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Ousmane Sembène: A Revolutionary with a Camera

See a retrospective of films by groundbreaking Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène at the Sydney Film Festival.

One of the most influential filmmakers of all time, Ousmane Sembène, will have his films screened at Sydney Film Festival this June in a stunning retrospective series.

Often regarded as “the father of African cinema” and the creator of the first ever African-language feature film, Sembène ushered in a new wave of African cinema. Sincere, empowering, and visually spectacular, he captured the everyday lives of Senegalese people whilst sharply critiquing the legacy of colonialism in his country.

A huge influence on the filmmakers of today, including Martin Scorsese, Sembène changed world cinema forever. With these films rarely screened, and seldom streamed, this is your only chance to experience his seminal filmography.

Tickets and package ON SALE NOW below. All films screen at the Art Gallery of NSW on Saturdays, Sunday and Mondays during the Festival.

Or buy a Flexipass and redeem up to four tickets per session to films from Ousmane Sembène: A Revolutionary with a Camera today! Your Flexipass can be used to book tickets to any of the 200+ films screening at the Sydney Film Festival. The full program will announced on May 8.

Presented by Sydney Film Festival in association with ACMI

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Who is Ousmane Sembène?
Introduction by Keith Shiri
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Explore the films

Black Girl

Feature 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.

Borom Sarret

Short Film Borom Sarret (SFF 2015) is Ousmane Sembène’s debut film, often hailed as one of the most significant short films ever made – and one that paved the way for African cinema.

Camp De Thiaroye

Feature 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.

Ceddo

Feature Historical epic Ceddo (SFF 1978) remains Ousmane Sembène’s most controversial film, strongly indicting both Islam and Christianity and showcasing the traditional African religion that came before them.

EmitaÏ

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

Guelwaar

Feature 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.

Mandabi

Feature Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival 1968 and considered the first feature-length film in an African language, Mandabi (SFF 2021) is regarded as one of Sembène’s most significant works.

Moolaadé

Feature An impassioned, uplifting and rousing story about one courageous mother who fights against the practice of genital mutilation.

Niaye

Short Film Adopted from Sembène’s own novel White Genesis, Niaye is a short film about a 13-year-old girl from a small village whose pregnancy scandalizes her community.

The Outrun

Feature Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn, Little Women) is terrific as a recovering addict in this moving adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s 2017 bestseller set in Scotland’s Orkney Islands. Sundance and Berlinale selected.

Tauw

Short Film One of Sembène’s early short films, Tauw tells the story of two brothers in the generation after independence.

Xala

Feature Xala (SFF 1976) is a brilliantly funny satire set in post-colonial Senegal, displaying Sembène’s scepticism about his country’s new dawn after independence from France.

Retrospective package

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See all the films in 'Ousmane Sembène: A Revolutionary with a Camera' and save up to $9.50 per session.
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