Origins & Early Life

Idrissa Ouédraogo (21 January 1954 – 18 February 2018) was a Burkinabé filmmaker. His work explored the conflict between rural and city life and tradition and modernity in his native Burkina Faso and elsewhere in West Africa. He is most known for his drama film Tilaï (1990), which won the Grand Prix at the 43rd Cannes Film Festival. For Samba Traoré (1993), he won the Silver Bear at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Idrissa Ouédraogo was born in Banfora, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), in 1954. He grew up in the town of Ouahigouya in the northern region of his homeland, and in 1976 he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree. To ensure a better life his farmer parents sent him to Ouagadougou for further education, where he attended the African Institute for Cinema Studies (Institut Africain d’Etudes Cinématographiques) completing his studies in 1981 with a masters. After studying in Kiev in the USSR he moved to Paris, where he graduated from the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) in 1985 with a DEA from the Sorbonne. On graduating from IAFEC in 1981, Ouédraogo set up his own independent film company, "The Future of Films...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Ang Lee — Contemporary (Born in 1954) (1954): Acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker known for exploring deep, repressed human emotions.
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• Atal Bihari Vajpayee — Contemporary (Died in 2018) (2018): Indian statesman and poet, served as Prime Minister of India multiple times.
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• Bernard Mandeville — Shared historical date (01-21 · Died) (1733): Anglo-Dutch philosopher, satirist, and physician known for 'The Fable of the Bees'.
• Billy Ocean — Shared historical date (01-21 · Born) (1950): Trinidadian-British R&B singer known for international hits from the 1970s to 1980s.
• Alessandro Volta — Shared historical date (02-18 · Born) (1745): Pioneering Italian physicist, credited with the electric battery and electrochemistry.
• Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi — Shared historical date (02-18 · Died) (1851): Pioneering German mathematician known for elliptic functions and differential equations.
• 1954 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1954
• January 21 (01-21) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on January 21
• 2018 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2018
• February 18 (02-18) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on February 18