Olivier Barlet was born in Paris in 1952. He has translated a number of books on Africa and of African authors, and is also the author of different books himself. He is a member of the Syndicat français de la critique de cinéma and has been a film correspondant for Africa international, Afrique-Asie and Continental, and now for Afriscope and Africultures. He is in charge of the Images plurielles collection on cinema for L'Harmattan Publishing House. His book entitled "Les Cinémas d'Afrique noire : le regard en question", which won the Prix Art et Essai 1997 from the Centre national de la Cinématographie, has been published in the collection and has been translated into English under the title "African Cinemas, Decolonizing the Gaze" (Zed Books, London, 2000), as well as into German and Italian. His last book, "Les Cinémas d'Afrique des années 2000  : perspectives critiques"  (L'Harmattan, Paris, 2012) is to be published in english (Contemporary African Cinema, Michigan State University Press, August 2016), arabic and spanish.
Olivier Barlet was 1997-2004 chief editor of Africultures, an African cultural journal that features a paper edition and a website (www.africultures.com) and is now in charge of the internet development. He has also written numerous articles on African film for Africultures and in various journals, and has been a member of the African Federation of film critics (www.africine.org) through the french Afrimages association.