Sembene!
Synopsis
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-long battle to give the voice 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?
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The Filmmakers
Jason Silverman Writer, Director, Producer
Jason is an award-winning film producer (OLYMPIA, Opening Night film, SXSW; Closing Night film, Slamdance; Sundance Channel; SHAMELESS, Best Film, Great Plains Film Festival) and longtime festival director. He has produced large-scale events for the Smithsonian, the Lensic Center for the Arts and the Lannan Foundation, and is a frequent contributor to Wired magazine.
Samba Gadjigo Writer, Director, Producer
Samba is director of the documentary MAKING OF MOOLAADE and is the world’s foremost expert on the life and work of Ousmane Sembene. He is author of Sembene’s official biography, the first volume of which has been published in both French and English. He was born and raised in Senegal and, has taught in the African Studies and French departments at Mount Holyoke for 23 years, and has lectured widely throughout the world on African cinema.
Festivals & Awards
Sundance Film Festival
2015
Official Selection
Cannes International Film Festival
2015
Official Selection
Telluride Film Festival
2015
Official Selection
Luxor Film Festival
2016
Winner - Best Documentary
Emerge Film Festival
2016
Winner - Best Documentary
Reviews
“Quietly sweeps you away with subtlety and grace.”
-The Independent
“Endlessly fascinating... enormously moving”
-New York Magazine
“The very definition of a labor of love, and the final result shows it.”
-Vulture
“A crucial piece of cinematic history.”
-Huffington Post
“This richly crafted documentary serves as an enlightening tribute to the filmmaker who tapped into the medium's wide-reaching socio-political potential … makes a convincing case for cinema's ability to transcend mere storytelling.”
-LA Times