Sembene!
{{Infobox film
| name = Sembene!
| image = Sembene poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Film poster
| director = {{ubl|Samba Gadjigo|Jason Silverman}}
| producer =
| writer =
| narrator =
| music =
| cinematography =
| editing =
| production_companies = {{ubl|Galle Ceddo Projects|Impact Partners|New Mexico Media Partners|SNE Partners|with major support from|The Ford Foundation/JustFilms|The Sundance Institute|Cinereach|Francophonie}}
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|2015|01|23|Sundance Film Festival}}
| runtime = 88 minutes
| country =
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| budget =
| gross =
}}
Sembene! is a 2015 documentary film focusing on the life of Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène, who is considered to be the father of African cinema. It is co-directed by Samba Gadjigo and Jason Silverman. The film's world premiere took place at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2015.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/sembene-bought-by-kino-lorber-1201497684/|title='Sembene!' Bought by Kino Lorber - Variety|author=Dave McNary|work=Variety}} It also played at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2015/05/sembne-movie-deal-ousmane-sembene-documentary-kino-lorber-1201427710/|title='Sembene!', Docu About African Film Icon, Acquired By Kino Lorber – Cannes - Deadline|author=Patrick Hipes|work=Deadline}}
Synopsis
Sembene! tells the story of the self-taught novelist and filmmaker Ousmane Sembène, provided by Gadjigo, who wrote Sembene's biography. Sembène transitioned from a laborer into a powerful spokesman for Africa.{{cite web|url=http://www.sembenefilm.com/story/|title=Story|work=SEMBENE!}}
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 23 critics' reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sembene_2015/|title=Sembene!|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango Media|access-date=April 22, 2024}}
Bilge Ebiri of Vulture included the film in a top ten list of films released in 2015, describing it as "a testament not just to the love of movies, but also to the power of movies."{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/12/bilge-ebiris-top-10-movies-of-2015.html/|title=Bilge Ebiri's Top 10 Movies of 2015|last=Ebiri|first=Bilge|date=December 15, 2015|website=Vulture|access-date=December 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328065655/https://www.vulture.com/2015/12/bilge-ebiris-top-10-movies-of-2015.html|archive-date=March 28, 2023|url-status=dead}} Chaz Ebert, writing for RogerEbert.com, listed the film as her eighth favorite of the year, writing that "I could actually feel the director's passion for his filmmaking, and his respect for the people he filmed."{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/chazs-blog/listening-with-my-heart-16-movies-to-remember/|title=Listening With My Heart: 16 Movies to Remember|last=Ebert|first=Chaz|author-link=Chaz Ebert|date=November 12, 2015|website=RogerEbert.com|access-date=April 22, 2024}}
References
{{reflist}}
Category:Documentary films about the cinema of Africa
Category:2015 documentary films
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