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Sean Graham (director)

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Sean Graham
Born
Hans Friedrich Hermann Isay

(1920-06-26)26 June 1920
Berlin, Germany
Died5 October 2015(2015-10-05) (aged 95)
London, England
NationalityGerman
Occupation(s)Director, Producer, Writer
Years active1951–1976

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 British Army officer.[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

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Graham was born on 26 June 1920 in Berlin, Germany. He fled with his family to Britain in 1933, and was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge where he studied law. At the beginning of the Second World War, his name endangering him, he changed it to "Sean Graham". He then worked as an interpreter with British army intelligence, gradually attaining the rank of lieutenant-colonel.[2]

He died on 5 October 2015 in London at the age of 95.[2]

Career

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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] He lived and worked in Turkey making films for some years before finally returning to London.

In 2015, Government of Ghana conferred a State honor on Graham due to his pioneering work on Ghanaian cinema.[9]

He was also the author of three novels: A Surfeit of Sun (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1964) and Hippo's Coup (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1968), both set in Africa; and The French Odalisque based on the life of Aimée du Buc de Rivéry (Orbach & Chambers, 2009).

Filmography

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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

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  1. ^ "Sean Graham". MUBI (in German). Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Sean Graham, writer - obituary". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  3. ^ "BOY KUMASENU: colonialfilm". www.colonialfilm.org.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Remembering some classic Ghanaian movies". Africa Global Radio. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Sean Graham". www.bafta.org. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  7. ^ "'Modernity and Danger:The Boy Kumasenu and the Work of the Gold Coast Film Unit'" (PDF). core.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Government of Ghana confers State honour on Sean Graham". GhanaWeb. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
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