Mamounata Nikièma, portrait of an entrepreneur committed to cinema

Mamounata Nikièma trained in development communications at the University of Ouagadougou, but soon fell into the world of cinema, specialising in a Masters 2 in creative documentary filmmaking in 2008 in Saint Louis, Senegal, set up by the Africadoc programme. After several years' experience directing short documentaries and a medium-length film, she set up her own production company, Pilumpiku Production in 2011. "As a filmmaker, I felt that there needed to be a structure alongside me that could support project leaders. Producing dramas and documentaries, directing, organising training courses, consulting on projects - Pilumpiku's activities are multifaceted, like its founder who wears many hats. A director, visual technician and producer, Mamounata Nikièma spares no time or energy in making what she believes in a reality: "(...) I go to co-production meetings, I take an interest in projects and I support directors' projects". As a committed producer, she is keen to respond to the need for support for professionals in the sector, and to help create a professional network of Burkina Faso, African and international writer-directors. Pilumpiku Production has several films to its credit: documentaries, documentary series and dramas, co-produced mainly with West African countries, but also with French partners. B-Faso Creative, the training trigger After several short films, Mamounata Nikièma went on to make her first medium-length film, "Savoir Raison Garder" (54 minutes) in 2011, about the 2010 presidential election in Burkina Faso. She co-directed, co-produced and starred in the collective film Lumière d'Octobre. This 75-minute film, released in 2015, about the popular uprising in Burkina Faso in October 2014, was a France/Burkina Faso co-production. In 2015, this time as a producer, she received €15,000 from the Fonds Image Francophonie for the production of Marie Laurentine Bayala's film "La lutte continue". As a true entrepreneur, she decided to apply for the B-Faso Creative in 2017: it was time for her to find the wings for a magazine project that had been several years in the making.

Enthused by the variety and quality of the guest speakers at B-Faso Creative, and by their knowledge of the field and their direct links with her own realities, Mamounata Nikièma knew what she had to do. "The module that really interested me and influenced my project as I saw it is digital marketing. I'd been thinking about my project in paper form since 2014 (...) something just clicked. I said to myself, this is the opportunity to bring this project to life at a lower cost than paper, which is very expensive (...)". His project was born with B-Faso Creative: it will be SulunsukuMamounata, a platform bringing together information from the film and audiovisual sector in Burkina Faso and Africa. Thanks to an incentive of 3,000 euros, Mamounata is launching the development of its platform with the help of a programmer and a webmaster. She put together a team of journalists and began publishing articles that not only highlighted the careers of celebrities, but also highlighted the "behind the scenes" jobs, particularly technicians, and gave the microphone to those who were taking their first steps towards a promising future. A directory of contacts for professionals in the sector is currently being compiled, with the aim of showcasing the skills of each individual, and opening up a space for access to professionals, in order to move away from an informal hiring logic that favours working through connections. "This platform will enable us to reorganise the system for circulating opportunities (...) where you have your profile with your email address and people can write to you directly, and anyone can ask for your skills (...) for me, in a way it gives professionals a better chance of working. Ultimately, Mamounata also hopes to develop online services that will generate revenue, in particular through themed training videos. A committed woman The industry can count on Mamounata Nikièma to get things moving in Burkina Faso! Her involvement in Burkina Faso's film network is unwavering: secretary general of the Africadoc Burkina association from 2009 to 2014, current president of the Association des Producteurs de Cinéma et de l'audiovisuel, member of the Ouaga Producers Lab directory, she shares her enthusiasm and dynamism with an entire industry. An entrepreneur and creator, Mamounata Nikièma is one of those women who are opening up new avenues for independent African cinema, and who are resonating with audiences. Proof of this is "Au Fantôme du père" by Marie Laurentine Bayala, produced by Pilumpiku Production, which was awarded the Audience Prize at the Festival des Identités Culturelles in Ouagadougou in November 2018. A film directed and produced in Burkina Faso, distributed by a French company, SUDU CONNEXION, founded by Franco-Burkinabé journalist Claire Diao. Mamounata Nikièma is currently in full production on her first feature-length documentary on immigration entitled "Paris est mon jardin", another France/Burkina Faso co-production. Creativity and entrepreneurial spirit are in the air, and women are leading the way. We wish you all the best! [/by Annabelle Giudice/] Link to the Sulunsuku platform: https://www.sulunsuku.com

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