Poutiaire Lionel Somé, is a film and theatre director with a fascinating journey that spans continents and cultures. Born in Burkina Faso and raised between Niger, Mali and Ghana, Lionel's early exposure to various cultures and traditions ignited his passion to explore intercultural narratives.
His artistic journey begins at the ISIS/SE Film Academy in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where he studied cinematography. He later on completed a postgraduate studies in Media Arts at the Academy of Media Arts KHM in Cologne, Germany. Lionel has lived between Burkina Faso and Germany for the past ten years, establishing himself as an innovative and thought-provoking artist in the film and theatre scene.
His talent and creativity have earned him several distinguished awards. In 2011, together with the Schlingensief team and the German Pavilion, awarded with the prestigious Golden Lion at the 52nd Venice Biennale for outstanding contributions to the world of art and culture. In 2015 with Damien Weber, their short film " Kollegen " was awarded the Student Gold Remi Award at the Houston International Film Festival, while in 2016, his short film " Ayny " with Ahmad Saleh, received the Golden Medal at the Students Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
Lionel's artwork extends beyond the world of filmmaking. His theatre productions have also received critical acclaim. In 2018 "L'Africaine" at the National Opera of Halle was praised by Deutsche Bühne as the most innovative project of the year. The political opera "l'Européenne" at the National Theatre of Lübeck in 2019 was acclaimed by Nachtkritik, then "Zwischen Zwei Stürmen" at the National Theatre of Dortmund was celebrated by the critics and nominated for the Berlin Theatertreffen in 2022.
In November 2022, his latest production 'Colonia on Eis' made a strong impression on the independent theatre scene in Cologne and was awarded the Kurt Hackenberg Prize for Political Theatre, consolidating his position as a visionary and controversial director.
With a rich and varied body of work, through his passion for intercultural narratives, Lionel continues to push the limits and explores the boundaries of storytelling.
