Quick Facts
Biography
The cinema of Cameroon includes French and English-language film making. The Anglophone film industry is sometimes known as Collywood.
History
In 1919, the movie Haut-Commissariat de la République française au Cameroun was shot in the French Cameroons.
In 1960, Cameroon became an independent country, and the history of Cameroonian cinema started in 1962.
Thérèse Sita Bella and Jean Pierre Dikonguè Pipa were the first Cameroonian movie producers. Other names in early Cameroonian cinema included Alphonse Béni who had studied Film technique at the Conservatoire libre du cinéma français (CLCF), and Daniel Kamwa who had studied film at the Université de Paris 8-Vincennes. The first movie shot in Cameroon after the independence was Point de Vue No. 1, directed by Dia Moukouri, which did not appear in the market until 1966.
Before 1973, approximately 15 short and long films were produced, with financial support from the French Ministry of Cooperation, and technical support from the French Cultural Centers (CCF – centres culturels français). In 1972, there were about 32 movie theaters across Cameroon by Film Industry Development Fund (FODIC – Fonds du développement de l’industrie cinématographique) sponsored by the Government of Cameroon at the time.
In the 1970s and 1980s, a number of films were produced in Cameroon, including Muna Moto by Jean-Pierre Dikonguè, who was awarded the Golden Stallion (The Étalon d’or de Yennenga is the supreme prize) at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO – festival panafricain de cinéma et de télévision de Ouagadougou) in 1976.
In the 1980s there were several cinemas in Yaounde and Douala, which have subsequently shut down, and movies are instead shown at mobile cinemas.
Ninah’s Dowry was produced in Sabga Hills, in Bamenda. It won more than 30 awards. Beleh is another movie which has received 10 awards.
The Cameroon International Film Festival was first held in 2016.
Collywood
In 2008, the "Collywood" association of Anglophone film makers was created at Alliance Franco Camerounaise centre in Buea. The current chairman of the movie board is Vitalis Otia Suh.
Cameroon Film Industry (Collywood) has seen growth compared to the period between 1980,s and 1990,s. A recent movie project done in Collywood A man for the weekend produced by Syndy Emade featuring Alexx Ekubo
Actors/producers
- Agbor Gilbert Ebot
- Enah Johnscot
- Epule Jeffrey
- Daniel Kamwa
- Jean Pierre Dikonguè Pipa
- Nkanya Nkwai
- Syndy Emade
- Adela Elad
- Onyama Laura
- Kang Quintus
- Lucie Memba
Distributors
- Ciné News Distribution
- Screen Awards – since 1995