Portal:African cinema/Selected birthdays/13

Henri-Joseph Koumba Bididi (b. 15 July 1957), is a Gabonese filmmaker and screenwriter. His filmography includes the critically acclaimed short film Le Singe Fou (2008) and  feature film Le Collier du Makoko (2013), then the most expensive film produced in sub-Saharan Africa at a cost of 4 million euros.

Chiwetel Ejiofor (b. 10 July 1977) is a British-Nigerian actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award, with nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. His African filmography includes The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019) a drama film that he wrote, directed, and starred in, based on the memoir by William Kamkwamba, and Half of a Yellow Sun, based on the novel of the same name by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Adil El Fadili (b June 26, 1970) is a Moroccan director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is known for his award-winning short film Courte Vie, which traces the journey of a young boy, Zhar, from 1970 to 2010 and simultaneously highlights events that marked not only Morocco of the time but also the world. In 2024, his first feature film Mon père n’est pas mort won six awards including the Grand Prize at the 23rd edition of the National Film Festival of Tangier (FNF).

Gadalla Gubara (Arabic: جاد الله جبارة, July 1920 – 21 August 2008) was a Sudanese cameraman, film producer, director and photographer and pioneering figure in African cinema. Over five decades, he produced more than 50 documentaries and three feature films and was a co-founder of both the Pan-African Federation of Filmmakers FEPACI and Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO).

Nomzamo Mbatha (b. 13 July 1990), is a South African actress. She became first known for her portrayal of one of the principal characters of the popular South African television drama series Isibaya from the premier of the series in 2013 until 2020. In 2021 she made the leap to Hollywood and the big screen where she was cast in a lead role in Coming 2 America. In 2023 Mbatha took on the role of Queen Nandi, the mother of the iconic 18th century King Shaka in the South African television series Shaka iLembe as well as served as executive producer.