Born in N'Djamena, Chad, in 1961, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun studied cinema before turning to journalism. In 1994, he returned to film and directed the award-winning short, Maral Tanié. Afer two documentaries, including Sotigui Kouyaté, un griot moderne, about the famous actor from Burkina Faso, he made his first feature in 1999: Bye Bye Africa, which won prizes in several international festivals.