Screening of Sembene! 2015. (89 min.)

The Plot

In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a dockworker and fifth-grade dropout from Senegal, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. SEMBENE! tells the unbelievable true story of the father of African cinema, the self- taught novelist and filmmaker who fought, against enormous odds, a 50-year battle to return African stories to Africans. SEMBENE! is told through the experiences of the man who knew him best, colleague and biographer Samba Gadjigo, using rare archival footage and more than 100 hours of exclusive materials. A true-life epic, SEMBENE! follows an ordinary man who transforms himself into a fearless spokesperson for the marginalized, becoming a hero to millions. After a startling fall from grace, can Sembene reinvent himself once more?

• Age Rating General (12 and under)
• Running time 01:29:26 mins
• Hosted By: Black History Month Committee at New College of Florida

The Experience For You

The film focuses on the life of Senegalese filmmaker Ousame Sembème, the father of African cinema and tells the story of the self-taught novelist and filmmaker based on Samba Gadjigo’s biography of Sembène. Directed by Samba Gadjigo and Jason Silverman. 

Dr. Wendy Sutherland will introduce this film. The film will be available on demand after the initial screening. 

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