Cinema as an engine of transformation: Ousmane Sembène at 100
Railway, dock and factory worker, military conscript, labour organiser in Senegal, Marseille and Paris, novelist and, of course, filmmaker – Ousmane Sembène was larger than life.
This Sembène retrospective, featuring a number of restored works, offers a rare opportunity to see a rich filmography that spans 40 years, from the 1960s when many African nations became independent, to his final film before his death in 2007. Sembène belonged to the first generation of African filmmakers to engage with the medium. Prior to 1960, the Laval Decree prevented the colonised from filming.
Sembène saw cinema as an engine of transformation – a ‘night school’ for the exploited masses. His militant films were a mordant critique of neo-colonialism and the complicity of African middle classes. Merging influences from Soviet cinema, Italian neorealism and African oral traditions, he created visual feasts characterised by non-professional actors, epic elements and an exquisite use of satire.
Chrystel Oloukoï, critic and curator
African Odysseys: Sembène! + panel discussion
A comprehensive portrait of Senegalese polymath Ousmane Sembène who helped transform African cinema.
Black Girl + Niaye
Included in Sight & Sound’s 2022 poll of the greatest films of all time, a timeless and influential classic of African cinema.
Black Girl + Niaye + pre-recorded intro by season programmer Chrystel Oloukoï
Included in Sight & Sound’s 2022 poll of the greatest films of all time, a timeless and influential classic of African cinema.
Mandabi + Tauw
A deceptively simple story of a man’s life turned upside down by money, told with sharp humour and insight.
Emitaï
A scathing critique of imperialism which lays bare its hypocrisies, Emitai follow the Diola tribe’s resistance in the face of French rule.
Emitaï + pre-recorded intro by season programmer Chrystel Oloukoï
A scathing critique of imperialism which lays bare its hypocrisies, Emitai follow the Diola tribe’s resistance in the face of French rule.
Xala + Borom Sarret
Senegal’s new ruling class are sharply satirised in this tale of a corrupt businessman facing humiliation.
Ceddo
Controversial for its portrayal of religious conflict, this ambitious film examines the fight to preserve tradition in the face of encroaching powers.
Ceddo + intro
Controversial for its portrayal of religious conflict, this ambitious film examines the fight to preserve tradition in the face of encroaching powers.
Camp de Thiaroye
A sinister tale of oppression and powerful indictment of colonialism, bringing to light a long-hidden atrocity.
Guelwaar
Posing difficult questions with deceptive simplicity, this visual feast tells the story of a funeral gone awry.
Faat Kiné
The uplifting story of a forward thinking and ambitious single mother managing a gas station, told with humour and hope.
Mooladé
Politics and fury meet humour and humanity, as four young girls hide from the threat of mutilation with the help of a protection spell.
Mooladé + intro
Politics and fury meet humour and humanity, as four young girls hide from the threat of mutilation with the help of a protection spell.
Programme : https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=ousmanesembene