Jean Marie Teno - Documentary Filmmaker

Jean Marie Teno

Documentary Filmmaker

A craftsman of images and memories, a witness to and ambassador for an Africa that tells its own story

Biography

1954–1959

Origins and Childhood

Born in Famleng, Western Cameroon, on May 14, 1954.
I grew up in Sangmelima, where my father runs a small business.
My early years were marked by family instability amid a changing political landscape. My mother left suddenly, and I wouldn’t see her again until eight years later.

1959–1965

Starting school and the first separations

I started elementary school at the Akon Catholic Mission in 1959, just as preparations were underway for independence and the January 1, 1960, parade.
Colonial school curricula continue despite independence.
The beginning of my distancing myself from European religions, and the realization of the contradictions between religious discourse and social realities: the camel cannot pass through the eye of the needle.

📸 Photos from my youth (1974–1984)

1965–1974

High School Years: Between Chaos and Learning

Admission to Leclerc High School in Yaoundé in 1965.
An adolescence marked by a great deal of independence—and sometimes a sense of aimlessness—in Yaoundé, a capital city undergoing rapid transformation.
Awareness of social inequality and injustice: The privileged classes are neither more intelligent nor physically stronger than the poor.
My academic career had its ups and downs, but it was rich in personal and social experiences.
Graduated from Bafoussam High School in 1974.

1974–1982

Hesitations, Choices, and Entering the Broadcasting Industry

A period of uncertainty regarding career choices.
My father died on December 20, 1978, in Douala in a traffic accident.
Studied audiovisual media in France; earned a Bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Technology in 1981 fromthe University of Valenciennes. In 1982, he joined the first class of the Master’s program in Audiovisual Communication.

1982–1997

First Steps in the Professional World and Artistic Development

I worked as a temporary employee at France 3, then took a position at FR3 Paris as a video technician and later as an editor.
I work in an environment where 16mm film is still prevalent, which allows me to experiment with film using my own camera.
1983: The film *Schubbah*, shot in Paris with my friends, about the life of a group of Africans engaged in reflecting on what it means to be African in France through the creation and publication of the magazine *Bwana Magazine*.

1980s

Early Works and Cultural Engagement

Production of the Schubbah short film "Bravo. " The film was inspired by the experience of Bwana Magazine, a publication founded by Mal Njam in 1981–82.
Contributed to the newspaper, particularly to the film section.
Cultural context: Mamadou Konté’s *Africa Fête*, the rise of SOS Racisme, and the left’s rise to power in 1981.
The intellectual and artistic ferment of an African generation in France.
1984: *Hommage*, a film about the loss of my father, the grieving process, and an introduction to themes that would recur throughout my future work.

📸 Photos from 2010–2024

Commitments

My commitment stems from the gaps in my childhood: the absence of a stable family environment and reassuring maternal love confronted me with the fragility of the world at a very early age. From this original void arose a vigilance, and then a determination: to transform pain into meaning, injustice into responsibility, and silence into a legacy. Far from confining me, this void has become a driving force that guides my work as a filmmaker, educator, and facilitator. It compels me to create spaces where others can find what I lacked: a listening ear, a place to belong, and the opportunity to tell their stories and build their lives. My commitment is thus rooted in the deep conviction that, from one’s own wounds, one can forge places of memory, dignity, and empowerment.

1979–1980

A student in Ville d'Avray and an activist in the anti-apartheid movement. Met in Paris with Dulcie September (ANC) and Sam Nujoma, president of SWAPO.

1982

A budding journalist for Bwana Magazine, specializing in film.

1983

My first FESPACO, meeting all the filmmakers of the first generation, and also meeting Thomas Sankara—I want to become Burkinabé.

1987

Djeneba's family doesn't take my marriage proposal seriously; Sankara is assassinated in October, and I wake up from this nightmare.

1999

Founding of the African Guild of Directors and Producers, of which I am the first president.

2003–2007

Launch of the FESPACO Documentary Section in Ouagadougou, which will run during the 2005 edition and conclude in 2007. The idea is to raise the profile of African documentary film, which I consider to be at the forefront of cinema.

2016–2023

Launch of the Patrimoines-Heritage Workshops, four editions: 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2023.

Filmography

A cinematic work that explores African history, memory, and identities. Each film is an act of resistance and a means of passing on traditions.

1983

Schubbah

Short film — The first film shot in Paris about the lives of a group of Africans engaged in exploring African identity in France and the creation of the magazine 'Bwana Magazine'.

1985

Tribute

Short film — An intimate film about the loss of a father and the grieving process. An introduction to recurring themes in the filmmaker’s work: memory, transmission, and identity.

1985

Yellow fever taxi driver

Short film

1987

The Slap and the Caress

Short film

1988

The Water of Misery

Documentary — Click to watch the film

1990

The Last Journey

Short film