Ouagadougou – The Burkinabè film “The Taxi, the Cinema and Me,” directed by Salam Zampaligré, received the award for best documentary at the 27th edition of the Ecrans Noirs Festival on Saturday, October 21, 2023, in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
According to a new release by Burkina Information Agency, Zampaligré expressed joy and pride over the award and viewed it as an invitation to intensify his efforts in filmmaking. “Cinema is a powerful tool for communication and education,” he said. The film explores the unique life journey of Drissa Touré, a self-taught filmmaker who started as a taxi driver in Ouagadougou after several small jobs in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso’s economic capital. Despite early successes in international film festivals, his career waned in the 2000s.
“The Taxi, the Cinema and Me” previously premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and won several other awards, including the Grand Prix for Documentary Film at the Luxor African Cinema Festival in Egypt. It also received the Jury Prize at the first edition of the “Rabat Doc Africa” International Film Festival in Morocco.