Paulin Soumanou Vieyra (31 January 1925 – 4 November 1987) was a Dahomeyan/Senegalese film director and historian. As he lived in Senegal after the age of 10, he is more associated with that nation.

Background

He was born in Porto Novo, Dahomey, and educated in Paris, France, where he studied at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques. In 1955 in Paris, he shot the first Francophone African film, Afrique-sur-Seine. His other important achievements for film in Africa include founding the Fédération Panafricaine des Cinéastes in 1969. He served as director of Actualités Sénégalaises, an important newsreel service in the two decades following Senegal’s Independence. In 1971, he was a member of the jury at the 7th Moscow International Film Festival. Two years later, he was a member of the jury at the 8th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1985 he was a member of the jury at the 14th Moscow International Film Festival. He died in Paris in 1987, at the age of 62.

Personal life

In 1961, he married poet Myriam Warner of Guadeloupe. One of his sisters is Justine Vieyra, born in Parakou.

Works

Films

Books