Aïssa Maïga

Aïssa Maïga (born 5 May 1975) is a Senegal-born French actress, director, writer, producer, and activist. Maïga has worked with major auteurs like Michael Haneke, Abderrahmane Sissako and Michel Gondry, and recently starred in Chiwetel Ejiofor’s directorial debut.

Maïga is an advocate for inclusion and has been vocal about racial discrimination in the film industry throughout her career. Maïga was inspired to speak out and create the DiasporAct collective after realising she was often the sole performer of colour to receive top billing and awards season attention—despite the abundance of diverse talent around her.

Early life Maïga was born in Dakar, Senegal to a Malian father and Senegalese mother. Maïga grew up in Dakar but would go to Mali on holidays as a child to spend time with her grandmother, uncles, aunts, and cousins. Her family comes from a small town in the region of Gao—near the Sahara desert—and her father is of the Songhay people.

She moved to France when she was four years old to live with her aunt and uncle. Her father, Mohamed Maïga, a journalist, was murdered in 1984, a few months before the Head of State in Burkina Faso was killed in a coup.

Career Career beginnings (1996–2005) Maïga landed a role alongside Yvan Attal in Denis Amart's Saraka Bô (1996), her acting was well received, and she went on to play a rebellious young girl in Michael Haneke's Code Unknown (2000) and his later film Caché (2005). Her work in Cédric Klapisch's Russian Dolls (2005) cemented her role as a notable performer in French cinema.

Bamako and career breakthrough (2005–2011) Maïga was nominated for a César Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in Abderrahmane Sissako’s Malian drama Bamako (2006) and became the first French actress of African descent to ever receive a nomination, thereby becoming the most visible black actress working in France. That same year, an anthology film called Paris, je t’aime (2006) was also premiered at Cannes and Maïga was the female lead in the short film directed by South African filmmaker Oliver Schmitz. Maïga was joined on the Cannes red carpet by Oliver Schmitz and producer Danny Glover. In 2009, Maïga won Best Actress for Bianco e nero (2008) at the Festival du Cinema Italien de Bastia.

Rise to stardom and international career (2012–present) Maïga starred alongside Audrey Tautou and Romain Duris in Michel Gondry's surreal and whimsical Mood Indigo (2014). In 2016, Maïga starred in the Netflix film The African Doctor (2016) alongside Democratic Republic of the Congo actor Marc Zinga.

In 2018, Maïga premiered in the Irish RTÉ crime series Taken Down (2018–present) written by Stuart Carolan and her role was received with critical acclaim.

Political activism Maïga is a leading figure in a new wave of activism by people of colour in French cinema in response to the lack of black representation in French films. The few roles available in the industry for black actors and actresses are usually racial stereotypes and Maïga uses her platform to challenge this and encourage change.

DiasporAct collective Maïga has collaborated with fifteen other black actresses and French personalities to create the DiasporAct collective. The group consists of Maïga, Nadège Beausson-Diagne, Mata Gabin, Maïmouna Gueye, Eye Haïdara, Rachel Khan, Sara Martins, Marie-Philomène Nga, Sabine Pakora, Firmine Richard, Sonia Rolland, Magaajyia Silberfeld, Shirley Souagnon, Assa Sylla, Karidja Touré, and France Zobda.

DiasporAct book 'Black is Not My Job' Before Maïga went to Malawi in 2017 to film Chiwetel Ejiofor’s adaptation of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019), Maïga wrote the essay that would become the book's foreword. Once the filming was over, she dedicated herself to the book and contacted a group of performers to bring many perspectives to the project. and came to fruition amid the #MeToo movement and the Cannes festival that had a wave of calls for inclusion. During a press conference that featured the group, Maïga told Agence France-Presse that setting up a racial quota in the French film industry is a potential option for combating the lack of onscreen diversity, and acknowledged that this could spark strong opposition in France. All members of the group wore matching black and white

On the night of the 45th César awards, Maïga gave a speech calling out the lack of diversity in French cinema. The speech was unexpected and contrasted with the congratulatory speeches that had taken place throughout the evening, the predominantly white audience of the "French Oscars" were all frozen in silent surprise and discomfort. Maïga began her speech by greeting the 12 black people (out of the 1,600 guests) and proceeded to outline the ways in which black people and their stories are systemically ignored in French media, TV, and cinema. who were chanting "Polanski is a rapist".

Personal life Vogue cites Maïga as its “French style crush” and says she has “never once disappointed”,

Theater Year Title Author Director Notes 2004 Brooklyn Boy Donald Margulies Michel Fagadau Comédie des Champs-Élysées 2011 Les Grandes Personnes Marie NDiaye Christophe Perton Théâtre national de la Colline 2015 Good People David Lindsay-Abaire Anne Bourgeois Théâtre Hébertot

Filmography Film As actress Year Title Role Director Notes 1997 Saraka bô Danièle Denis Amar 1998 La revanche de Lucy Lucy Janusz Mrozowski 1998 Le cadeau de maman Patrick Helpine Short 1999 Jonas et Lila, à demain Lila Alain Tanner 2000 Code Unknown Black Girl Michael Haneke 2000 Le prof Julie Alexandre Jardin 2000 Lise et André Esther Denis Dercourt 2000 Marie-Line Malika Mehdi Charef 2000 Mom's Present Farida Patrick Helpine (2) Short 2001 Voyage à Ouaga Loutaya Camille Mouyéké 2002 Georges chez les tops Gisela Olivier Chrétien Short 2003 Mes enfants ne sont pas comme les autres Myriam Denis Dercourt (2) 2003 Les baigneuses Rita's sister Viviane Candas 2003 Rien que du bonheur Anna Denis Parent 2004 Libre armada Ingrid Gogny, Vincent Jaglin... 2005 Russian Dolls Kassia Cédric Klapisch 2005 Caché Chantal Michael Haneke (2) 2005 L'un reste, l'autre part Farida Claude Berri 2005 Travaux, on sait quand ça commence... Condé's fiancé Brigitte Roüan 2005 Le train The barman Brahim Fritah Short 2006 Bamako Melé Abderrahmane Sissako Nominated - César Award for Most Promising Actress 2006 Paris, je t'aime Sophie Oliver Schmitz 2006 Don't Worry, I'm Fine Léa Philippe Lioret 2006 I Do Kirsten Hansen Éric Lartigau 2006 Mamdou il est où ? Mariettou Khady N'Diaye Short 2007 L'âge d'homme... maintenant ou jamais ! Tina Raphaël Fejtö 2007 Carcasse Aïssa Ismael El Iraki Short 2008 Black and White Nadine Cristina Comencini Bastia Italian Film Festival - Best Actress 2008 Les insoumis Kathia Claude-Michel Rome 2009 Diamant 13 Farida Gilles Béhat (2) 2009 L'aide au retour The official Mohammed Latreche Short 2010 Ensemble, c'est trop Clémentine Léa Fazer 2010 Le temps de la kermesse est terminé Martina Frédéric Chignac 2010 L'Avocat Ève Cédric Anger 2011 Mineurs 27 Aminata Tristan Aurouet 2011 Dédicace Elise Olivier Chrétien (2) Short 2012 HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami Clarisse Iris Alain Chabat 2012 Today Nella Alain Gomis 2012 One Man's Show Elisa Newton Aduaka 2013 Mood Indigo Alise Michel Gondry 2013 Aya of Yop City Aya Alain Chabat Voice 2014 Prêt à tout Alice Nicolas Cuche Globes de Cristal Award for Best Actress 2016 The African Doctor Anne Zantoko Julien Rambaldi 2016 Corniche Kennedy Awa Dominique Cabrera (2) 2016 Love Is Dead Léane Éric Capitaine 2017 Il a déjà tes yeux Salimata Aloka Lucien Jean-Baptiste 2019 The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind Agnes Kamkwamba Chiwetel Ejiofor 2019 Mon Frère Claude Julien Abraham 2022 Neneh Superstar Martine Gnaore Ramzi Ben Sliman2023Big Kids AudeAndréa Bescond & Eric MétayerComedy / Drama2023Impatientes Dr. MilleuxQuentin DelcourtShort 2025 Promised Sky Marie Erige Sehiri

As director Year Title Form Notes 2021 Regard noir Documentary Co-directed with Isabelle Simeoni 2021 Marcher sur l’eau Documentary Maïga also co-wrote

Television Year Title Role Director Notes 1998 Un mois de réflexion Sylvie Serge Moati TV movie 1999 Maison de famille 2002 Négro Aïssa Karim Akadiri Soumaïla TV movie 2003 Commissaire Moulin Dolly Joyce Buñuel Episode: "Série noire" 2003 Les Cordier, juge et flic Aline Gilles Béhat Episode: "Adieu mulet" 2004 Par accident Constance Jérôme Foulon TV movie 2005 Sometimes in April Young Militant Raoul Peck 2005 P.J. Marie-Laure Vecchiali Christophe Barbier Episode: "Délivrance" 2006 Une famille parfaite Martha Patrick-Mario Bernard & Pierre Trividic TV movie 2008 Sex, Okra and Salted Butter Amina Mahamat Saleh Haroun 2009 Pas de toit sans moi Ashanti Guy Jacques 2009 Suite noire Sara Dominique Cabrera Episode: "Quand la ville mord" 2012 Toussaint Louverture Suzanne Philippe Niang TV miniseries 2013 Mortel été Julie Denis Malleval TV movieLuchon International Film Festival - Best Actress 2015 Mystère à la Tour Eiffel Henriette Léa Fazer (2) TV movie 2018 Taken down Abeni David Caffrey Miniseries