Portal:African cinema/Selected birthdays/9



Rehema Nanfuka (b. May 25 1986) is a Ugandan actress, director and filmmaker known for her work in theatre, film and television. Her notable roles include her performances in Imani (2010), Queen of Katwe (2015) and Girl in the Yellow Jumper (2020). In 2018, she won the Best Director award for her film Veronica’s Wish (2018) at the Uganda Film Festival Awards, becoming the first woman to win the award.

Med Hondo (b. May 4 1936 in Atar, Mauritania and died March 2, 2019) is a Franco- Mauritanian actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He belongs to the second generation of African directors, after precursors like Ousmane Sembène. In 2022, his films Soleil Ô and West Indies were ranked 243rd and 152nd places respectively on the list of the greatest films of all time by Sight and Sound  film magazine based on the votes of more than 1,600 critics.

Adel Emam (b. 17 May, 1940) is an Egyptian film, television, and stage actor. He is known for his comedic roles and has appeared in over 100 films and theatre productions. He started his career in theatre and has featured in films like My Wife, the Director General  (1966), The Suspect (1981) and The Yacoubian Building (2006). He won the Horus Award at the Cairo International Film Festival for his roles in The Yacoubian Building (2006) and Al-irhabi (1994).

Wanuri Kahiu (b. June 21 1980) is an  Kenyan filmmaker, producer, and writer. She first gained recognition for her film From a Whisper (2008) for which she won the award for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Picture at the 2009 Africa Movie Academy Awards. Kahiu is known for tackling sensitive and often controversial subjects such as homosexuality. Her filmography includes Pumzi (2009), which challenges the pessimistic views of Africa’s future, and Rafiki (2018), the first Kenyan film to portray a love story involving two girls. In 2020, Kahiu signed a deal with Disney+ to adapt the popular Broadway musical, Once on This Island.

Dani Kouyaté (b. June 4 1961) is a Burkinabé film director and griot. Born in Bobo-Dioulasso, he comes from a long line of Mandinka griots and is the son of actor Sotigui Kouyaté. His debut feature film, Keïta! l'Héritage du griot (1995) won Best First Film Prize at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou  and was awarded the Junior Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.