celeb-db日本語
Photo of Ousmane Sembène

Photo: Günter Prust / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Ousmane Sembène

センベーヌ・ウスマン / せんべーぬ・うすまん

Film director from Senegal

January 1, 1923 – June 9, 2007 ・ Ziguinchor, Ziguinchor Department, Senegal

  • Ziguinchor Department
  • film director
  • film producer
  • actor

My Take

Ousmane Sembène earns the title "father of African cinema" in full, and I find his career genuinely moving. A Senegalese filmmaker who trained in Moscow, he chose to tell his own people's stories in their own languages, confronting colonial wounds and entrenched custom in films like Black Girl, Xala and Moolaadé. His was never escapist work; it was cinema with a conscience. The honors he gathered, from the Legion of Honour to the Carrosse d'or, only confirm what the films already prove. To me, no one better embodies the dignity of a people authoring their own narrative on screen.

Overview

Ousmane Sembène (French: [usman sɑ̃bɛn]; 1 January 1923 or 8 January 1923 – 9 June 2007), was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer. The Los Angeles Times considered him one of the greatest authors of Africa and he has often been called the "father of African film".

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English)
Ousmane Sembène
Name (Japanese)
センベーヌ・ウスマン
Reading
せんべーぬ・うすまん
Born
January 1, 1923 – June 9, 2007
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
Capricorn / Boar
Origin
Ziguinchor, Ziguinchor Department, Senegal
Blood type
Private
Height
Private
Agency
Private
Occupation
film director / film producer / actor / playwright / screenwriter

2. Background

Elementary school
Private
Junior high
Private
High school
Private
University
Private

Awards & achievements

  • 2006 Officer of the Legion of Honour
  • 2005 Carrosse d'or
  • 1966 Prix Jean Vigo
  • 2004 Un Certain Regard
  • 1997 Grand prix littéraire en poésie d'Afrique noire
  • 1966 Tanit d'or

3. Relationships

Spouse
Private
Children
Private
Parents
Private
Siblings
Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

5. Works & records

CategoryTitleRoleYear
Notable workGod's Bits of Wood
Notable workBlack Girl
Notable workMandabi
Notable workXala
Notable workCeddo
Notable workMoolaadé

Film director — see all → · Film producer — see all → · More people from Senegal →

7. About this entry

Tags

  • Ziguinchor Department
  • film director
  • film producer
  • actor
Last updated
2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.