Sean Graham (director)
Sean Graham | |
---|---|
Born | Hans Friedrich Hermann Isay 26 June 1920 |
Died | 5 October 2015 | (aged 95)
Nationality | German |
Occupation | Director, Producer, Writer |
Years active | 1951–1976 |
Hans Friedrich Hermann Isay (26 June 1920 – 5 October 2015), popularly known by his stage name Sean Graham, was a German-born Ghanaian filmmaker and former military leader of British Army.[1][failed verification] In cinema, he is best known for directing the critics acclaimed Ghana films The Boy Kumasenu, Jaguar and Two Weeks in September.[2][3][4][5]
Personal life[]
Graham was born on 26 June 1920 in Berlin, Germany. During the World War I, he fled with his family to Britain in 1933 and educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge. During his life at Britain, he studied Law at Cambridge university. When the World War II started, his life was at threat, where he quickly changed his name to Sean Graham. Then he worked as an interpreter with the British army, and gradually became the lieutenant-colonel.[2]
He died on 5 October 2015 in London at the age of 95.[2]
Career[]
After the war ended, Graham became a film trainee along with Paul Rotha at Elstree studios. In 1948, he moved to Ghana and contributed to uplift the Ghanaian film industry during a span of ten years. In 1952, he directed his film debut with The Boy Kumasenu, which was nominated for the BAFTA Best Film.[6][7] Then he moved to Tunisia for a brief period and returned to work in film in London.[2] In 1957, he directed and produced a documentary Freedom for Ghana which received critics acclaim. Then in 1967, his film Two Weeks in September was screened in many film festivals worldwide.[8]
In 2015, Government of Ghana conferred a State honor on Graham due to his pioneering work on Ghanaian cinema.[9]
Filmography[]
Year | Film | Role | Genre | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1952 | The Boy Kumasenu | Director, Writer, Producer | Film | |
1956 | Mr. Mensah Builds a House | Director | Short film | |
1957 | Jaguar | Director, Writer | Short film | |
1957 | Freedom for Ghana | Director, Producer | Documentary | |
1963 | The European Economic Community | Director, Writer | Documentary short | |
1967 | Two Weeks in September | Writer | Film | |
1974 | The Zoo Gang | Actor | TV Series |
References[]
- ^ "Sean Graham". MUBI (in German). Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Sean Graham, writer - obituary". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "BOY KUMASENU: colonialfilm". www.colonialfilm.org.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ Sandon, Emma (1 September 2013). "Cinema and Highlife in the Gold Coast: The Boy Kumasenu (1952)". Social Dynamics. pp. 496–519. doi:10.1080/02533952.2013.852826. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "Remembering some classic Ghanaian movies". Africa Global Radio. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "Sean Graham". www.bafta.org. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "'Modernity and Danger:The Boy Kumasenu and the Work of the Gold Coast Film Unit'" (PDF). core.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ Potts, Jim; Giltrow, David; Giltrow, Peggy (1 September 1980). "Film and Film-Training in Africa: A Pioneer Talks 1) Sean Graham 2) Sam Aryeetey". Educational broadcasting international. pp. 142–151. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "Government of Ghana confers State honour on Sean Graham". GhanaWeb. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
External links[]
- Sean Graham at IMDb
- 1920 births
- 2015 deaths
- Ghanaian film directors
- 20th-century German people
- Ghanaian film people
- Ghanaian film producers
- Ghanaian filmmakers
- People from Berlin
- German expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Immigrants to Ghana