"It is good to be at Cannes, but I wish Africa would create something of its own. We should not be eternal guests. It is up to us to create our own values. To recognize them and to carry them throughout the world." —Sembene! (2015)
Clips from Caméra d'Afrique + Sembene! (2015)
It is with profound sadness that I share news of Souleymane Cissé passing today, February 19, 2025, in Bamako, Mali, at age 84.
In the pantheon of African cinema, few figures loom as large as Souleymane Cissé. Often hailed as “Africa’s greatest living filmmaker” (he’s 84), he remains one of the few surviving post-colonial pioneers, with a career that has shaped the continent’s cinematic landscape with influential films like “Yeelen.” His continued involvement in film culture, advocacy for African cinema, and mentorship of emerging filmmakers further solidify his status.
Taxi ‘تاکسی’ (2015) dir. Jafar Panahi
Sugar Cane Alley (1983 🇲🇶). dir. Euzhan Palcy
Set in Martinique in the 1930s, José, a young boy living in a rural part of Martinique, lives with his grandmother, Ma’Tine, who works in the sugar cane fields where they are browbeaten and badly paid by the white boss. It is based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Joseph Zobel of the same name, or, alternatively titled Black Shack Alley.
