Photo : FranckYN, CC BY-SA 4.0
Jean-Marie Teno
Documentary maker behind "Afrique, je te plumerai", a critical look at the colonial legacy
Born in 1954-05-14
On screen : Afrique, je te plumerai (1992)
Who are they?
Jean-Marie Teno is a Cameroonian director, editor and producer, born on 14 May 1954 in Famleng, near Bandjoun, in the West Region. After studying audiovisual communication in Valenciennes, he wrote film criticism for Bwana Magazine and worked as a chief editor at France 3 from 1985 to 1997. He produces his films through his own company, Les Films du Raphia.
What made them famous
His documentary "Afrique, je te plumerai" examines the effects of colonialism and neo-colonialism in Cameroon; it won awards at the Carthage Film Festival in 1992 and is widely studied in American universities. He also made the fiction film "Clando" (1996) and the documentaries "Chef!" (1999), "Le Malentendu colonial" (2004) and "Lieux saints" (2009).
Key facts
- "Clando" won the Audience Award at the Milan African Film Festival and the Grand Prix at the Vues d'Afrique festival in Montreal in 1996.
- He was a visiting artist at Amherst College in 2007â08 and a visiting professor at Hampshire College in 2009â10, both in Massachusetts.
- "Une feuille dans le vent" won the documentary award at the Ăcrans Noirs festival in 2014, and in 2024 he produced "Sita Bella la premiĂšre", EugĂ©nie Metala's documentary about ThĂ©rĂšse Sita-Bella.