Ousmane Sembène, the Father of African Cinema

Ousmane Sembène, the father of African cinema, is one of the key directors of the 20th century and yet his works - still relevant today - remain unknown to many. The Sembène season at the Bernie Grant Centre will help plug this gap in public knowledge.

Sembène, born in Senegal in 1923, was both a film director and a writer, whose novels were written in French. His directorial career ran from 1963 until 2004 and his final film addressed the subject of female genital mutilation. He has been described as "a well rounded intellectual and an exceptionally cultured humanist...an informed social critic [who] provided the world with an alternative knowledge of Africa."

Films in the Sembène season at the
Bernie Grant Arts Centre

3 Mar, 25 Mar & 25 Mar 2017 - 4pm & 7:30pm

Sembene!

Sembene!, a feature-length doc, tells the unbelievable true story of Ousmane Sembène, the self-taught novelist and filmmaker who become the father of African cinema.

10 Mar 2017 - 7:30pm

Black Girl

Sembène' first major film, released in 1966, is widely recognized as one of the founding works of African cinema. A young Senegalese woman is employed as a governess for a French family in Dakar. When offered the chance to move to France, she accepts with excitement – before discovering that her new life is not all it was made out to be. A subtle but striking examination of racial and cultural prejudice and a crucial work in the history of African and Francophone cinema.

17 Mar 2017 - 7:30pm

Ceddo

A community fights back against the onslaught of Islam and Christianity and the depredations of the slave trade. When the local king, Demba War, sides with the Muslim forces, local villagers resist by kidnapping his daughter, Dior Yacine. This film was banned for many years in Senegal due to its explosive depiction of religious conflict.

24 Mar 2017 - 7:30pm

Camp de Thiaroye

This explosive war drama was banned in France and censored in Senegal for its depiction of a 1944 massacre. In the dying days of the Second World War, Senegalese troops stationed outside Dakar rebel against colonial authorities in protest over poor conditions and lack of pay. This dramatic recreation of what happens next has been hailed as “a powerful indictment of colonialism.”

31 Mar 2017 - 7:30pm

Moolaadé

Among the most recent films, Moolaadé is concerned with female genital mutilation and brings to life the clash of age-old customs and shifting values,

This programme is presented by the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in partnership with Aya Distribution with the support from the BFI awarding funds from the National Lottery.

Fuller information is available on the Bernie Grant Centre's website.

News, comment and features