Moustapha Alassane (1942–17 March 2015) was a Nigerien filmmaker.

Biography

Born in 1942 in N’Dougou (

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

), Moustapha Alassane graduated in mechanics. However, in the Rouch IRSH in Niamey he learned the cinematographic technique and thereafter became one of its main proponents.

Jean Rouch Jean Rouch (; 31 May 1917 – 18 February 2004) was a French Filmmaking, filmmaker and anthropologist. He is considered one of the founders of cinéma vérité in France. Rouch's practice as a filmmaker, for over 60 years in Africa, was char ...

provided for Alassane's education and accommodation in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, where he met the famous

Norman McLaren William Norman McLaren, LL. D. (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish-Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).Rosenthal, Alan. ''The new documentary in action: a caseb ...

, who taught him about animation. He was the creator of the first animated films of the

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

, also directing documentaries and fiction films. He was Head of Cinema Department at the

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. As the Niamey Urban Community (, CUN), it is a Regions of Niger, first-level division of Niger, surrounded by the Tillabéri Region, in the western part of the country. Niamey lies on the Nige ...

University for 15 years. Moustapha Alassane directed, in 1962, two shorts inspired in traditional tales: ''Aoure'' and ''La Bague du roi Koda''. Representing African culture (e.g. in ''Deela ou el Barka le conteur'', 1969 and ''Shaki'', 1973), Alassane also employed moral satire (''F.V.V.A., femme, villa, voiture, argent'', 1972), denouncing the thirst for power for “new wealth” in Africa. Social criticism and black humour are in almost all of his films. ''

Le Retour d'un aventurier ''Le Retour d'un aventurier '' is a 1966 pop art film. In this African-style Western, director Moustapha Alassane delves into African mimicry. Synopsis A man returns home to his village with Western cowboy duds, and forms a gang A ga ...

'' (1966) is considered the first African western. The

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

was his favourite animal and protagonist of most of his animated films, because Alassane believed it is funnier to animate

frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough skin texture due to ...

rather than

humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

. His workshop was based in

Tahoua Tahoua is a city in Niger and the administrative centre of the Department of Tahoua and the larger Tahoua Region. ...

. To work, Alassane used several materials, such as wood, metal or wire, glue, fabric or sponge. Numerous retrospectives of Alassane's career have been made in several international film festivals. Moustapha Alassane was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

in 2007.

Filmography

As director

*1962: ''La Bague du roi Koda'' *1962: ''Aoure'' *1962: ''La Pileuse de Mil'' *1962: ''Le piroguier'' *1963: ''La mort du Gandji'' *1964: ''L’arachide de Santchira'' *1965: ''Le mort de Ghandji'' *1966: ''

'' *1966: ''Bon voyage Sim'' *1967: ''Malbaza'' *1969: ''Les contre Bandiers'' *1970: ''Deela ou Albarka'' *1970: '' Bon Voyage Sim'' *1971: ''Jamyya'' *1972: '' Women Cars Villas Money'' a.k.a. F.V.V.A.: Femme, Voiture, Villa, Argent *1972: ''Abimbola ou Shaki'' *1973: ''Siberi'' *1974: ''Soubane'' *1974: '' Toula ou Le génie des eaux'' *1975: ''Zaboa'' *1977: '' Samba the Great'' *1982: ''Agwane mon Village'' *1982: ''Kankamba ou le semeur de discorde'' *1982: ''Gourimou'' *2000: ''Soolo'' *2000: ''Adieu Sim'' *2001: ''Les magiciens de l'Ader'' *2001: ''Agaïssa'' *2001: ''Kokoa'' *2003: Tagimba

As actor

*1971: Petit à petit (Moustaphe) *1976: L'Étoile noire

As writer

*1974: Toula ou Le génie des eaux

Films about Moustapha Alassane

*'' Animation et creation: Univers du cinema de Moustapha Alassane'' (2002), documentary directed by Debra S. Boyd *'' Moustapha Alassane, cinéaste du possible'' (2009), documentary directed by Silvia Bazzoli and Christian Lelong.

References

External links

*
Moustapha Alassane in ClapNoir
(French)
Moustapha Alassane in Africultures
(French)
Moustapha Alassane in African SuccessMoustapha Alassane in a "La Gazette" article
(French)
Le Retour D'Un Aventurier and Moustapha Alassane in the 5th "Festival des Cinémas Africains"
(French)
Moustapha Alassane invited to the 2nd Edition of "Festival culturel panafricain" (Panaf)
(French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Alassane, Moustapha 1942 births 2015 deaths Knights of the Legion of Honour Nigerien film directors