Chad / 1998 / 86mins / Docudrama / Arabic and French

Bye-Bye Africa is a reflexive docu-drama based on the story of a Chadian film director now exiled in France. When, after many years, he goes back home for the death of his mother, he also discovers the faltering state of the Chadian film industry due to the closing down of cinema theaters and the proliferation of video rooms. With his old friend, Garba, the film director goes all over town to document the cause of cinema's decline, but ends up discovering how his own film making affects the local community.

Mahamat Saleh Haroun

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun was born in Chad in 1963. He studied film at the Conservatoire Libre du Cinéma in Paris, and went on to study journalism at Bordeaux I.U.T. (Technical Institute). He worked for several years in the press and radio before directing his first film, Maral tanié. He was able to make the film thanks to support from Burkinabé filmmakers of his generation. Bye Bye, Africa received a jury mention at the Venice Film Festival, 1999. Haroun's second feature, Abouna, won best cinematography award at FESPACO, while his third, Daratt, won the Grand Special Jury Prize at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival. The 2010 feature film A Screaming Man won the Jury Prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, making Haroun the first Chadian director to enter, as well as win, an award in the main Cannes competition. In April 2011, it was announced that he would be a member of the jury for the main competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. His 2013 film Grigris was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. He served as one of the jury members for the Cinéfondation and short film sections of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. His 2016 documentary, Hissein Habré, a Chadian Tragedy, about the former Chadian dictator, also premiered at Cannes as well as the New York Film Festival in 2016. Learn More