Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé will be given the Carrosse d’Or (also known as the Golden Coach) handed out by the French Directors’ Association (SRF) at the opening ceremony of the 55^th Directors’ Fortnight, which will unspool from 17-26 May as an integral part of the 76^th Cannes Film Festival.

Born in Bamako in 1940, Souleymane Cissé has twice been selected in competition at Cannes (in 1987 with Yeelen, winning the Jury Prize to boot, and in 1995 with Waati). His work has been showcased in the Official Selection a further three times: in Un Certain Regard in 1982 with The Wind, and as Special Screenings in 2009 and 2015 with Tell Me Who You Are and Our House.

Intended to reward a filmmaker chosen for the pioneering qualities of their films, their boldness, and the rigour of their direction and production, the Carrosse d’Or (which was first handed out in 2002) has, in the past, been awarded to Jacques Rozier, Clint Eastwood, Nanni Moretti, Ousmane Sembene, David Cronenberg, Alain Cavalier, Jim Jarmusch, Naomi Kawase, Agnès Varda, Jafar Panahi, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Jane Campion, Alain Resnais, Jia Zhangke, Aki Kaurismäki, Werner Herzog, Martin Scorsese, John Carpenter, Frederick Wiseman and Kelly Reichardt.