For Souleymane Cissé, making movies is madness. It is nevertheless with lucidity that the Malian director, born on April 21, 1940, chooses to make films in a country that does not have the means. After independence, he was one of those sent by the Malian state to train abroad. It is therefore in Russia that he will learn to use a camera. Teenage entrepreneur at 15, he approaches cinema with the same energy. His first work Den Muso (The girl, 1975) will be worth to him to be imprisoned. This will not prevent him from making other films, carried by a family which has always believed in the artist. Souleymane Cissé, twice Yennenga Gold Stallion for baara (Work) in 1979 and Finye (The wind) in 1985 won, with Yeelen (The light), the Jury Prize ex-aequo at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987. The filmmaker is a pioneer in Mali. In A daughter’s tribute to her father directed in Bambara by his eldest, Fatou Cissé, we (re)discover the works and ambitions for Malian and African cinema of a figure of the seventh art. And that is why his film is precious. The documentary was presented at Cannes Classics on May 27 in the presence of Souleymane and Fatou Cissé, whom we met on the Croisette.
Franceinfo: what prompted you to make this documentary about your father? You thought it wasn’t paid enough homage ?
Fatou Cisse: no, I just wanted to pay homage to him now, during his lifetime. Afterwards, things fell into place. I didn’t know the film would come to Cannes, for example. Which is a very good thing.
The documentary is in Bambara. It is therefore primarily aimed at Malians. What did you want to tell them about your father ?
Fatou Cisse: I find it natural that we speak in Bambara. It is the mother tongue. I wanted the Malian population, then the others, to really understand who he is. I touch on his childhood, his relations with his family, his links with his colleagues… I wanted people to know who the man behind the celebrity is. In addition to that, I work with him, so I know the difficulties he encountered in the exercise of his profession.
Souleymane Cissé is your big brother who introduces you to cinema…
Souleymane Cisse: when I was 5 years old, I cried for him to take me to the cinema. What he did. It was a click. Growing up, I was moved by a curiosity that settled in me. I wanted to see and understand, an obsession that cinema allowed me to satisfy.
For your father, cinema is a family affair, because his brother financed his films and he discussed his film projects with his family. But this profession has at the same time taken him away from his children. How did you handle this situation ?
Fatou Cisse: it’s true that cinema has always been his passion. Which rhymes with sacrifices. He was sometimes far from his family but always had his heart with us. We’re not going to blame him for that. And then, it must be said that when they were younger, they were pioneers who fought, in their own way, for their country. Its purpose never changed and we accepted it.
Souleymane Cisse: as I say, it’s a crazy job. When we are there, we only think about that. I have no regrets except that of having been a dad who was never there and for that, I apologize to my children.
Your film is a tribute to your father, but it also concerns your mother, Dounamba Dany Coulibaly, who is now deceased…
Fatou Cisse: she died while I was shooting the film. Moreover, speaking of Den Muso (The girl1975) which is my father’s first feature film, it was completely normal to highlight its main actress, my mother.
Souleymane Cisse: when Den Muso came out, I was imprisoned and his mother gave birth to Fatou. It was after that that I regained my freedom and did all that I could do. When she was a kid, every time I left, it was trouble. There was an incredible attachment that we share and that she won’t dare tell you about. When Fatou says that she pays homage to me, I rather believe that it is to the whole Cissé family that she pays homage. In this film, she talks about her mom, my mom, everyone.
You are an autodicate who had the opportunity to train in cinema in Russia. You explain that this training was fundamental for you because otherwise you would not have been able to manage to make films in Mali. Why ?
Souleymane Cisse: I had never had a diploma when I arrived in Russia. I did not have the bac or the certificate. I left because we belonged to a youth who wanted to get out of colonialism and Modibo (first Malian president, editor’s note) had the presence of mind to send those who wanted to do something to do internships abroad. I did two internships, I learned the Russian language and I turned to cinema, which was my passion. The next five years were very tough. Some did not last and returned after a year. This job, you have to love it and force the doors. I never thought that one day one of my films would be selected for the Cannes Film Festival. When I arrived, I said to myself that anything is possible. The younger generation can go even further, provided they reorganize everything.
You have always called for structures to be put in place to develop cinema in your country and on the continent. A plea that remains a dead letter…
Souleymane Cisse: Alas ! These structures are not yet installed in Mali. I cannot say whether it is bad faith or ill will. Everything I said in my films, Mali falls back into it today… Cinema was not taken into consideration when it could have helped this country. Shame ! There was this misunderstanding of the politics of cultural matters and as long as this does not change in Mali, our country will never move forward. After the coup, I recently said : “If you don’t take culture in hand, there will always be coups in Mali.” In our countries, as long as culture is not in its place, we will not move. As long as we are not deeply ourselves, we will never be able to move forward. I hope that this film will enable politicians to better understand cultural issues. The most developed countries have understood this and that is why they have never abandoned their cultural industry. The Americans don’t give up, the same goes for the Europeans, but we Africans tend to think – I apologize for the formula – that these are griot problems that we shouldn’t get involved in. For a new generation, Fatou’s documentary is an opportunity to relaunch the debate.
Given the political situation in Mali, we think of your film “Finyé” (“The Wind”) which speaks of the struggle for freedom and the excesses of a military regime. What does it feel like when imagined fiction becomes reality ?
Souleymane Cisse: it is even dangerous to release this film today in Mali. I have always wanted to project myself into the future. But, unfortunately, I believe that was not understood. We have the impression that we always go back and it’s a bit of a shame.
Does it make sense for our African cinematographies, whose absence on the Croisette we often regret, to be visible at Cannes, the largest film festival in the world? ?
Souleymane Cisse: Cannes makes sense because cinema is a vector that has no limits, no borders. This is why, for example, we cannot say that the situation between Mali and France means that we should not be in Cannes : it is an error, it has nothing to do ! We continue to open eyes, minds, to make others understand what we are and what they are. It is in this sense that Cannes is important. It is also because our cinema must move forward. And for that, it must first move within the continent in order to then be able to be exported.