Directed by: Ousmane Sembène
Having blazed a trail for African filmmakers to tell their own stories on-screen, Senegalese auteur Ousmane Sembène pushed his lifelong project—to use cinema as a vehicle for social change—into even more urgent and provocative territory in the 1970s.
Searing critiques of colonialism, political corruption, patriarchal arrogance, and religious indoctrination, his three features from this decade— the radical call to resistance Emitaï, the wickedly subversive satire Xala, and the controversial historical epic Ceddo—confirm his standing as a fearless truth-teller who wields the camera as a weapon against oppression in all its forms.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
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New 4K Digital Restorations |
New 4K digital restorations of Emitaï, Xala, and Ceddo, each presented with uncompressed monaural soundtracks. |
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New Conversation |
New conversation between Mahen Bonetti, founder and executive director of the African Film Festival, and writer Amy Sall on Sembène’s legacy and the political power of these films. |
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The Making of “Ceddo” (1981) |
1981 documentary by Paulin Soumanou Vieyra exploring the production of Ceddo and the historical and cultural questions it raises. |
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New English Subtitle Translations |
Newly prepared English subtitle translations for all three films. |
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Booklet Essay |
Printed booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Yasmina Price, offering insight into Sembène’s revolutionary cinema and this crucial period of his work. |