Fanta Régina Nacro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fanta Regina Nacro
Born	4 September 1962 (1962-09-04) (age 62)
Nationality	Burkina Faso
Education	Filmmaking,editing and cinematography
Known for	La Nuit de la Vérité (Night of Truth) and Un Matin (Some Morning)

Fanta Regina Nacro (born 4 September 1962) is well known for being the first woman from Burkina Faso to direct a feature film and is a founding member of the Guilde Africaine des Realisateurs et Producteurs (The African Guild of Directors and Producers). She is an artist who explores the themes of African cinema while tackling issues surrounding illness such as AIDS, and education for the girl child. She represents the "New African Wave". Nacro's films tend to question the traditions of Burkina Faso, while looking at the relationship between tradition and modernity in today's world.

Early life and education

Nacro grew up in rural Burkina Faso with the intention of becoming a midwife. The desire for film making came from her upbringing around storytelling in Burkina Faso. Her interest towards working in the film industry began to grow. She credits a neighbour for informing her about the film school, Institut d'Education Cinématographique de Ouagadougou (INAFEC), in Burkina Faso. While studying at INAFEC, Nacro met Idrissa Ouedraogo, a director for whom she would later work for as an editor. She received her first degree in audiovisual science and techniques from INAFEC in 1986.

She also earned a master's degree in Film and Audiovisual Studies at the Sorbonne.

Career

Her first work in cinematography came during a collaboration during her studies at INAFEC. Her film department had partnered with the film department at Howard University led by Professor Abiyi Ford. Nacro credits this collective project, in which she met filmmaker Zeinabu Davis, as her "first cinematographic experience. It was very important for me and allowed me to define my role in this profession," (p. 216). She has since stated that although future collaborative projects between African directors and African American directors would be valuable, finding funding would be a key challenge.

Noting that during her education, Nacro had to learn all the different facets of filmmaking, including editing and cinematography, these skills are what helped her start her career in the film industry. Beginning as a television announcer, and then working in continuity and editing, Nacro soon started working as a director and made her first film, Un Certain Matin (1991).

In 1999, Nacro, along with Jean-Marie Teno and Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda, created the Guilde Africaine des Realisateurs et Producteurs (The African Guild of Directors and Producers) to expand the work of African filmmakers. The initiative has worked to bring more attention to African Cinema in an effort to support the industry.

She is popularly known for producing short films around Europe, Africa and North America.

Film

Nacro's first film was a short called Un Certain Matin (1992). Since then she has produced a number of short films, often taking a humorous perspective on the traditions of her country and the complexity of relations between tradition and modernity. Bintou has won over twenty prizes in international festivals and won the Fespaco prize for best short film in 2001.

I believe in exchanging ideas, in cultural exchange. We watch European films. We make allowances, retain what is positive in Western culture and reject the negative, so I don't see why Western audiences shouldn't see African images. Furthermore, the more Western audiences see African films, the more racist preconceptions will be challenged because the more you know someone, the better you understand his or her aspirations and behaviour. I believe that film can help to establish real exchange and communication between different nations, as film is the best means of educating the masses.

—Fanta Nacro, quoted in Africa Shoots Back: Alternative Perspectives in Sub-Saharan Francophone African Film

Nacro made her first full-length film, Night of Truth (La Nuit de la Vérité), in 2004.

Attitudes towards filmmaking

Nacro has said that improving the reach of African cinema will be a continual goal among African directors. She has noted that improving audience numbers is a necessity for the industry to grow, as the film industry has not yet reached its potential in many African countries. "Ever since I saw a film called Femme d'Alger, which was made by a man, with what one may even call a woman's sensibility, I've come to realize that there is really no woman's or man's sensibility, but there is simply a human sensibility."

Selected filmography

Awards and honours

• In 1992, Nacro received the Tanit d'Or for short film Un Certain Matin at Carthage
• In 1992, Nacro received the Licorne d'Or for short film Un Certain Matin at Amiens
• In 1993, Nacro received the First Prize Air Afrique for short film Un Certain Matin at Milan
• In 1997, Nacro received nomination for Puk Nini at FESPACO

See also

In Spanish: Fanta Régina Nacro para niños