Jean-Marie Teno was born in 1954, in Famleng, Cameroon. He studied communication in Paris and graduated from the University of Valenciennes in 1984 with a degree in filmmaking. Teno has worked as a film critic for Buana Magazine and an editor at France 3. In 1984, he made his short film Hommage, which was very well received. His other films, documentaries and fiction include Schubbah (1984), Hommage (1985), La gifle et la caresse (1986), Bikutsu Water Blues (1988), Mister Foot (1991), Afrique, je te plumerai (1992), Yellow Fever Taximan (1985), Head in the Clouds (1995), and Gypsy Cab (1996).