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Ousmane Sembène

File:Ousmane_Sembène_(1987)_by_Guenter_Prust.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Ousmane Sembène

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Also known as Ousmane Sembene, Father of African Cinema, Sembene Ousmane

Senegalese film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author (1923–2007)

OverviewAI-generated

Ousmane Sembène (1923–2007) was a Senegalese film director, producer, actor, and playwright. Born in Ziguinchor, he served in the Senegalese Tirailleurs during World War II and was a member of the French Communist Party. He studied at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography and worked primarily in Senegal. His notable films include *Black Girl*, *Mandabi*, *Xala*, and *Ceddo*.

Sembène received several awards, including the Officer of the Legion of Honour, Carrosse d'or, Prix Jean Vigo, and Un Certain Regard. He was nominated for the European Film Award for Best Non-European Film and participated in the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou. His works are held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. He spoke French and Wolof. Sembène died in Dakar and was buried in Yoff.

Synthesized by Vinony from 39 facts across 8 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Wikiquote, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born
1923
Died
2007
Works
53

Top works

  • L'harmattan
  • Ô pays, mon beau peupl!
  • Le docker noir
  • Voltaïque
  • The money-order ; with, White genesis

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Ziguinchor, Casamance, Senegal

Ousmane Sembène (January 1, 1923 — June 9, 2007), often credited in the French style as Sembène Ousmane in articles and reference works, was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer. The Los Angeles Times considered him one of the greatest authors of Africa and he has often been called the "Father of African film."

Known for

  • Marseille après la guerre2023
  • Sembene! — Himself (archive footage)2015
  • Tahar Chériaa: A l'Ombre du Baobab — Self2014
  • O Sembene! — Self2013
  • Sembène: The Making of African Cinema — Self1994
  • Behind the Scenes: The Making of Ceddo — Himself1981
  • Ceddo — A Ceddo / Ibrahima (uncredited)1978
  • Mandabi — Public Writer at the Post Office (uncredited)1968
  • Black Girl — The Teacher (uncredited)1966

via TMDB

Key facts

Born
( 1923-01-01 ) 1 January 1923, Ziguinchor , Casamance , French West Africa , (now Senegal)
Died
9 June 2007 (2007-06-09) (aged 84), Dakar , Senegal
Occupation
Film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, author
Language
Wolof , French
Years active
1956–2003
Notable works
Borom Sarret (1963) Black Girl (1966) Mandabi (1968)
Allegiance
Free France
Branch
French Liberation Army Senegalese Tirailleurs
Service years
1944-46
Conflicts
World War II Liberation of France

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Gender
male
Citizenship
Senegal
Place of birth
Ziguinchor
Place of death
Dakar
Occupation
prose writer
Political party
French Communist Party
Languages spoken
Wolof
Notable work
Borom Sarret
Conflict
World War II
Military branch
Senegalese Tirailleurs
Image
Ousmane Sembène (1987) by Guenter Prust.jpg
Work location
Senegal
Show 6 more facts
date of birth
1923-01-01
date of death
2007-06-09
has works in the collection
Museum of Modern Art
place of burial
Yoff
Commons category
Ousmane Sembène
Sources (15)

via Wikidata · CC0

~19 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Ousmane Sembène ( French: [usman sɑ̃bɛn]; 1 January 1923 or 8 January 1923 – 9 June 2007), was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer. The Los Angeles Times considered him one of the greatest authors of Africa and he has often been called the "father of African film".

He was often credited for his work in the French style as Sembène Ousmane, which he seemed to favor as a way to underscore the "colonial imposition" of this naming ritual and subvert it.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ousmane Sembène” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (2)