# Abderrahmane Sissako

Abderrahmane Sissako (Arabic: عبد الرحمن سيساكو; born 13 October 1961) is a Mauritanian-born Malian film director and producer. His film Waiting for Happiness (Heremakono) was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival official selection under Un Certain Regard, winning a FIPRESCI Prize. His 2006 film Bamako received much attention. Sissako's themes include globalisation, exile and the displacement of people. His 2014 film Timbuktu was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

## Biography

Sissako was born in Kiffa, Mauritania, in 1961.$^{:191}$$^{:69}$ His father is a Malian from Sokolo.$^{:195}$ He spent his childhood in Mali,$^{:69}$ then returned to Mauritania at age 18 to live with his mother.$^{:19}$ She died on the last day of filming of Sissako's 2002 film Waiting for Happiness; the film is dedicated to her.$^{:196}$ He left for Moscow in 1983 with a scholarship to study cinema at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography,$^{:47,191}$$^{:69}$ where he made his graduation film, The Game, in 1988.$^{:192}$ After twelve years in Moscow, Sissako moved to Paris in 1994.$^{:19}$
Besides his work as a director, he also worked as a cultural Advisor for former head of state Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.
Sissako is married to the Ethiopian film director Maji-da Abdi.
In December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Sissako signed an open letter published in Libération demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | Sex et perestroïka | Assistant director | Directed by François Jouffa & Francis Leroi |
| 1991 | Le jeu | Director & Writer | Short |
| 1993 | Oktyabr | Director & Writer | Short |
| 1995 | Petite météorologie ou Sept histoires de temps | Actor | Short directed by Charles Castella |
| 1995 | Molom, conte de Mongolie | Production designer | Directed by Marie-Jaoul de Poncheville |
| 1997 | Africa Dreaming | Director | TV series (1 Episode) |
| 1997 | Documenta X - Die Filme | Director | Directed with Charles Burnett, Harun Farocki and Aleksandr Sokurov |
| 1997 | Rostov-Luanda | Director & Writer | Documentary Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film - Best Documentary Award - Special Mention |
| 1998 | La Vie Sur Terre | Director, Writer & Actor | San Francisco International Film Festival - Golden Spire Fribourg International Film Festival - Ecumenical Jury Award Fribourg International Film Festival - FIPRESCI Prize - Special Mention Fribourg International Film Festival - Grand Prix Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou - Air Afrique Special Award Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou - INALCO Award Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou - Special Mention Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou - TELCIPRO Award - Feature Film Taormina Film Fest - Silver Charybdis |
| 2002 | Waiting for Happiness | Director & Writer | Cannes Film Festival - Foreign Cineaste of the Year Cannes Film Festival - FIPRESCI Prize Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema - Best Film Gijón International Film Festival - Special Jury Award Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film - Youth Jury Emile Cantillon Award Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou - Grand Prize - Etalon de Yennega Paris Biennal of Arab Cinema - IMA Grand Prize Nominated - Gijón International Film Festival - Grand Prix Asturias - Best Feature Nominated - Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film - Golden Bayard - Best Film |
| 2002 | Abouna | Executive producer | Directed by Mahamat Saleh Haroun |
| 2003 | Le silence de la forêt | Producer | Directed by Bassek Ba Kobhio & Didier Ouenangare |
| 2003 | Malenkie lyudi | Producer | Directed by Nariman Turebaev |
| 2006 | Bamako | Director, Writer, Producer & Actor | Lumières Award for Best French-Language Film International Istanbul Film Festival - FACE Award Festival Paris Cinéma - Audience Award |
| 2006 | Daratt | Producer | Directed by Mahamat Saleh Haroun |
| 2008 | 8 | Director & Writer | Directed with Jane Campion, Gael García Bernal, Jan Kounen, Mira Nair, Gaspar Noé, Gus Van Sant & Wim Wenders |
| 2008 | Stories on Human Rights | Director | Directed with Marina Abramović, Sergei Bodrov, Shira Geffen, Jia Zhangke, Etgar Keret, Idrissa Ouedraogo, Pipilotti Rist, Walter Salles, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Jasmila Žbanić, and others |
| 2010 | Je vous souhaite la pluie | Director | TV Short |
| 2014 | Timbuktu | Director & Writer | César Award for Best Film César Award for Best Director César Award for Best Original Screenplay Cannes Film Festival - François Chalais Prize Cannes Film Festival - Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Lumières Award for Best Film Lumières Award for Best Director Chicago International Film Festival - Best Director Globes de Cristal Award - Best Film African-American Film Critics Association - Best World Cinema Jerusalem Film Festival - Best Feature French Syndicate of Cinema Critics - Best Film Grand Prix de l'UCC Nominated - Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Nominated - Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Foreign Language Film Nominated - Cairo International Film Festival - Best Arabic Film Nominated - Louis Delluc Prize - Best Film Nominated - Hamburg Film Festival - Art Cinema Award |
| 2024 | Black Tea | Director & Writer | Nominated - 74th Berlin International Film Festival - Golden Bear |

## Jury

In addition to feature films and short films, Sissako has served on the jury of the Premiers Plans festival in Angers in January 2007.
* 2000: 53rd Cannes International Film Festival (jury member, Cinéfondation and short films section)
* 2003: 56th Cannes International Film Festival (jury president, Un Certain Regard section)
* 2014: 36th Moscow International Film Festival (jury member, main competition section)
* 2015: 68th Cannes International Film Festival (jury president, Cinéfondation and short films section)