Sydney Film Festival Ousmane Sembène: A revolutionary with a camera

Black girl (59 min) is the true story of a young Senegalese girl who moves to France to work as a nanny, but is soon treated as a slave. Sembène’s first feature film took him, and African cinema, to international acclaim. It is followed by Borom Sarret (18 min), Sembène’s debut film, which is often hailed as one of the most significant short films ever made – and one that paved the way for African cinema.

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival 1968 and considered the first feature-length film in an African language, this is regarded as one of Sembène’s most significant works.

Set in Sembène’s home territory of Casamance, this is a deceptively simple story of resistance and rebellion chronicling historical oppression by the French in West Africa.

This brilliantly funny satire set in post-colonial Senegal displays Sembène’s scepticism about his country’s new dawn after independence from France.

An historical epic, Ceddo (117 min) remains Sembène’s most controversial film, strongly indicting both Islam and Christianity and showcasing the traditional African religion that came before them. It is followed by Tauw (24 min), one of Sembène’s early short films, which tells the story of two brothers in the generation after independence.

A mysterious death triggers familial and societal tension. This razor-sharp satirical drama demonstrates Sembène’s dexterity in crafting richly human stories within deeply complex social discussions.

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice 1988, this uncompromising historical epic tells the story of Senegalese WWII veterans who were betrayed under French colonial rule. Based on true events.

Moolaadé (124 min) is an impassioned, uplifting and rousing story about one courageous mother who fights against the practice of genital mutilation. It is followed by Niaye (29 min), a short film about a 13-year-old girl from a small village whose pregnancy scandalises her community, which was adapted from Sembène’s own novel White genesis.