Sarah Maldoror facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sarah Maldoror
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| Born |
Sarah Ducados
19 July 1929 Condom, France
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| Died | 13 April 2020 (aged 90) Fontenay-lès-Briis, France
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| Occupation | Film director, writer |
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Notable work
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Sambizanga (1972) |
Sarah Maldoror (born July 19, 1929 – died April 13, 2020) was a talented French filmmaker. Her family came from the French West Indies. She is most famous for her movie Sambizanga (1972). This film was about the war in Angola that happened from 1961 to 1974.
Contents
Her Early Life and Education
Sarah Maldoror was born Sarah Ducados in 1929 in a town called Condom, Gers, France. Her parents had moved there from Guadeloupe. She chose her artist name, Maldoror, from a famous book called Les Chants de Maldoror.
She studied acting at a drama school in Paris. Later, she received a scholarship with her husband, Mário Pinto de Andrade. They went to Moscow in 1961–62 to study filmmaking. There, she met another famous filmmaker, Ousmane Sembène. Sarah and Mário had two daughters, Henda Ducados Pinto de Andrade and Annouchka de Andrade.
Her Film Career
After her studies, Sarah Maldoror worked as an assistant director. She helped make the well-known film The Battle of Algiers (1966). She also assisted Algerian director Ahmed Lallem.
Monangambee: A Short Film
Maldoror's short film, Monangambee (1968), was set in Angola. It was based on a story by an Angolan writer named José Luandino Vieira. The film's title, Monangambée, was a special call. It was used by Angolan activists to gather people for village meetings. This 17-minute film was made with people who were not professional actors. It was filmed in Algeria. The story is about a poor woman visiting her husband, who is in prison in the city of Luanda. This film was chosen to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1971. It represented Angola at the festival.
Sambizanga: Her First Feature Film
Her first full-length movie was Sambizanga (1972). It was also based on a story by José Luandino Vieira. The film takes place in 1961, at the start of the Angolan War of Independence. A film critic from Guardian newspaper, Mark Cousins, listed Sambizanga as one of the top ten African films in 2012. He said it was "as bold, as well-lit as Caravaggio paintings."
Sarah Maldoror was one of the very first women to direct a feature film in Africa. Because of this, her work is often studied when people look at the role of African women in cinema.
Sarah Maldoror passed away on April 13, 2020. She was 90 years old. She died from COVID-19 during the pandemic in France.
Awards and Recognition
- Sarah Maldoror won the Tanit d'or award at the 1972 Carthage Film Festival.
- The French government gave her the National Order of Merit. This is a very important award in France.
Documentary About Sarah Maldoror
- Sarah Maldoror ou la nostalgie de l’utopie by Anne Laure Folly, France /Togo, 1998.
See also
In Spanish: Sarah Maldoror para niños
