A difficult diffusion
In the 1920s, in a Benin still under French colonial rule, a few places began to show films. A few cinemas sprang up in Ouidah, considered the cultural capital, and Cotonou, the economic capital, as well as in other towns such as Porto-Novo and Anécho. The popularity of these cinemas peaked in the 1970s, when they were nationalized by the Marxist-Leninist People's Revolutionary Party of Benin. However, during the 1980s, in the midst of an economic crisis, cinemas were unable to withstand the lack of revenue. As a result, cinema venues were forced to close their doors, one by one. For the next thirty years, the infrastructure was abandoned. Some were even used as party halls.
Today's movie theaters
In 2013, the government announced the rehabilitation of Le Concorde and Le Bénin in Cotonou, and three other venues in the north of the country. Despite the new government's policy of revitalizing the country's cultural sector, these initiatives have been slow to materialize.
French group Vivendi (chaired by Vincent Bolloré) didn't wait for the government to make a move, however, and opened the Canal Olympia Wologuédé cinema in Cotonou. When the movie Black Panther (2018) was released, spectators were able to see it to great acclaim. The 300-seat venue is part of a project the group had already launched in Cameroon, Guinea, Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Togo. Despite the new offer these cinemas provide, we regret that they are competing with small local cinemas.
The Cinéma Numérique Ambulant is another trans-African initiative, bringing together four West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger). The aim of this network, which is run by associations, is to bring cinema directly to bush villages, and thus distribute films to audiences who cannot necessarily travel to the cities. Two French technicians, Christian Lambert and Laurence Vendroux, are behind this fine project, which dates back to 2001.
Some filmmakers
As for filmmakers, Benin has seen the birth of a number of personalities who have left their mark on its history, including directors Pascal Adjibadé Abikanlou, Richard de Medeiros, Jean Odoutan, Sylvestre Amoussou and Hollywood actor Djimon Hounsou.
Pascal Adjibadé Abikanlou is considered the pioneer of Benin's seventh art. Born in Pobè in 1935, he died in 2009. He came to prominence in 1974 with Sous le signe du vaudou, Benin's first feature-length fiction film. He also made a number of medium-length documentaries. His compatriot Richard de Medeiros made his name with his first film, Le Roi est mort en exil, released in 1970, which tells the story of King Behanzin's exile in Algeria.
Born in Benin in 1965, Jean Odoutan now lives in Paris. His film credits include La Valse des gros derrières, La Porte du non-retour, Mama Aloko and Pim-Pim Tché - Toast de vie! his latest film, released in 2010. Founder of the Institut Cinématographique de Ouidah (ICO), a school that trains French-speaking filmmakers.
Also based in France, Sylvestre Amoussou is a Beninese actor and filmmaker whose credits include Dominique Farrugia's Delphine 1 - Yvan 0 (1996) and Rires et Châtiment (2002) alongside José Garcia. His latest film as director, L'orage africain : un continent sous influence, released in 2017, won a Silver Festival Etalon at Fespaco, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival in Ouagadougou.
Beninese actor and model Djimon Hounsou, born in Cotonou in 1964 and a naturalized American, is pursuing an international career. His impressive physique and intense gaze have earned him a reputation for playing characters with muscles and a mind of steel. His film credits include Gladiator (2000) opposite Russell Crowe, Blood Diamond (2006), in which he starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, and Amistad (1997), in which he played the lead role in a film about slavery for director Steven Spielberg. More recently, he has appeared in The King's Man: First Mission (2021), Gran Turismo (2023) and Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 (2024).
Renaissance
With her Wani Ayo association, French-Beninese actress Tella Kpomahou is working to develop local film production. Born in Benin in 1978, she grew up in Côte d'Ivoire, before arriving in France in 2001. She quickly embarked on a career in theater before turning to film. In 2013, she starred in Fabrice Eboué's Le Crocodile du Botswanga. She remains deeply involved in her homeland, having initiated the "Journées de réflexion sur le cinéma béninois", an event to be held in Ouidah in 2021. Tella Kpomahou hopes to create a fund to support culture, following the example of Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal.
Let's hope that the recent success of producer Faissol Gnonlonfin will inspire the younger generation. Founder of "Merveilles Production", with whom he co-produced the excellent film Freda (2021), directed by Haitian Gessica Généus, he is a rising figure on today's cinema scene. Nominated at the 74th Cannes Film Festival and at the Oscars in 2022, the film was a real revelation.
Then, in 2022, Benin was brought to the screen in The Woman King, an American film that tells the story of the Amazons of Dahomey who resisted French soldiers and neighboring tribes. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong'o - who also played in Black Panther - the film is rich in action and emotion.
