Chris Tsui Hesse

Last updated

The Rev. Dr.
Christian Hesse
Born
Christian Tsui Hesse

(1932-08-29) 29 August 1932 (age 91)
Osu, Accra
Education
Occupations
Years active1954–1994
SpouseRegina Hesse (m. 1959)
Ecclesiastical career
Church Presbyterian Church of Ghana

Christian Tsui Hesse, popularly known as Chris Hesse (born 29 August 1932) is a Ghanaian cinematographer, filmmaker, film administrator, photographer [1] and Presbyterian minister who is known for his cinematography in several award-winning films such as the critically acclaimed Love Brewed in the African Pot (1980) and Heritage Africa (1989). [2] He was the personal cinematographer of Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Chris Hesse helped to document the visual history of the political leadership and development of the country. He also worked for the United Nations, serving as a photographer, documenting the Congo crisis in 1960. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Chris Tsui Hesse was born on 29 August 1932 at Osu, Accra. He attended the all-boys' Presbyterian boarding middle school, the Salem School and the Odorgonno Secondary School, obtaining the Cambridge Overseas Certificate in 1954. In the same year, he was employed at the Ghana Film Industry Corporation (GFIC). He attended the National Film School in Łódź in Poland and graduated in 1960. He also obtained a post-graduate certificate in Film and TV Arts from the University of Sorbonne in Paris. His other academic credentials include a Bachelor of Divinity (1985) and a PhD (1989) in Film and Arts, both earned from the University of Southern California, California.

Career

His entire working career spans four decades (1954–1994), spent in the service of the Gold Coast Film Unit, later called the Ghana Film Industry Corporation. He worked on the British Academy Film Award which later got nominated for Best Film from any Source, The Boy Kumasenu (1952) directed by British director Sean Graham. [4] Hesse rose through the ranks to become the managing director of the Ghana Film Industry Corporation (GFIC) for ten years until his retirement from government service 1994. [5] Chris Hesse has a wealth of experience in film production, including being the head of News Department of the GFIC for ten years (1974–1984) within which he produced several newsreels, magazines, adverts and short documentaries, some of which have won international awards. He won the Golden Camera Award (First Prize in Cinematography in Africa) at the Pan African Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (FESPACO) in 1985. He was the director of photography for Kwaw Ansah's award-winning films Love Brewed in the African Pot (1980) and Heritage Africa (1989). He was also the director of photography for the filmmaker Ato Yanney Snr.’s His Majesty's Sergeant (1984). [6] He also travelled extensively throughout the world filming conferences at the UN, Commonwealth, OAU, Non-Aligned Movement, visits of Heads of State and various international seminars. [7]

Chris Hesse is known to be the first war cameraman to shoot a film on the Congo Crisis in 1960 for worldwide distribution in the capacity as an Honorary Captain in the Peace Keeping Force in 1960. From pre-colonial to post-independent Ghana (1956–1966), he was the official cinematographer to Kwame Nkrumah (1956–1966) and also to subsequent Heads of State namely: J. A. Ankrah, A. A. Afrifa, K. A. Busia, I. K. Acheampong, Fred Akuffo, Hilla Liman and J. J. Rawlings.

He was ordained into the Christian ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in 1985 and served in several congregations. He also became the executive director of the Prisons Ministry of Ghana. Chris Hesse has been married to Regina Hesse (a retired Officer of the Bank of Ghana) since 1959 and they have five adult children and grandchildren. His hobbies include lawn tennis, jogging, cycling and yoga. He is fluent in English, French, Ga and Twi.

In 2014, Chris Hesse was honoured for his immense contributions to cinema and the nation at the 3rd NAFTI Film Lectures on the Motion Picture Industry which focused on his work as a cinematographer, film director and documentary photographer. [8] Hesse is one of the individuals who have consistently called for the passage of the film bill which is intended to put in place all the necessary structures and systems for the film industry. [9] Chris Tsui Hesse is a founding member and former President of the Ghana Academy of Film and Television Arts (GAFTA). [10] In 2017, Hesse has been honoured at the National Film and Television Institute Awards night in Accra. [11] [12]

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghana</span> Country in West Africa

Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It lies adjacent to the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing a border with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Togo in the east. Ghana covers an area of 239,567 km2 (92,497 sq mi), spanning diverse biomes that range from coastal savannas to tropical rainforests. With nearly 35 million inhabitants, Ghana is the second-most populous country in West Africa. The capital and largest city is Accra; other significant cities include Kumasi, Tamale, and Sekondi-Takoradi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwame Nkrumah</span> Ghanaian politician (1909–1972)

Francis Kwame Nkrumah was a Ghanaian politician, political theorist, and revolutionary. He served as Prime Minister of the Gold Coast from 1952 until 1957, when it gained independence from Britain. He was then the first Prime Minister and then the President of Ghana, from 1957 until 1966. An influential advocate of Pan-Africanism, Nkrumah was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity and winner of the Lenin Peace Prize from the Soviet Union in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghana national football team</span> Association football team

The Ghana national football team represents Ghana in men's international football. The team is named the Black Stars after the Black Star of Africa in the flag of Ghana. It is governed by the Ghana Football Association, the governing body for football in Ghana. Prior to 1957, it played as the Gold Coast.

The Ga-Dangbe, Ga-Dangme, Ga-Adangme or Ga-Adangbe are an ethnic group in Ghana, Togo and Benin. The Ga or Gan and Dangbe or Dangme people are grouped as part of the Ga–Dangme ethnolinguistic group. The Ga-Dangmes are one ethnic group that lives primarily in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nkrumah government</span> Ghanan government under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the first Prime Minister and first President of Ghana. Nkrumah had run governments under the supervision of the British government through Charles Arden-Clarke, the Governor-General. His first government under colonial rule started from 21 March 1952 until independence. His first independent government took office on 6 March 1957. From 1 July 1960, Ghana became a republic and Nkrumah became the first president of Ghana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwaw Ansah</span> Ghanaian film maker (born 1941)

Kwaw Paintsil Ansah is a Ghanaian film-maker, whose work as writer, director or producer includes Love Brewed in the African Pot in 1980 and Heritage Africa in 1989. His first feature, Love Brewed in the African Pot, earned immediate popular and critical acclaim throughout English-speaking Africa. Despite all the awards and the success, it would be nearly 10 years before Ansah could complete his next major film project, the ambitious Heritage Africa (1989). Yet again, the film was widely acclaimed and awarded. Since then, Ansah has produced other films, including Harvest at 17 (1994), Crossroads of People, Crossroads of Trade (1994) and The Golden Stool, the Soul of the Asantes (2000). Ansah is a crusader for African filmmaking and dramatic art, working ceaselessly for improved funding and distribution of African films within Africa. He has been chairman of FEPACI and a leader in the direction of FESPACO. In 1998, Ansah was awarded the Acrag Prize, the Living Legend Award for Contribution to the Arts of Ghana.

Kwasi Kwarfo Adarkwa is a Ghanaian academic and the a past Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). In 2008, he was selected by then President of Ghana, John Kufuor, for a national award in the field of academics.

Robert Patrick Baffour,, was a Ghanaian engineer, politician and university administrator who served as the first Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He was also a pioneer in engineering education in Ghana.

Oyeeman Wereko Ampem II, was a Ghanaian civil servant, businessman and traditional ruler. He was Gyaasehene of Akuapem and Ohene of Amanokrom from 1975 till his death in 2005. He served as Commissioner for Economic Affairs in Ghana from 1967 to 1969 and Government Statistician from 1960 to 1966.

Asare Akuffo is a Ghanaian accountant, banker and entrepreneur. He is the former managing director of Home Finance Company, now Republic bank a pioneer bank in the housing finance industry. He is the president of the Private Enterprise Foundation, the umbrella body of businesses in Ghana.

The Ghana Academy of Film and Television Arts (GAFTA) is a private, professional organization dedicated to the advancement of excellence in the art, craft and science of the motion picture industry — film, television and new media. The Academy is made up of the following guilds and associations: Directors Guild of Ghana (DGG), Cinematographers Guild of Ghana (CGG), Art Directors' and Designers' Guild of Ghana (ADGG), Animator's Association of Ghana (AAG), Screen Writers Guild of Ghana (SWGG), Film and Television Production Facilitators Guild of Ghana (FTPFGG), Producers Guild of Ghana (PGG), Motion Picture Sound Guild of Ghana (MPSGG) and Screen Editors Guild of Ghana (SEGG).

King Ampaw is a Ghanaian filmmaker and actor born in Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region of Ghana. He is known for starring as the second lead role with the late Hollywood actor, Klaus Kinski in Werner Herzog's sensational film Cobra Verde (1987) which he also co-produced. He also co-produced the film African Timber (1989) directed by Peter F. Bringmann. He is married with two sons.

Robert Kwame "Bob J" Johnson was a famous Ghanaian cinematographer.

Eddie Samuel Obong Watson Jr. is a Liberian-born Ghanaian actor and producer. He received his first Ghanaian Movie Award in 2014 for his film 'Ebola' which he wrote, directed and produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pappy Kojo</span> Ghanaian hiphop artist

Jason Gaisie, popularly known as Pappy Kojo, is a Ghanaian hip hop and hiplife recording artist from Takoradi. He is well known for his hit single "Realer No".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Ghana</span>

Cinema of Ghana also known as the Ghana Film Industry nicknamed Ghallywood, began when early film making was first introduced to the British colony of Gold Coast in 1923. At the time only affluent people could see the films, especially the colonial master of Gold Coast. In the 1950s, film making in Ghana began to increase. Cinemas were the primary venue for watching films until home video became more popular. The movie industry has no official name as yet since consultations and engagements with stakeholders has been ongoing when a petition was sent to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture which suspended the use of the name Black Star Films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AnimaxFYB Studios</span> Animation Company

AnimaxFYB Studios is an animation multimedia company founded by Francis Yushua Brown. The company tells African stories in an animated format. They specialize in visual effects as well as 2D and 3D Animation. They have produced award winning animations.

Ernest Kofi Abbeyquaye also known as Ernest Abbeyquaye, is a Ghanaian filmmaker. He was a filmmaker, producer, and director for the Ghana Film Industry Corporation (GFIC).

Tom Ribeiro is a Ghanaian writer and director. He wrote and directed several Ghanaian movies made in the post-colonial era, mainly under the production rights of the Ghana Film Industry Corporation (GFIC), which was set up by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. These movies included Genesis Chapter X (1977), Dede (1992), Set on Edge (1999) The Visitor (1983), Out of Sight, Out of Love (1983), Rituals of Fire and The Village Court.

Ato Kwamina Yanney Snr, also known simply as Ato Yanney was an independent film maker and one of the pioneers of Ghana movie industry.

References

  1. ↑ "Video: Nkrumah's photographer tells his story on PM Express' Personality Profile". myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  2. ↑ "The Award Ceremony for the 2013–2014 Lectures takes place on June 20, 2014". nafti.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "NAFTI honours Rev Dr Chris Hesse". graphic.com.gh. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "BAFTA Awards". bafta.org. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Award Ceremony for the 2013–2014 Lectures takes place on June 20, 2014". nafti.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  6. ↑ Yanney, Ato. ""His Majesty's Sergeant" Out Finally". www.modernghana.com. Retrieved 26 February 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ "The Award Ceremony for the 2013–2014 Lectures takes place on June 20, 2014". nafti.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "NAFTI honours Rev Dr Chris Hesse". graphic.com.gh. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "The Industry needs a film bill – Chris Hesse". www.vibeghana.com. Retrieved 26 February 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Sale of GFIC Has Affected Film Industry – Rev Chris Hesse". www.modernghana.com. Retrieved 26 February 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ Amponsah, Charles. "Outstanding film makers in Ghana honoured". gbcghana.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  12. ↑ Africa, Daily Guide (25 June 2014). "Ghana Film Industry Receives Boost" . Retrieved 22 February 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.