Issaka Sawadogo

Born in the West African nation of Burkina Faso, Issaka was drawn to music and theatre at an early age, becoming a professional actor in 1987. His connection to Norway came about when he played the lead role in a theatre production of "Peer Gynt." The production was invited to the Ibsen Festival in Oslo, Norway and left such an impression that he was invited to participate in another Scandinavian production. His next big break came when director Nicolas Provost contacted him about taking the lead in a short film he was interested in doing on the immigrant experience in Europe. That film, "Exoticore" (2004), got Issaka noticed by several other directors and led to being cast as Rahne in the Belgian film "Sounds of Sand" (2006). Between feature films, Issaka kept busy with a recurring role in the Norwegian soap opera "Hotel Caesar" (2003-09). Issaka reunited with Provost for a second short, "Induction" (2006), before starring in the writer-director's feature "The Invader" (2011). Before "The Invader" had even hit the screens, Issaka was working on another feature, this time for Flemish director Kaat Beels."Hotel Swooni" (2011) took place primarily in Africa, centered on the relationship of a father and son. Around this time Issaka returned to Burkina Faso and, using his background as a theatre and acting teacher for the National Theatre of Norway, co-founded an educational and cultural center for street children. With the success of the center, Issaka returned to acting with the lead role in Canadian director Frederick Pelletier's "Diego Star" (2013), in which he played an Africa sailor stranded in a small rural Quebec village.