Assa Aïcha Sylla (born 3 June 1996) is a French actress and writer. She debuted in the film Girlhood (2014), which earned her César and Black Reel Award nominations. She has since starred in the French version of Skam (2018–2020), the Netflix series Mortel (2019), and the film The Last Mercenary (2021).
Assa Sylla | |
|---|---|
| Born | Assa Aïcha Sylla 3 June 1996 15th arrondissement, Paris, France |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2014–present |
Early life
editSylla was born in the 15th arrondissement of Paris south of the river to Soninke parents from Mauritania, her father a cleaner and her mother a stay-at-home mother, and grew up in the Barbès area of the 18th arrondissement north of the river.[1][2] She has three sisters and two brothers. She is Muslim.[3]
Sylla attended Lycée Edgar Quinet Filières Professionnelles. She was scouted at 17 by the Girlhood casting directors when she accompanied her friends to the auditions.[4] Then, she played the role of the Franco-Malian boxer Aya Cissoko in Danbé, la tête haute - portraying the boxer's teenage years. For this role, she took intensive boxing lessons whilst continuing to study for her baccalauréat professionnel.[5]
Bibliography
edit- "Raising Hope" in My Profession is Not Black by Aïssa Maïga (2018)[6]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Girlhood (French: Bande de filles) | Lady / Sophie | |
| 2016 | Verdon Secret | Clara | |
| 2016 | Na tout pour elle | Aminata | Short film |
| 2017 | Accidental Family | Young Woman | |
| 2017 | Lola Pater | Caroline | |
| 2017 | Chateau | Starting Woman | |
| 2018 | Blue Queen | Nina | Short film |
| 2019 | Plus jamais je ne t'aimerai | Assa | Short film |
| 2019 | Numéro 10 | Awa | Short film |
| 2021 | The Last Mercenary | Dalila | |
| 2022 | Umami | ||
| 2024 | Le Roi des ombres |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Danbé, Head Held High (French: Danbé, la tête haute) | 16-year-old Aya Cissoko | Television film[7] |
| 2014 | Spiral | Vanessa | 1 episode |
| 2014 | Falco | Jennifer | Episode: "À l'état brut"[8] |
| 2018–2020 | Skam France | Imane Bakhellal | Main role (seasons 1–5) Recurring role (season 6) |
| 2019 | Mortel | Nora Cissoko | Main role |
| 2021 | Regard noir | Herself | Documentary[9] |
| 2024 | Nonkels | Safa Ngogo | Season 2 |
Web
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Golden Moustache | Episode: "Le Nouveau Don Juan" |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | César Awards | Most Promising Actress | Girlhood | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance – Female | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ Kabeya, Nicky (19 April 2021). "ASSA SYLLA : L'actrice qui monte !". Roots (in French). Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Romney, Jonathan (26 April 2015). "The stars of Girlhood: 'Our poster is all over Paris, with four black faces on it…'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Tshidimba, Karin (4 April 2019). "Imane, jeune fille musulmane sans cliché au cœur de la saison 4 de Skam". La Libre Belgique (in French). Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Lassale, Julie (5 June 2019). "Assa Sylla, gouaille d'or". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Metreau, Joel (22 January 2015). "Assa Sylla, jeune espoir du cinéma français". www.20minutes.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ^ Gallois, Laurence (16 June 2019). "Assa Sylla (Skam) : "Imane, c'est le rôle dont je suis la plus fière"". Télé-Loisirs (in French). Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Metreau, Joel (22 January 2015). "«Danbé, la tête haute»: Assa Sylla fait son entrée sur le ring". 20 Minutes (in French). Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Muscarnera, Pascal (5 April 2019). "SKAM France : focus sur Assa Sylla / Imane, l'héroïne de la saison 4". AlloCiné (in French). Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Letertre, Marilyne (6 March 2021). "L'actrice Aïssa Maïga pose son "Regard noir" sur le cinéma". Madame Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
External links
edit- Assa Sylla at IMDb