Ousmane Sembène
Ousmane Sembène (1923–2007) was a Senegalese director, screenwriter, and novelist regarded as the father of African cinema south of the Sahara. A self-educated former dockworker and trade union activist, he turned to filmmaking in his forties to reach audiences who did not read his French-language novels. His features were among the first made by an African director from inside the continent, and he addressed colonial inheritance, religion, and the position of women in Senegalese society with patient, political clarity. His acclaimed films include Black Girl, Mandabi, Xala, Ceddo, Camp de Thiaroye, and Moolaadé.