ISIS (Institut Superieur de l'Image et du Son)
A West African film school in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, training filmmakers from across Francophone Africa in a country with one of the continent's strongest cinematic traditions.
Overview
The Institut Superieur de l'Image et du Son (ISIS) is a film and audiovisual school in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The school occupies a unique position in African cinema education, located in the city that hosts FESPACO (Festival Panafricain du Cinema et de la Television de Ouagadougou), the largest and most important film festival on the African continent.
Burkina Faso has one of the most vibrant cinematic traditions in West Africa, a legacy built by pioneering filmmakers like Idrissa Ouedraogo and Gaston Kabore, who demonstrated that African filmmaking could achieve international recognition while remaining rooted in local stories and aesthetics. ISIS trains the next generation of filmmakers within this tradition, providing technical and creative education to students from Burkina Faso and neighboring Francophone countries.
The school offers programs in film production, sound, and multimedia, with a curriculum that addresses the specific realities of filmmaking in the African context: limited budgets, resourceful production methods, and stories that draw on the rich oral and visual traditions of the continent.
Programs Offered
- BTS in Audiovisual Production -- a two-year program covering directing, camera, editing, and production
- BTS in Sound Engineering -- production and post-production audio
- BTS in Multimedia -- digital media and content creation
- Short professional development courses -- intensive workshops in specific disciplines
What Students Should Know
ISIS teaches in French, reflecting Burkina Faso's status as a Francophone country. The school attracts students from across West and Central Africa, creating a pan-African cohort that reflects the diversity of the continent's filmmaking traditions.
Tuition at ISIS is affordable relative to international alternatives, though it represents a significant investment in the Burkinabe economic context. The school offers some scholarships and financial assistance, and international cultural organizations occasionally fund student places.
The school's proximity to FESPACO is a genuine asset. Students access the festival's screenings, industry events, and networking opportunities, connecting with filmmakers, distributors, and funding bodies from across Africa and the international community. FESPACO's importance to African cinema cannot be overstated, and studying in its host city provides unique exposure to the continent's film industry.
Graduates of ISIS work across West African film and television production, contributing to a growing industry that is increasingly recognized on the international stage. The rise of Nollywood in Nigeria and the growth of production across Francophone Africa create expanding opportunities for trained filmmakers.
Notable Alumni
ISIS alumni work in film and television production across Francophone West Africa. The school's graduates contribute to the growing pan-African film industry and participate in FESPACO and other continental film events.
See Also
For understanding African cinema and distribution markets, see International Film Markets. To plan your production budget, use the Production Budget Calculator.
