X
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 29 m
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 29 m

Summary In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a dockworker and fifth-grade dropout from Senegal, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. Sembene! tells the unbelievable true story of the father of African cinema, the self- taught novelist and filmmaker who fought, against enormous odds, a 50-year battle to return Afri...

Directed By: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman

Written By: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman

  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 29 m
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 1 h 29 m

Sembene!

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 8 Critic Reviews
68
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Where to Watch

Summary In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a dockworker and fifth-grade dropout from Senegal, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. Sembene! tells the unbelievable true story of the father of African cinema, the self- taught novelist and filmmaker who fought, against enormous odds, a 50-year battle to return Afri...

Directed By: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman

Written By: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 8 Critic Reviews
68
88% Positive
7 Reviews
13% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 8 Critic Reviews
68
88% Positive
7 Reviews
13% Mixed
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Nov 28, 2015
A richly crafted documentary that serves as an enlightening tribute to the filmmaker who masterfully tapped into the medium's wide-reaching socio-political potential.
By Michael Rechtshaffen FULL REVIEW
75
Nov 19, 2015
For a filmmaker who believed in giving Africans their own voice, it seems appropriate to offer such an unvarnished portrait.
FULL REVIEW
75
Nov 12, 2015
Sembene! is most illuminating when it is simply showing us clips from the director's features and behind-the-scenes or "making of" footage, with very little in the way of verbal setup, and then letting them play out.
By Matt Zoller Seitz FULL REVIEW
70
Nov 3, 2015
Jason Silverman and Samba Gadjigo's heartfelt doc is rich in footage and access.
By Alan Scherstuhl FULL REVIEW
70
Nov 2, 2015
Academic in its approach but very informative as well as surprising in the degree to which it addresses the man's foibles and ethical shortcomings, the film turns a welcome spotlight on a resourceful and singular artist who was forced to do everything from scratch in the absence of any local industry infrastructure.
By Todd McCarthy FULL REVIEW
63
Nov 2, 2015
The film unfolds as a kind, politically soft offering of what lies beneath both Sembène's films and the man himself.
By Clayton Dillard FULL REVIEW
60
Nov 6, 2015
Mr. Sembène was an inspiration; as a film, Sembène! is something less than that, petering out as it goes on, but at least offering a fair-minded tribute to a master.
By Nicolas Rapold FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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Details

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Production Company Galle Ceddo Projects
Release Date Nov 6, 2015
Duration 1 h 29 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Website https://www.facebook.com/SembeneFilm
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Awards

Cannes Film Festival
• 2 Nominations
Luxor African Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Emerge Film Festival, Maine, US
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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