Ivory Coast

Désiré Ecaré was born in 1938 and passed away in 2008 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Having spent his childhood in the Ivory Coast, he traveled to France in 1961. He graduated two years later and achieved a second prize of Dramatic Art and joined the IDHEC, a prestigious film school. Ecaré’s first film was Concerto for an Exile (1968), a short film on the lives of African students in Paris. It was a hit and won the Grand Prize of Young Cinema at Hyères. In his first feature film, À nous deux, France (1970), the filmmaker takes the same approach and a portrait not only of men but of a black woman wanting to compete with the Parisians. With this satirical comedy impression of lightness, Désiré Ecaré once again proved his talent. Faces of Women (1985), also written and produced by the filmmaker, is divided into three parts connected by the singing and dancing. A tribute to African women, the film nevertheless caused a scandal in Africa. Acclaimed in France, he won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes in 1985.

Filmography

Concerto for an Exile (1968)
Take Care, France / À nous deux, France (1970)
Faces of Women / Visages de femmes (1985)