Cheik Doukouré

Cheik Doukouré (born 1943) is a Guinean filmmaker.^[1][2] He is notable as the director of critically acclaimed film Le Ballon d'Or (The Golden Ball).^[3] Besides film director, Doukouré is also actor, screenwriter and film producer.^[4]

He was born in 1943 in Kankan, Guinea and had primary education in Conakry. In 1964, he left Guinea and moved to Paris, France. He completed the degree of modern literature at the Sorbonne University in 1964, in modern letters and was educated at the theatre schools Cours Simon, and later at the Conservatory of rue Blanche (École nationale supérieure des arts et techniques du théâtre (ENSATT), fr) in 1965.^[5][6]

In France, he started out as an actor in the theater and on television. In 1978 Doukouré wrote the screenplay Bako, l'autre rive (Bako, the Other Shore) and later the popular play Black Mic-Mac (1986).^[5]

As an actor, he played notable parts in a number of films, including in My New Partner (Les Ripoux, 1981) and in the critically acclaimed 1994 film Un indien dans la ville (Little Indian, Big City).^[6] In 1991, Doukouré made his directorial debut with the drama feature film Blanc d'ébène (Ebony White) which takes place in Guinea during the Second World War. In 1993, he founded in Guinea his production company Bako Productions. Later that year, he produced his second feature film Le Ballon d'Or (The Golden Ball),^[7] which focuses on an African peasant who became a football star.^[8]

In 2001, Doukouré founded the production company Les Films de l'Alliance with his co-writer Danielle Ryan^[9] to realise his self-directed film Paris selon Moussa (Paris according to Moussa), in which he also starred. In 2003, he won the Prize for male interpretation at the 18th edition of Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) for his role in Paris selon Moussa on the position of undocumented African immigrants in Paris.^[5]

Doukouré's filmography includes:^[4]

Doukouré's awards include:^[4][5]

• Cheik Doukouré at IMDb