# Cinema of Benin

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] The Cinema of Benin refers to the film industry of the Republic of Benin in West Africa.

## History

Sources differ as to the which was the first Beninese film, with some pointing to the short Lumière des hommes (1954, director unknown), with others pointing to the work of Pascal Abikanlou, who made a number of documentaries in the 1960s, followed by his first feature film Sous le signe du vaudou in 1974. Richard De Medeiros was another noted director of the early independence years, beginning with 1970's Le roi est mort en exil, an examination of Béhanzin, the last king of Dahomey. He went on to make the feature-length Le nouveau venu (1972), which explored the issue of corruption and the conflict between modernity and tradition in Benin. François Okioh made a number of short documentaries in the 1980s, as well as the feature-length dramas Ironou (1985) and Enfants de... (1985). Noted filmmakers of the last two decades are Jean Odoutan (Barbecue Pejo, 2000; Pim-Pim Tché, 2010), Idrissou Mora Kpai (Si-Gueriki, la reine-mère, 2002) and Sylvestre Amoussou (Africa Paradis, 2006).

## List of Beninese films

This is a sortable list of films produced in Benin.
| Year | Title | Director | Genre | Notes |
| 1954 | Lumière des hommes | ? | Short | English title: Light of Men |
| 1967 | Ganvié, mon village | Pascal Abikanlou | Documentary, short | English title: Ganvié, My Village |
| 1968 | Escale au Dahomey | Pascal Abikanlou | Documentary, short | English title: Stopover in Dahomey |
| 1969 | Premières offrandes | Pascal Abikanlou | Documentary, short | English title: First Offerings |
| 1969 | Fête de l'igname | Pascal Abikanlou | Documentary, short | English title: Yam Festival |
| 1970 | Le roi est mort en exil | Richard de Medeiros | Drama, short | English title: The King Died in Exile |
| 1971 | Opération Sonader | Pascal Abikanlou | Documentary, short | English title: Operation Sonader |
| 1971 | De l'eau et de l'ombrage | Pascal Abikanlou | Documentary, short | English title: Water and Shade |
| 1972 | Téké, hymne au Borgou | Richard de Medeiros | Documentary, short | English title: Téké, Hymn of Borgou |
| 1972 | Silence et feu de brousse | Richard de Medeiros | Drama, short | English title: Silence and Bushfire |
| 1974 | Sous le signe du vaudou | Pascal Abikanlou | Drama | English title: Under the Sign of Voodoo |
| 1975 | L'Afrique au Rendez-vous de l'Année Sainte | Pascal Abikanlou | Documentary short | English title: Africa at the Rendezvous of the New Year |
| 1976 | Le Nouveau venu | Richard De Medeiros | Drama | English title: The Newcomer |
| 1980 | Ces Collines ne sont pas muettes | François Okioh | Documentary, short | English title: These Hills are not Silent |
| 1982 | Le Fleuve a tout emporté | François Okioh | Documentary, short | English title: The River Swept Everything |
| 1983 | Ogu | François Okioh | Documentary, short | |
| 1985 | Enfants de... | François Okioh | Drama | English title: Infants of... |
| 1985 | Ironou | François Okioh | Drama | |
| 1989 | Dan xome royaume des Huegbadjavi | Pascal Abikanlou | Documentary | English title: Dan Xome, Kingdom of Huegbadjavi |
| 1991 | Debout les morts | ? | Television production | English title: Up the Dead |
| 1991 | Les Tresseurs de Corde | François Okioh | Drama | English title: The Mat Cutters |
| 1992 | Vent de l'espoir | Pascal Abikanlou | Documentary | English title: Wind of Hope |
| 1993 | Ouidah 92 | Pascal Abikanlou | Documentary | |
| 1998 | Divine carcasse | Dominique Loreau | Drama | English title: Divine Carcass |
| 1999 | Génération perdue | M. Pounie | | English title: Lost Generation |
| 2000 | Barbecue-Pejo | Jean Odoutan | Drama | |
| 2000 | Le Pays Idaasha | François Okioh | Drama | English title: Dassa Country |
| 2002 | Si-Gueriki, la reine-mère | Idrissou Mora Kpai | Drama | English title: Si-Gueriki, the Queen Mother |
| 2004 | La Valse des gros derrières | Jean Odoutan | | English: The Waltz of the Big Behinds |
| 2006 | Abeni | Tunde Kelani | Drama | Benin-Nigeria co-production |
| 2006 | Africa Paradis | Sylvestre Amoussou | Drama/comedy | English title: Africa Paradise |
| 2006 | Abeni 2 | Tunde Kelani | Drama | Benin-Nigeria co-production |
| 2006 | Crânes épais... lèvres fausses | François Okioh | Documentary, short | English title: Thick Skulls... False Lips |
| 2007 | L'Amazone candidate | Sanvi Panou | Documentary | English title: The Amazon Candidate |
| 2010 | Pim-Pim Tché | Jean Odoutan | Drama | |
| 2010 | Shed No Tears | Kaitlyn Summerill | Documentary | |
| 2011 | Un pas en avant - Les dessous de la corruption | Sylvestre Amoussou | Comedy | English title: One Step Forward - The Bottom of Corruption |
| 2011 | Indochine, sur les traces d'une mère | Idrissou Mora Kpai | Documentary | English title: Indochina: Traces of a Mother |
| 2011 | Femme d'Afrique | Milja Viita | Documentary short | English title: Woman of Africa |
| 2011 | Larmes de sang | Laitan Faranpojo & Mark Koumagnon | | English title: Tears of Blood |
| 2012 | La personne de Georges Adéagbo | Matteo Fritelli | Documentary | English title: The Person of Georges Adéagbo |
| 2012 | Possessed by Voodoo | Sergey Yastrzhembskiy | Documentary | |
| 2012 | The Camp | Jean-Frédéric de Hasque | Documentary | |
| 2014 | Dreamcycles | Nelson Roubert | Documentary | |
| 2015 | Gangbé! | Arnauld Robert | Documentary | |
| 2016 | Vindicte | Ange-Régis Hounkpatin | Drama, short | English title: Retribution |
| 2016 | Bight of the Twin | Hazel Hill McCarthy III | Documentary | |
| 2016 | Dassa-Zoume | Christophe Blanpied | Documentary, short | |
| 2017 | L'orage africain: un continent sous influence | Sylvestre Amoussou | Drama | English title: The African Storm |
| 2017 | Studio Harmattan | Stefanos Pavlakis | Experimental short | |
| 2018 | In Search of Voodoo: Roots of Heaven | Djimon Hounsou | Documentary | |
| 2018 | ZanKlan | Arcade Assogba | Drama, short | |
| 2018 | When God is Among Us | Aidan Macaluso | Documentary, short | |