Abderrahmane Sissako was born in Mauritania in 1961. studied film at VGIK in Moscow. from 1983 to 1989. He was a member of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2003, and a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. He served as President of the jury at the entrance examination of La Fémis (France's national film school) in 2008. His films include Bamako,Waiting for Happiness, and Life on Earth.