Charles Mensah
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Charles Mensah تشارلز منساه | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Mensah 1948 |
| Died | 3 June 2011 (aged 63) |
| Occupations | Director, producer, screen writer |
| Years active | 1983–present |
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.
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.[2]
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.[2]
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.[2]
Mensah was popularly known as "the Gentleman of African Cinemas".[2]
Other activities
In a career spanning more than three decades, he worked the development of independent southern cinema.[1]
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.[1] 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.[1]