Cinema of Senegal

De cinema of Senegal (French: Cinéma du Sénégal) be small film industry wey get ein best time from 1960s to early 1980s, buh now e dey decline, as dem no produce reach five feature films for de last ten years. Senegal be de capital of African cinema, and de most important place wey dem dey produce African film, after dem get independence from France for 1960.

Cinema of Senegal

cinema by country or region

Facet give	cinema
Country	Senegal
Ein location	Senegal

Film icon for Senegal

Cinematic ein history

Early films: 1955–1969

De first Senegalese film, wey be Paulin Vieyra ein Afrique-sur-Seine, dem produce am for 1955. Vieyra go follow up plus more short films like Afrique à Moscou (1957), Le Niger aujourd’hui (1958), Les présidents Senghor et Modibo Keita, Avec les Africaines à Vienne den "Présence Africaine" à Rome (1959), den Indépendance du Cameroun, Togo, Congo, Madagascar (1960), wey be documentary about how dese countries get dema independence.

But e no be until Senegal get independence dat de industry start to grow. Writer Ousmane Sembène cam turn one of de top directors for de country during dis time, by turning many of ein short stories into films. Ein dey worry about how to change society, wey he dey see film as way to reach more people. For 1963, Sembène produce ein first film, 20-minute short call Barom Sarret (The Wagoner). People dey consider dis film as de first film ever dem make insyd Africa by Black African, wey e show how people still dey suffer for Senegal after dem get independence, thru de daily life of cab driver.

For 1964, Sembène make anoda short film call Niaye. For 1966, he produce ein first feature film, den Senegal ein first feature film too, La Noire de..., wey be based on one of ein own short stories: wey e sanso cam turn de first feature film wey sub-Saharan African director ever release. Though e no reach one hour, de French film win am Prix Jean Vigo, wey bring attention from all over de world to film industry for Senegal den African cinema. Sembène follow dis success plus Mandabi for 1968, wey achieve ein goal of making film for ein native language Wolof.

1970s: "The Golden Years"

For 1970s, de film industry grow. For 1971, Sembène make film insyd Diola den French, Emitaï. Director Djibril Diop Mambéty release many films during dis time wey get deep meaning den show de reality of society. Like many of ein colleagues, Djibril Diop Mambéty use film to talk about politics den society for Africa, den like Sembène, ein films no be normal, dem be surrealist, fast-fast, plus stories wey show de real life of people.

Mambéty use ein films talk about de hard things den contradictions for de new society wey dey come up for Senegal, den how different cultures dey mix. Ein first film, short one dem bell Contras City (1968), show how de big city Dakar get some fancy buildings, buh some areas dey very poor. For 1970, Mambéty release anoda short film, Badou Boy, wey sanso dey look at Senegal ein capital plus eye wey no dey fear, wey dey show one person wey no dey follow rules, den one policeman wey dey follow am, wey dem dey do some funny things wey no dey possible.

Mambéty ein first big film, Touki Bouki (The Hyena's Journey) for 1973, wey people say be ein best film to show how different cultures mix den how people dey isolate for Senegal, dem make am plus small money, $30,000, den ironically, de Senegalese government help fund am. De film show two lovers, Mory den Anta, wey dey dream of running away from Dakar to France, wey dem think be heaven, wey dis represent how tings dey change for Senegal den how dem dey enter new era. Sheila Petty, one scholar for African Studies, talk about Mambéty ein work for Senegalese film during dis time, say "unlike other African filmmakers for late 1960s den early 1970s wey dey focus on African values versus foreign culture, Mambéty try to show de real life wey diverse".

De film industry start to dey move fast for 1975, plus de release of some big films, like Kaddu Beykat, wey Safi Faye direct, den Xala, wey Sembène sanso direct, den New Yorker Films fund am. Xala be black comedy film, wey tell de story of El Hadji, one politician for Senegal, wey no fit get erection, from de day he marry ein third wife. De film use satire to talk about how corrupt African politics be, since dem get independence, plus El Hadji ein impotence wey dey show how many governments fail to overcome greed den selfishness. E follow dis film plus Ceddo (1977), one film wey get plenty censorship for Senegal because of de tings dem dey talk about for insyd.

Safi Faye, wey first come out for 1972 plus ein short film La Passante (The Passerby), wey she sanso act for insyd, get encouragement from French man Jean Rouch, wey be expert for culture den film, to use film making as way to show culture. He persuade am make she go school for film production. She go study culture at École pratique des hautes études den then at Lumière Film School wey she find money to make films by working as model, actor den insyd film sound effects. She get PhD insyd culture from University of Paris for 1979 wey she immediately start dey study video production for Berlin. She get money from French Ministry of Cooperation to make Kaddu Beykat wey e cam turn de first big film wey Sub-Saharan African woman make, wey dem dey sell for market wey e get recognition from all over de world. Dem ban am as dem release am for Senegal insyd. For 1976, Kaddu Beykat win two important awards: FIPRESCI Prize from International Federation of Film Critics den OCIC Award. After dat, Safi Faye release two more films, Fad'jal den Goob na nu for 1979.

Also for 1970s, one journalist man, Ben Diogaye Bèye, start to dey make short films for Senegal. Ein first film, Les Princes Noirs de Saint Germain-des-Près, wey he release for 1972, be ein most popular one. De film be joke on one young African man wey no get work, dey try to live life differently for Paris, de capital of France. Ein second film, Samba Tali, na dem release am insyd early 1975. De film win Best Short Film Prize for Festival International du Film de l'Ensemble Francophone for Geneva for 1975, wey e sanso win for Carthage Festival for 1976.

1980s to present: the decline for film production

By 1980, Senegal dey produce five big films every year den plenty short films. Bèye go produce den direct ein first big film, Sey, Seyti, for 1980, wey be film wey dey criticize polygamy for Senegal. De film come second for Best Screenplay Prize for one contest wey Agency for Technical plus Cultural Cooperation organize for all Francophone countries. De film get special mention for Locarno Film Festival wey e sanso win Prix de la Coplusne for Pan-African Film Festivals for 1980 den 1981, respectively.

Safi Faye continue direct film for 1980s, plus Man Sa Yay for 1980 den Les âmes au soleil for 1981. For 1983, Faye direct one documentary film, Selbé: One Among Many, wey follow 39-year-old woman, Sélbe, wey dey work hard to take care of her eight children since her husband leave their village go find work. Selbé dey talk regular plus Safi Faye, wey no dey show face for screen, wey she dey tell am about ein marriage life plus ein husby den how she dey live for de village every day.

Even though Safi Faye continue direct films for 1980s, plus films like Racines noires den Elsie Haas, femme peintre et cinéaste d'Haiti for 1985 den Tesito for 1989, ein films, wey often cause controversy for Senegal, dem show am for Europe buh dem no show am for Senegal anaa Africa. After 1983, Senegalese film industry start decline, partly secof dem no get money for Senegal. Some directors like Sembene get money to continue make films, like Camp de Thiaroye (1987) den Guelwaar (1992) buh Senegal no get resources den money to make film industry grow den reach e full potential. Even today, many people wey know about film production, especially for Dakar, no get resources. Any films wey dem produce since den, dem mostly use foreign money to make am den dem show am for international film festivals instead of for Senegal.

Sembène go continue direct plenty feature films, buh secof American film companies like New Yorker Films per dey invest for ein films. For 2000, he direct Faat Kiné, wey give important eye-open for modern Senegal after dem get independence den how women dey live for dat society. De film talk about pregnancy outsyd marriage den adultery, den sanso dey look at how middle class den poor people dey live different lives, plus some people dey get rich den odas poor, den how people dey struggle plus old den new ways for Senegal.

Sembène direct ein last film for 2004, Moolaadé, wey win awards for Cannes Film Festival den FESPACO Film Festival for Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. De film, wey happen for small village for Burkina Faso, talk about female genital mutilation, wey be big controversy.

Valerio Truffa be anoda big film director for Senegal. He sanso be de head of film schools for Bénin den Madagascar, den odas. Amadou Tidiane Niagane be de person wey dey in charge of cinematography for Senegal Ministry of Culture for 2007.

Notable film directors

• Ben Diogaye Beye
• Alassane Diago
• Ababacar Samb Makharam
• Djibril Diop Mambéty
• Safi Faye
• Ousmane Sembène
• Khady Sylla
• Mahama Johnson Traoré
• Paulin Soumanou Vieyra
• Mansour Sora Wade
• Moussa Sene Absa
• Alain Gomis

Notable films

• Afrique-sur-Seine (1955)
• Borom Sarret (1963)
• Niaye (1964)
• La Noire de...(1966)
• Mandabi (1968)
• Contras City (1968)
• Badou Boy (1970)
• Touki Bouki (1973)
• Xala (1974)
• Ceddo (1977)
• Jom or the History of a people (1982)
• Camp de Thiaroye (1988)
• Guelwaar (1992)
• Faat Kiné (2000)
• Moolaadé (2004)
• Les Feux de Mansaré (2009)
• Yoolé (2011)
• La Pirogue (2012)
• Tey (2012)
• Des Étoiles (2013)
• Félicité (2017)
• Tirailleurs (2022)

Sana spy

• Media of Senegal
• Cinema of the world
• Cinema of Africa

References

Bibliography

• Şaul, Mahir "Art, Politics and Commerce in Francophone African Cinema," in Mahir Şaul and Ralph Austen, eds. Viewing African Cinema in the Twenty-First Century: Art Films and the Nollywood Video Revolution, pp. 133–159. Ohio University Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8214-1931-1
• Schmidt, Nancy J. (1999). "Sub-Saharan African Woman Filmmakers". In Harrow, Kenneth W. (ed.). African Cinema: Postcolonial and Feminist Readings. Africa World Press. ISBN 978-0-86543-697-8.
•  Thackway, Melissa (2003). Africa Shoots Back: Alternative Perspectives in Sub-Saharan Francophone. James Currey Publishers. pp. 151–155. ISBN 0-85255-576-8.
•  Ukadike, Nwachukwu Frank; Teshome H. Gabriel (2002). Questioning African Cinema: Conversations with Filmmakers. University of Minnesota Press. pp. 29–40. ISBN 0-8166-4004-1.
• Christopher, Michael (2011). "A Bustrip to Postcoloniality: On the road with the TGV-Express". In: manycinemas 2/2011, pp. 68–81. Online at manycinemas.org Archived 2021-10-01 at the Wayback Machine.