''; 1949) and ''Chasse à l'hippopotame'' (''Hippopotamus Chase''; 1950).<ref name="Bradt"/><ref>Barnouw,Erik. 1993. "Documentary A History of the Non-fiction Film. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press.</ref>

During the 1950s, Rouch began to produce longer, narrative films. In 1954 he filmed Damouré Zika in ''Jaguar'' as a young Songhai man travelling for work to the Gold Coast (modern Ghana).<ref>Three men dramatised their real life roles in the film, and went on to become three of Nigerien cinema's first actors. See: Jean Rouch, ''Notes on migrations into the Gold Coast. (First report of the mission carried out in the Gold Coast from March to December, 1954)'', translated into English by P.E.O. and J.B. Heigham. Accra, (1954) OCLC 11092127 and Jean Rouch, Steven Feld. ''Ciné-ethnography'', University of Minnesota Press, (2003) {{ISBN|0-8166-4104-8}} pp. 352–353</ref> 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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=The Adventure of the Real: Jean Rouch and the Craft of Ethnographic Cinema|last=Henley|first=Paul|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0226327167|pages=73, 74, 81}}</ref> In 1957 Rouch directed in Côte d'Ivoire ''Moi un noir'' with the young Nigerian filmmaker Oumarou Ganda.<ref name="Bradt"/>

== 1960s-1970s: A golden age of Nigerien film == 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.<ref name="Bradt"/> Alassane's first film was the short ''Aouré'' (''Wedding Marriage''; 1962), about a Zarma marriage.<ref name="Bradt"/> He went on to make several short films, as well a number of animations, having been trained in animated cinematography in Canada. His 1966 animation ''La Mort de Gandji'' won the "Prix de Dessin" at the first Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres in Dakar.<ref name="histdict"/> Alassane also made number of longer films, such as ''Le Retour d'un aventurier'' (''The Return of an Adventurer''; 1966), the social satire ''FVVA: Femme, villa, voiture, argent'' (''WVCM: Woman, Villa, Car, Money''; 1972) and ''Toula ou Le génie des eaux'' (''Toula or the Genie of the Waters''; 1974).<ref name="Bradt"/><ref name="IMDb - Niger"/><ref name="histdict"/>

Oumarou Ganda's first film was the Zarma language ''Cabascabo'', based on his experience serving in French Indochina; it became the first African selection at the Cannes Film Festival, and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the 1969 6th Moscow International Film Festival<ref name="Moscow1969">{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1969 |title=6th Moscow International Film Festival (1969) |access-date=2012-12-21 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116194825/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1969 |archive-date=2013-01-16 }}</ref><ref name="histdict"/> Ganda was one of the dominating figures of early African cinema, demonstrated by his awards at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), a festival he and other Nigeriens helped to found.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} Ganda's ''Le 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|date=November 2019}} His 1973 film ''Saïtane'' won a "Special mention" at the fifth FESPACO; this festival now presents an "Oumarou Ganda Prize", given for the best first film.<ref>[http://www.fespaco.bf/FESPACO/Laureats.html Laureats] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331203619/http://www.fespaco.bf/FESPACO/Laureats.html |date=2009-03-31 }} & [http://www.fespaco.bf/FESPACO/Palmares.html Palmares] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414225410/http://www.fespaco.bf/FESPACO/Palmares.html |date=2009-04-14 }}. FESPACO Film Festival. Accessed 2009-03-30</ref>

Another Nigerien filmmaker of this period was Gatta Abdourahamne; in 1979 he won the ''Caméra d'or'' at FESPACO for his film ''Gossi''.<ref name="histdict"/> In the same year he won the Screenwriters Award for ''La Case'' at the UNESCO festival in Nairobi, Kenya.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} Another Nigerien director whose career began in this period was Djingarey Maïga (''L'étoile noire'', 1976; ''Nuages noirs'', 1979).<ref name="Africultures">{{cite web|title=Biographie de Djingarey Maïga|periodical=Africultures|url=http://www.africultures.com/php/?nav=personne&no=4455|access-date=2015-10-27}}</ref>

Jean Rouch, who had stayed in Niger following independence, also continued to produce drama films in this period, including ''Petit à petit'' (''Little by Little''; 1971), ''Cocorico! Monsieur Poulet'' (''Cocka-doodle-doo Mr. Chicken''; 1974) and ''Babatu'' (1976), as well as continuing to make ethnographic shorts.<ref>Alfred Adler and Michel Cartry, [http://lhomme.revues.org/index1543.html Jean Rouch (1917–2004)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304064744/http://lhomme.revues.org/index1543.html |date=2010-03-04 }}, ''L’Homme'', 171–172 July–December 2004, [Online 24 mars 2005]. Viewed 7 April 2009.</ref><ref name="histdict"/>

==1980s-present: Decline and growth== 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.<ref name="histdict"/> Moustapha Alassane, who died in 2015, continued to produce films (such as ''Kokoa'', 1985; ''Les Magiciens de l'Ader'', 2000) up until the early 2000s. Oumarou Ganda made his last film ''L'éxilé'' in 1980, before his death in 1981.<ref name="histdict"/> Other notable film-makers from the period include Inoussa Ousseini (''Wasan Kara'', 1980), Moustapha Diop (''Le médecin de Gafire'', 1986; ''Mamy Wata'', 1990) and Mahamane Bakabe (''Si les cavaliers'', 1982).<ref name="IMDb - Niger"/><ref name="histdict"/> In the 1980s-90s Mariama Hima, the first female director from Niger, won acclaim for documentaries, such as ''Baabu Banza'' (1985), ''Katako'' (1987) and ''Hadiza et Kalia'' (1994); after a number of high-profile cultural roles she later became ambassador to France.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diffusiontheses.fr/8252-these-de-hima-mariama.html|title=Entry of the ANRT database|publisher=ANRT|language=fr|access-date=28 January 2016|location=Lille}}</ref><ref name="schmidt2">{{cite book|last=Schmidt|first=Nancy|editor=Kenneth W. Harrow|title=Sub-Saharan African Women Filmmakers: Agendas for Research|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kRR2fBv2NhUC&q=Mariama+Hima&pg=PA289|year=1999|publisher=Africa World Press|isbn=0865436975}}</ref>

In 1994, Nigerien producer/director Ousmane Ilbo Mahamane founded the Niamey African Film Meeting (''Rencontres du cinéma africain de Niamey'', RECAN) as a biennial festival without prizes and also a centre for film-making and film studies.<ref name="histdict"/>

In 2004 Jean Rouch was killed in a car crash in Niamey whilst he was on his way to a Nigerien film festival.<ref name="Bradt"/> He had made his last film, ''Moi fatigué debout, moi couché'' (''I'm Tired Standing, Tired Lying Down''), in 1997.<ref name="IMDb - Niger"/>

The first Nigerien Tuareg feature film, ''Akounak Teggdalit Taha Tazoughai'' (''Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red in It''), was released in 2015 and stars the musician Mdou Moctar; it was directed by American musicologist Christopher Kirkley.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mdou Moctar – Akounak Teggdalit Taha Tazoughai TEASER| website=YouTube | date=26 December 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9su1UxtaI7I |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/9su1UxtaI7I |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=27 December 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mdou Moctar protagoniza un nuevo filme documental: "Rain the Color of Red with a Little Blue In It"|url=http://www.conceptoradio.net/2013/12/27/mdou-moctar-protagoniza-un-nuevo-filme-documental-rain-color-red-little-blue/|work=conceptaradio|access-date=30 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231001154/http://www.conceptoradio.net/2013/12/27/mdou-moctar-protagoniza-un-nuevo-filme-documental-rain-color-red-little-blue/|archive-date=31 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mdou Moctar – Akonak (TEASER TRAILER 2)| website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxEK2bjiwIU|access-date=12 January 2014}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref> It tells the story of a struggling musician from Agadez and is loosely based on ''Purple Rain''.<ref>{{cite web|title=www.conceptoradio.net/2013/11/13/sahel-sounds-algunos-artistas-africanos-nunca-han-visto-un-vinilo/|url=http://www.conceptoradio.net/2013/11/13/sahel-sounds-algunos-artistas-africanos-nunca-han-visto-un-vinilo/|work=conceptoradio|access-date=30 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231001149/http://www.conceptoradio.net/2013/11/13/sahel-sounds-algunos-artistas-africanos-nunca-han-visto-un-vinilo/|archive-date=31 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other notable figures working in the contemporary Nigerien film industry include the actress Zalika Souley, who won the ''Insignes du mérite culturel'' at the 1990 Carthage Film Festival and the directors Rahmatou Keïta (''Al'lèèssi... Une actrice africaine'', 2005; ''The Wedding Ring (2016 film)'', aka ''Zin'naariya'', 2016), Malam Saguirou (''La Robe du temps'', 2008) and Sani Elhadj Magori (''Pour le meilleur et pour l'oignon!'', 2008; ''Koukan Kourcia (Le cri de la tourterelle)'', 2011).<ref name="IMDb - Niger"/><ref name="histdict"/>

==List of Nigerien films== ''See: List of Nigerien films''

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070916021214/http://www.nigerdiaspora.net/le-cin%E9ma-nig%E9rien/ Nigerdiaspora.com: Nigerien Cinema]. *[https://www.imdb.com/Sections/Countries/Niger/ Niger film] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309131410/http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Countries/Niger/ |date=2008-03-09 }} at the Internet Movie Database *[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0304121/ IMDB: Jean Rouch] *[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0745541/ IMDB: Oumarou Ganda] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080326231111/http://www.ird.ne/partenariat/plp/brefcontenu.html The Centre Culturel Oumarou Ganda], Niamey. *[https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1551_whatisfespaco/page2.shtml BBC.co.uk: Fespaco's first winner in 1972: Le Wazzou Polygame from Niger]. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060925043021/http://www.african.cam.ac.uk/cambridgeafricanfilmfestival2004/filmprogramme/filmprogramme1.html Cambridge African film festival 2004: Early African Cinema]. *[https://archive.today/20130222015940/http://www.paris-cinema.net/fr/2005/programmes05/alassane.html?PHPSESSID=i4qolnfak5avrk3hgn5v9h4545 Paris CinéMômes. Moustapha Alassane, pionnier du cinéma africain]. *[http://www.der.org/films/filmmakers/jean-rouch.html Documentary Filmmaker Jean Rouch]. *{{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080113125643/http://www.clapnoir.org/articles/articles_2007/moustapha_alassane.htm Moustapha Alassane, Une légende vivante du cinéma nigérien]. Mamane Sani Abandé. Clap Noir, 2007. *{{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080724182429/http://www.clapnoir.org/actualites/rapport_journee_retrospective.htm Rétrospective du cinéma au Niger: Hommage aux pionniers]. Jean-Baptiste Dossou-Yovo. Clap Noir, 18 February 2004. *{{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080828002303/http://www.clapnoir.org/actualites/resurection_cinema_nigerien.htm Vers la résurrection du cinéma nigérien]. Moctar Mamane Sani. Clap Noir, 2003. *{{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080704164408/http://www.clapnoir.org/actualites/allessi.htm Al'lèèssi, une actrice africaine]. François Bergeron. Clap Noir, 2003. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080513051236/http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c674.shtml Al’leessi...An African Actress. A film by Rahmatou Keita. Niger, 2004, 69 minutes.] Women Make Movies .com. *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060913182420/http://libweb.lib.buffalo.edu/emro/emroDetail.asp?Number=2294 Al’leessi…An African Actress]. Reviewed by Oksana Dykyj. Educational Media Reviews Online, 2 March 2006. *{{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20061008141317/http://www.clapnoir.org/articles/article_2004/fils_a_papa.htm "Fils à papa", l'avènement d'un feuilleton made in Niger]. M.S. Abandé Moctar. 17 September 2004. Clap Noir, 2004. *{{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20071009192803/http://www.clapnoir.org/actualites/cinema_nigerien_premice_d_un_nouveau_depart.htm Cinéma nigérien, les prémices d'un nouveau départ se dessinent]. Candide Etienne. Clap Noir. 14 February 2004. *{{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20080828183033/http://www.clapnoir.org/articles/article_2005/djingareye_maiga.htm Djingareye Maïga : L’artiste n’est pas un politicien !] Achille Kouawo, Clap Noir, 2005. *{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.clapnoir.org/articles/article_2006/rouch_immortalise.html Jean Rouch immortalisé à Niamey ]. Mamane Sani Abandé Moctar, Clap Noir, 2006. *{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.clapnoir.org/articles/article_2006/hommage_sorcier.html Hommage au grand sorcier: Baptême du Centre Culturel Franco Nigérien Jean Rouch]. Mamane Sani Abandé Moctar, Clap Noir, 2006.

Category:Cinema of Niger