Ramadan Suleman, director, writer and producer, born in 1955 in Kings Rest Bluff, near Durban, South Africa studied at the School for Research in African Theatre and was one of the founding members of the Dhlomo Theatre, a first black theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa. After studying in Paris, then at the London International Film School, he worked as assistant director with two of Africa’s legendary filmmakers – Med Hondo on Lumière Noire, and Souleymane Cisse on Yeelen. His short film The Devils Children (89) won a certificate of merit at the Chicago Film Festival. In 1997, he directed his first feature Fools, which won the Leopard d’Argent at the Locarno International Film Festival and the European prize at FESPACO in Ouagadougou. His second feature Zulu Love Letter (2004) won several awards internationally.
In 2009, Suleman released Zwelidumile a feature length documentary at the Durban International Film Festival and also launched – Zulu Love Letter – the Screenplay, published by Wits Press, which he co-authored. His latest project as producer is Noire Ici, Blanche La-Bas a documentary by Claude Haffner and Beyond the Picket Line a first feature by Lentswe Serote. Since 2014 to 2017, Suleman has produced 32 short films by first time directors. In 2019, Suleman directed and produced By All Means Necessary a documentary co-production with the Algerian Ministry of Culture. Ramadan was awarded Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France in 2013.