Charles Mensah

Charles Mensah (1948 – 3 June 2011; Arabic: تشارلز منساه) was a Gabonese filmmaker, screenwriter and production manager. Popularly known as "the Gentleman of African Cinema", Mensah contributed to several critically acclaimed documentaries including Équateur, Les Couilles de l'éléphant and Lybek, the crunch of the alive. In a career spanning more than three decades, he worked the development of independent southern cinema.

Personal life and Death Charles Mensah was born on 1948 in Omboué, Gabon. He died on 3 June 2011, at the age of 63.

Career Filmmaking In 1976, Mensah directed his first feature fiction film, Obali co-produced with Pierre-Marie Ndong. Then in 1977 he made the second venture Ayouma, co-produced with Ndong and Patience Dabany. Experiencing success with these, Mensah got involved in production, this time with the film Équateur (Equator), written and directed by Serge Gainsbourg, which he co-produced with Alain Poiré. Along with renowned filmmaker Henri-Joseph Koumba Bididi in 1995, Mensah was involved in the Gabonese television series L'Auberge du Salut.

As executive producer, Mensah participated in numerous productions, including: Le Damier de Balufu Bakupu Kanyinda in 1996, Dôlè (l'Argent) by Imunga Iwanga in 2000, Les Couilles de l'éléphant in 2001 and N'Djamena City directed by Issa Serge Coelo in 2006. He was also involved in the short documentary film Lybek, le crunch du vivant.