Joseph Gaï Ramaka (Jo(e) Gaï Ramaka/Joseph Gaye Ramaka, born 9 November 1952 in Saint Louis, Senegal) is a Senegalese film director, screen writer and film producer.
Biography Gaï Ramaka studied visual anthropology at the Paris School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences and film studies at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (Institute for Advanced Cinematographic Studies, IDHEC). In 1990 he founded the French production and distribution company Les Ateliers de l’Arche. In 1999, the company established its Espace Bell’Arte branch in Dakar, Senegal, a screening facility with Dolby Stereo. The company's presence expanded with Arche Studios, a 15,000 square meter studio, and the first in West and Central Africa to have computerized lighting.
His feature-length films include Nitt... N'Doxx /Les Faiseurs de pluie, an adaptation of a story by Prosper Merimée, Karmen Geï (2000), an African version of the opera Carmen, and Et si Latif avait raison (And what if Latif were right!, 2006), a political documentary.
In 2007 he founded the New Orleans Afrikan Film and Arts Festival Project (NOAFEST) and in 2013, he created Gorée Island Cinema, a platform for collaborative cinematography, which has hosted the Gorée Cinema Festival since 2015.
Gaï Ramaka currently lives in New Orleans.
Filmography Gaï Ramaka's films include: Year Film Genre Role Duration 1985 Baaw-Naan / Rites de pluie Short, documentary Screen writer, director 25 min (m) 1986 La Musique lyrique Peul Short, documentary Director 10 m 1986 Portrait d’un mannequin Short, documentary Director 10 m 1988 Niiwamby Clarence Thomas Delgado Feature Producer 88 m 1989 Nitt... N'Doxx / Les Faiseurs de pluieAn adaptation of a story by Prosper Merimée Documentary Screen writer, director 85 m 1991 Boxulmaleen !! (L'An fer)by William Ousmane Mbaye and Amet Diallo Feature Producer 30 m 1996 Idylleby Dominique Camara Short, drama Coproducer 14 m 1997 Ainsi soit-il ! (So Be It), episode of Africa DreamingBased on a play The Strong Breed by Wolé Soyinka Fiction Screen writer, codirector, coproducer 33 m 1997 Baby Sister Fiction pilot Director 12 m 1998 Demain je brûle / Ghoudwa Nahrekby Mohamed Ben Smaïl Drama Producer 95 m 2001 Karmen GeïGaï Ramaka's adaptation of the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet Fiction, music Screen writer, director 85 or 90 m 2006 Et si Latif avait raison !(And what if Latif were right!) Documentary Screen writer, director, producer 95 m 2007 Jaxaay Plan! Documentary Screen writer, director 26 m 2009 It's my man ! Documentary Director 65 m 2020 Mbas mi (The plague by Albert Camus) Short, drama Director, producer 8 m
Awards Gaï Ramaka won various awards, such as: Baaw-Naan/Rites de pluie (1985) - Masque d'Or for documentary at the Deuxième Festival International du Film sur le Carnaval et la Fête à Nice. Special mention by the jury at the Quatrième Festival International Jean Rouch/Bilan du Film Ethnographique in Paris. First Prize for shorts of the Second Festival of Perugia, Italy. Ainsi-soit-il (1997) - Silver Lion Award, First Prize Corto-cortissimo, 54th Venice Film Festival 1997. Best Film Prize, Festival Vues d'Afrique Montreal 1998. Karmen Geï (2001) - Best Feature Award of the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF Los Angeles) 2006.
Literature
See also Cinema of Senegal List of Senegalese films
References
External links Videos: . Video duration 4m 11s. Uploader Joseph Gaï Ramaka. 2012. Accessed on 24 August 2023. . Video duration 39m 23s. Uploader African Film Festival, Inc. 2021. Accessed on 24 August 2023. Interview: