Ousmane Sembène (Senegal/1965)

Sembène’s debut feature made a profound impression at international film festivals in 1966 and, in fact, many historians date the evolution of African cinema from this point. It’s the tale of a Senegalese maid taken to the Riviera by her employers, whereupon she begins to realize that she is nothing more than property to them. Shot in a simple, freewheeling style reminiscent of the early New Wave, it tells a direct, bitter, unambiguous story of exile and despair. Also: Borom Sarret (1964), a brilliant short portrait of a day in the life of a cart driver in Dakar. (80 min. total)