Black Girl (film)
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| Black Girl | |
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 DVD Cover |
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| Directed by | Ousmane Sembène |
| Produced by | André Zwoboda |
| Written by | Ousmane Sembène |
| Starring | Mbissine Thérèse Diop, Anne-Marie Jelinek and Robert Fontaine |
| Cinematography | Christian Lacoste |
| Editing by | André Gaudier |
| Distributed by | New Yorker Video |
| Running time | 65 min |
| Country |  France /  Senegal |
| Language | French |
| IMDb profile | |
Black Girl (La Noire de...) is a 1966 film directed by Ousmane Sembène. The film is often considered the first Sub-Saharan African film by an African filmmaker to receive international attention.[1]
The film is based on Sembène's own writing. Though he previously directed two shorts: Borom Saret and Niaye, Black Girl was his first feature-length film. [2]
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[edit] Plot
The film centers around Diouana (Mbissine Thérèse Diop), a young Senegalese woman who works as a nanny for a rich French couple (Anne-Marie Jelinek and Robert Fontaine) in Dakar, Senegal. The couple moves from Dakar to the town of Antibes in the Côte d'Azur, and bring Diouana with them. Diouana hopes to continue her job as nanny, and looks forward to a cosmopolitan lifestyle in France. However, upon arrival in Antibes, the couple begins to treat Diouana more harshly and she is forced to work in the capacity of a servant instead of a nanny. Diouana does not speak the French language very well, though she understands it, and becomes acutely aware of her constrained and alienated situation.
[edit] Themes
This film addresses the effects of colonialism, racism and post-colonial identity in Africa and Europe. These themes are highlighted through the recurring appearance of an African mask, which is given to her employers by Diouana on her first day of work at the house in Dakar. The mask is hung on the wall in the French couple's Senegalese apartment, along with other pieces of African art. The mask also travels with Diouana to France, where it hangs alone on the wall.
[edit] Awards
- 1966, Prix Jean Vigo for best feature film
[edit] References
- ^ Weiler, A. H. "2 From Senegal:Feature and Short Are at the New Yorker" New York Times, January 13, 1969[1]
- ^ Nowell-Smith, Geoffrey (1996). The Oxford History of World Cinema. ISBN 0-19-874242-8.
