Born in Guinea in 1941, Henri Duparc studied film industry at Ecole de Cinmatographie de Belgrade (School of Cinematography Belgrade) and at Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques (IDHEC) de Paris (Institute of Higher Cinematographic Studies of Paris). He then settled in Ivory Coast and create "Focale 13", his film production and broadcasting company.

Emblematic figure of the African cinema, he devoted the main part of his work to comedies which emphasized the social issues in a modern Africa. As a result he dealt with polygamy in Bal Poussière or the shock between African and western cultures in Une Couleur café or Le Sixième doigt.

On the occasion of his death, on April 18, 2006, the French minister of the Culture paid him a tribute that summarized the essentials of his career: With Henri Duparc we lose too early one of the big names of the African cinema and surely one of those who would have contributed the best to giving it its Patent of Nobility. He established himself as one of the masters of African comedy, of an Ivorian cinema where humor and affection melt but also a certain irony through which a very obvious sense of social criticism comes through (Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres).

FILMOGRAPHY

CINEMA

1967
MOUNA OU LE REVE D'UN ARTISTE
55 Minutes 16 m/m Black and White

1972
ABUSUAN
88 Minutes 35 m/m Color
Prize of OCAM / Fespaco 1973
With distinction from Office Catholique International du
Cinéma (International Catholic Office of Cinema)/FESPACO 1973

1977
L'HERBE SAUVAGE
90 Minutes 35 m/m: Color
Feminine Interpretation Prize / Festival of CARTHAGE 1978

1986
AYA
Story for Children in 10 episodes of 13 minutes 16 m/m color

1988
BAL POUSSIERE
88 Minutes 35m/m Color
Prize of the best production from the Film Festival of FORT
DE FRANCE 1988
Grand Prize of the Humor Film Festival of CHAMROUSSE 1989
Critic Prize of the Humor Film Festival of CHAMROUSSE 1989
Critic Prize of the Francophone Film Festival of NAMUR 1989

1990
LE SIXIEME DOIGT
90 Minutes 35m/m Color
Co-production Pan-European / Focale 13
Special Prize of the Jury at the Francophone Film Festival
of NAMUR 1990

1993
RUE PRINCESSE
88 Minutes 35 m/m
Grand Prize at the International Film Festival of Bari
(Italy) 1996

1997
UNE COULEUR CAFE
90 Minutes 35 m/m color
With special jury distinction from and Prize of the Public
in Montreal (Canada) 1998
Masculine interpretation Prize of Bari (Italy) 1998
Prize of the Public in Los Angeles (USA) 1998

2003
LAURENT GBAGBO: LA FORCE D'UN DESTIN
120 minutes Digital video
Documentary

2004 CARAMEL
88 Minutes Digital and Kinescope