Meet Ayekoro Kossou – Jury 2024

Ayekoro Kossou, born in 1972 in Benin, left his homeland at the age of three to settle with his family in Senegal. In 1987, he moved to France, where he completed his studies and began to build his career.

Holder of a master’s degree in electronics and computer science from Pierre and Marie Curie University, obtained in 1998, Ayekoro began his career as a computer scientist. However, his growing interest in cinema led him to diversify his skills. In 2009, he trained at the École Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle (ESRA) in scriptwriting and production.

This passion for the seventh art materialized in 2011 with the production of his first documentary short film, A Step Towards Relief. Two years later, he directed Open Heart, a fiction film that was well received at several international festivals.

In 2012, Ayekoro Kossou founded the Un Court Tournable festival, a platform dedicated to discovering and promoting new talent. This event is distinguished by its commitment to fostering connections between emerging cinematic productions and established professionals, thereby contributing to the vitality of the short film landscape.

Today, Ayekoro is responsible for the streaming and video-on-demand (VoD) infrastructure that ensures the official broadcasts of UNESCO meetings, as well as screenings in the organization’s cinema. This role allows him to leverage his technical skills and passion for cinema in the service of a leading international institution.