In the 1980s, Senegalese cinema was brought to its knees. Austerity measures gutted funding, theatres closed, and filmmakers were left with little support. And yet—the stories didn’t stop.
In Part 2 of our Senegal series, we explore how cinema in Senegal endured through silence, adapted with digital tools, and re-emerged through new voices and platforms. From Sembène’s final masterpieces to Mati Diop’s historic Cannes debut, this is the story of resistance, rebirth, and reinvention.
🎬 We examine how Camp de Thiaroye and Guelwaar extended Ousmane Sembène’s cinematic resistance into a new political decade.
📽️ We look at Safi Faye’s lyrical Mossane and her ongoing commitment to rural Senegalese stories.
🎞️ We revisit Hyènes and La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s haunting final statements.
📺 We dive into the digital era—from YouTube series to streaming culture—and a new generation reclaiming the screen.
Films Mentioned
Camp de Thiaroye (1987)Sembène's dramatization of the 1944 Thiaroye massacre—unflinching in its critique of French colonialism and banned in France for years.
🎞 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094792/
Guelwaar (1992)
A provocative portrait of a political activist whose death sparks a conflict over religious identity, foreign aid, and national values.
🎞 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107060/
Selbé et tant d'autres (1983)
Safi Faye’s documentary chronicling the life of Selbé, a woman in rural Senegal who supports her family alone.
🎞 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1537275/
Mossane (1996)A coming-of-age story centered on a 14-year-old girl in a Serer village, blending beauty, tradition, and quiet rebellion.🎞 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113867/
Hyènes (1992)Mambéty’s surreal adaptation of Dürrenmatt’s The Visit, critiquing consumerism and the price of justice in a corrupt society.🎞 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104485/
La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil (1999)Mambéty’s final film—a short, luminous tale of a disabled girl who defies gender norms to become a newspaper seller in Dakar.🎞 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0201843/
Atlantics (2019)Directed by Mati Diop, this Cannes Grand Prix-winning film blends migration drama with supernatural love story, giving voice to the young and dispossessed in Dakar.🎞 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10403420/
Maîtresse d’un homme marié (2019– )A groundbreaking YouTube/Wolof-language series from Marodi TV exploring love, gender politics, and urban life in contemporary Senegal.🎞 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11247994/
Emerging Voices & Institutions
Mati Diop – First Black woman to compete at Cannes; creator of Atlantics
Angèle Diabang – Director of Congo, un médecin pour sauver les femmes and several short films on identity and womanhood
Moussa Touré – Known for La Pirogue (2012), focused on migration and human rights
Alassane Sy – Director of Marabout (2016) and advocate for queer and marginalized narratives
Kourtrajmé Dakar – Film school founded in 2022 to train a new generation of Senegalese filmmakers
Complexe Cinématographique Ousmane Sembène – Reopened in 2018 to restore cinema-going culture in Dakar
🎥 Emerging Voices & Institutions
