The cinema of Guinea-Bissau arose along with the country's independence. Since the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence, film in the country has remained an underfunded state-controlled industry.[1] The earliest filmmaking in the country was influenced by Amílcar Cabral's views on propaganda, and consisted of documentation of the war of independence. Although the war was documented by foreign filmmakers, Cabral arranged for the education of four young Bissau-Guineans in Cuba in film technique. Early Bissau-Guinean films were produced by this group, and consisted of propaganda documentaries about the revolutionary struggle, although much of their footage is now lost.
Filmmaking in the country after independence suffered due to a lack of governmental support and funds, although the Instituto Nacional de Cinema was founded during this time. The 1980 coup d'état also interrupted film production in the country. Guinea-Bissau's first feature films were produced in 1987, though by 1995 the country had only produced a few feature films. Guinea-Bissau's films continue to rely heavily on foreign co-productions and collaborations.[2]