Honoring a Visionary: The 2024 Silicon Valley African Film Festival to Present Souleymane Cissé With Cultural Icon Award
SAN JOSE, (August 2, 2024) – Silicon Valley African Film Festival to Honor Renowned Mailian Film Director Souleymane Cissé with Prestigious Cultural Icon Award
San Jose, CA – [August 2, 2024] – The Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF) is humbled to announce that the world-renowned Mailian film director, Souleymane Cissé, will be honored with the prestigious Cultural Icon Award at this year’s festival. Cissé has confirmed his attendance at the award ceremony and the following fireside chat which will take place on Sunday, October 13, 2024, at Montgomery Theater in San Jose, California.
Souleymane Cissé is one of Africa’s most admired and respected filmmakers. He has received two of the distinguished Yenega’s Talon prizes at FESPACO, a Pan-African film festival, for his films Baara (1978) and Waati (1995). Cissé’s most widely recognized film, Yeelen (1987) earned the Jury Prize at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival—the first African film to win a prize in the festival’s history. More recently, Cissé was awarded the Carrosse d’Or award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for his “bold” and “pioneering” qualities that shine through in his filmmaking. These same qualities make him an exemplary recipient of the Cultural Icon Award.
Cissé expressed his gratitude for the nomination, saying “I am delighted to learn that you want to honor me with this award in recognition of all my work. SVAFF Director Chike C. Nwoffiah added, “Souleymane Cisse is, bar none, Africa’s greatest living filmmaker and his film Yeelen is conceivably the greatest African film ever made. He continues to be a beacon of inspiration for all of us and look forward to celebrating him at SVAFF 2024.”
The Cultural Icon Award is SVAFF’s highest accolade, presented exclusively to individuals who have demonstrated a relentless commitment to showcasing and uplifting the image of Africa and its diaspora through creative expressions. Previous recipients of the award include actor, producer, and philanthropist Jimmy Jean-Louis (2022), actor and producer Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (2021), former Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas Mother Cynthia Pratt (2019), emeritus editor of Essence Magazine Susan L. Taylor (2018), co-directors of Diamano Coura African Dance Ensemble Dr. Zak and Mrs. Naomi Diouf (2017), and actor, producer, and activist Danny Glover (2016).
Now in its 15th year, SVAFF celebrates the richness, identity, and stories of Africa and its diaspora on their own terms. The festival has grown into a cultural destination event that draws award-winning international filmmakers, high-level foreign government dignitaries, Hollywood celebrities, academics, community leaders, students, and local film enthusiasts. From film screenings to talkback sessions with visiting filmmakers, fashion shows, live performances, panel discussions, workshops, an African market, and red carpet events, SVAFF provides audiences with an exquisite window into the real Africa and its diaspora through the lenses of seasoned and emerging filmmakers.
This year, SVAFF is proud to introduce the African Film Summit, presented in partnership with the Office of the President of San Jose State University. This groundbreaking event will convene academics, students, filmmakers, film enthusiasts, celebrities, government officials, distributors, and investors from across the globe for an engaging dialogue on African cinema.
Join us for an unforgettable celebration of African film, culture, and creativity. For more information about SVAFF, please visit www.svaff.org.
Sahndra Fon Dufe Okeowo
Outreach & Strategic Engagement Director
Silicon Valley African Film Festival
+1 (408) 886-0049
sahndra@svaff.org
About Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF):
Silicon Valley African Film Festival celebrates the richness, identity, and stories of Africa and its diaspora on their own terms. It has become a cultural destination event that draws award-winning international filmmakers, high-level foreign government dignitaries, Hollywood celebrities, academics, community leaders, students, and local film enthusiasts. SVAFF offers audiences an exquisite window into the real Africa and its diaspora through the lenses of seasoned and emerging filmmakers.