Black Girl (re-release)
- Directed by
- Ousmane Sembene
- Starring
- Mbissine Thérèse Diop, Anne-Marie Jelinek, Robert Fontaine
- Duration
- 65 min.
- Year
- 1966
- Language
- French
Diouana, a young woman from Senegal, leaves for the south of France to work as a nanny for a wealthy family. She dreams of a new, cosmopolitan life in France, but is mistreated and forced into the role of a maid, which makes her increasingly aware of her suffocating situation and in doubt of whether there’s a place for her in France at all.
In restored classic Black Girl (1966), director Ousmane Sembène shows how colonial racism lurks beneath the charm of France. Images of Diouana’s current situation are alternated with flashbacks of her former life in Senegal.
Black Girl at the Cineville Preview Days
One of the very first West African films, Black Girl is an absolute must-see for every film fan. With minimal means and a single perspective, and in only 65 minutes, director Ousmane Sembène succeeds in painting a powerful picture of post-colonial relations in 1960s France. In 1966, the film marked a historic turning point at the Cannes Film Festival as the first feature film by a Sub-Saharan director to receive international recognition, putting decolonial cinema firmly on the global map.
