Flora Gomes
Encyclopedia
Flora Gomes is a Bissau-Guinean film director
. He was born in Cadique, Guinea-Bissau
on 31 December, 1949 and after high school in Cuba, he decided to study film at the Cuban Film Institute in Havana.
Shot fourteen years after independence, Gomes' 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 language with English subtitles.
In 1992, Gomes directed Udju Azul di Yonta, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival
.
. He left Guinea-Bissau to study cinema in Cuba
(1972) at the Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematography, under the guidance of Santiago Álvarez
. He continued his studies in Senegal, 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
, 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 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
, 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.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He was born in Cadique, Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
on 31 December, 1949 and after high school in Cuba, he decided to study film at the Cuban Film Institute in Havana.
Shot fourteen years after independence, Gomes' Mortu Nega
Mortu Nega
Mortu Nega is a 1988 historic film by Flora Gomes, a director from Guinea-Bissau. Mortu Nega was Gomes' first feature-length film. This is the first docufiction, more precisely the first ethnofiction, from his country that shows, in an expressive and touching way, the experiences of the...
(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
Mortu Nega
Mortu Nega is a 1988 historic film by Flora Gomes, a director from Guinea-Bissau. Mortu Nega was Gomes' first feature-length film. This is the first docufiction, more precisely the first ethnofiction, from his country that shows, in an expressive and touching way, the experiences of the...
is in Creole language with English subtitles.
In 1992, Gomes directed Udju Azul di Yonta, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival
1992 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Gérard Depardieu *John Boorman *Carlo Di Palma *Jamie Lee Curtis *Joële Van Effenterre *Lester James Peries *Nana Djordjadze *Pedro Almodóvar *René Cleitman...
.
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 Salazar's rule. He supported Bissau-Guinean resistance against colonialism and greatly admired Amílcar CabralAmílcar Cabral
Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral was a Guinea-Bissauan and Cape Verdean agricultural engineer, writer, and a nationalist thinker and politician. Also known by his nom de guerre Abel Djassi, Cabral led the nationalist movement of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde Islands and the ensuing war of independence...
. He left Guinea-Bissau to study cinema in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
(1972) at the Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematography, under the guidance of Santiago Álvarez
Santiago Álvarez
Santiago Álvarez Román was a Cuban filmmaker. He wrote and directed many documentaries about Cuban and American culture...
. He continued his studies in Senegal, at the Senegalese Journal for Motion Picture News, under the direction of Paulin Soumanou Vieyra
Paulin Soumanou Vieyra
Paulin Soumanou Vieyra was a Beninese/Senegalese film director and historian. As he lived in Senegal after age ten, he is more associated to that nation. In 1955 in Paris he shot the first Francophone African film, Afrique sur Seine...
. He also co-directed two films with Sergio Pina and worked as an assistant with Chris Marker
Chris Marker
Chris Marker is a French writer, photographer, documentary film director, multimedia artist and film essayist. His best known films are La jetée , A Grin Without a Cat , Sans Soleil and AK , an essay film on the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa...
and Anita Fernandez.
Upon returning to liberated Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
, 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 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
Mortu Nega
Mortu Nega is a 1988 historic film by Flora Gomes, a director from Guinea-Bissau. Mortu Nega was Gomes' first feature-length film. This is the first docufiction, more precisely the first ethnofiction, from his country that shows, in an expressive and touching way, the experiences of the...
, 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
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 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 NegaMortu NegaMortu Nega is a 1988 historic film by Flora Gomes, a director from Guinea-Bissau. Mortu Nega was Gomes' first feature-length film. This is the first docufiction, more precisely the first ethnofiction, from his country that shows, in an expressive and touching way, the experiences of the...
- 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)
1988
Mortu Nega won:- Bronze Tanit at Carthage Film FestivalCarthage Film FestivalThe Carthage Film Festival is a biannual October film festival hosted by the government of Tunisia. It alternates with the Damascus International 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) prize at Carthage Film Festival
- Prize for best actress at FESPACO
- Special Jury Prize at Salonika Film Festival (Greece)
1994
- Distinguished with the Order of Merit for Culture by the Tunisian 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 Film Festival.
- Nha fala won the city prize at the Amiens International Film FestivalAmiens International Film FestivalThe Amiens International Film Festival is an annual special-interest film festival focusing on the cinemas of Europe, Africa and Latin America. The festival has been held annually in Amiens, France, since 1980....
(France). - Flora Gomes was recognized in Portugal 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.
- Nha fala won the Grand Prize for a feature film at FESPACO from the ECOWAS parallel jury.
2005
- Was chosen as president of the ECOWAS jury at FESPACO.
- Was recognized by the University of Lisbon, receiving a medal celebrating the universality of his work.
- Was a panelist at the second Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
Africana Film Festival.
2006
- Was a visiting artist/professor at the Department of Africana Studies at Brown University.