Flora Gomes is a
Bissau-Guinean film director
A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
. He was born in
Cadique,
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...
on 31 December 1949 and after high school in
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, he decided to study film at the
Instituto Cubano del Arte y la Industria Cinematográficos in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.[independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...](_bl ...<br></span></div>.
Shot fourteen years after <div class=)
, Gomes's ''
Mortu Nega'' (''Death Denied'') (1988) was the first fiction film and the second feature film ever made in Guinea-Bissau. (The first feature film was ''
N’tturudu'', by director
Umban u’Kest in 1987.) At
FESPACO 1989, the film won the prestigious Oumarou Ganda Prize. ''
Mortu Nega'' is in Creole with
English subtitles.
In 1992, Gomes directed ''
Udju Azul di Yonta'', which was screened in the
Un Certain Regard
(; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob.
The section presents 20 films with unusua ...
section at the
1992 Cannes Film Festival.
Biography
Son of
illiterate parents, as a child Gomes struggled against the limitations of his social status and the oppression of the
Portuguese colonial system under
António Salazar's rule. He supported Bissau-Guinean resistance against colonialism and greatly admired
Amílcar Cabral. He left Guinea-Bissau to study cinema in
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
(1972) at the Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematography, under the guidance of
Santiago Álvarez. He continued his studies in
Senegal
Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
, at the Senegalese Journal for Motion Picture News, under the direction of
Paulin Soumanou Vieyra. He also co-directed two films with Sergio Pina and worked as an assistant with
Chris Marker and Anita Fernandez.
Upon returning to liberated
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...
, Gomes filmed his country's independence ceremony (24 September 1974), fulfilling the desire of Amílcar Cabral that it should be Bissau-Guineans themselves capturing this historical moment on film. After freeing itself from colonial rule, Guinea-Bissau was visited by many reporters and progressive filmmakers and Gomes, given his knowledge of cinema, was in great demand to assist them, which allowed him to expand his skills. At the end of the 1970s, he worked as a photographer and cameraman for the Ministry of Information.
Having first directed historical documentaries, Gomes filmed his first feature film, ''
Mortu Nega'', in 1987. ''Mortu Nega'' depicts the struggle for independence and the challenges of the first post-independence years in Guinea-Bissau. The film was screened at several international film festivals and Gomes caught the attention of commentators and critics. He was particularly well received in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, which in later years enabled him to attract funding for the production of new films. In 2000, he was distinguished in France with the title of
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.
Filmography
*1976 - ''O Regresso de Cabral'' (short documentary)
*1977 - ''A Reconstrução'', co-directed with Sergio Pina (medium-length documentary)
*1978 - ''Anos no Oça Luta'', co-directed with Sergio Pina (short documentary)
*1987 - ''
Mortu Nega''
*1992 - ''
Udju Azul di Yonta''
*1994 - ''A máscara'' (short documentary)
*1996 - ''
Po di Sangui''
*2002 - ''
Nha Fala''
*2007 - ''
As duas faces da guerra'', co-directed with
Diana Andringa (feature-length documentary)
*2012 -
A República Di Mininus
Awards and accomplishments
Source:
Awards and Accomplishments
/ref>
1988
''Mortu Nega'' won:
*Bronze Tanit at Carthage Film Festival
*Prize for best actress at Carthage Film Festival
*Prize for best film and actress at FESPACO
1992
''Udju Azul di Yonta'' won:
*Bronze Tanit at Carthage Film Festival
*OAU (Organization of African Unity
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; , OUA) was an African intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 33 signatory governments. Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and ec ...
) prize at Carthage Film Festival
*Prize for best actress at FESPACO
*Special Jury Prize at Salonika Film Festival (Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
)
1994
*Distinguished with the Order of Merit for Culture by the Tunisia
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
n Government.
*Named a member of the principal jury at the Carthage Film Festival.
1996
*Awarded Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
*''Po di Sangui'' won Silver Tanit award at Carthage Film Festival
2002
*''Nha fala'' won the international prize given by the French Bourse for the best film from the South.
*''Nha fala'' also won the best Latin film award at the unofficial Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
Film Festival.
*''Nha fala'' won the city prize at the Amiens International Film Festival (France).
*Flora Gomes was recognized in Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
by the Bissau-Guinean community for his services in making the Bissau-Guinean culture known worldwide.
2003
*''Nha fala'' won the Grand Prize at the Vie d’Afrique Festival in Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
.
*''Nha fala'' won the Grand Prize for a feature film at FESPACO from the ECOWAS parallel jury.
2004
*Flora Gomes was a member of the jury at the Amiens International Film Festival.
2005
*Was chosen as president of the ECOWAS jury at FESPACO.
*Was recognized by the University of Lisbon
The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...
, receiving a medal celebrating the universality of his work.
*Was a panelist at the second Brown University
Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
Africana Film Festival.
2006
*Was a visiting artist/professor at the Department of Africana Studies at Brown University.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomes, Flora
1949 births
Living people
Bissau-Guinean film directors