Paulin Soumanou Vieyra

Paulin Soumanou Vieyra was born on January 31, 1925, in Porto-Novo. Moving to France for his education, he became the first African to graduate from the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC) in Paris in 1952. In 1955, Vieyra co-directed Afrique sur Seine, a revolutionary short film capturing the lives of African students in Paris, widely celebrated as the beginning of African cinema.

Vieyra founded the Pan-African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI), served as director of the Senegalese national film agency, and mentored generations of filmmakers including Ousmane Sembène. He authored the first comprehensive histories of African cinema, including Le cinéma africain des origines à nos jours.