Ousmane Sembene is a writer, filmmaker, born in Ziguinchor, Senegal. His passion for African literature led him to write novels. At the age of 40, he studied film in Moscow with Mac and Sergei Donskoy Gherassimov and after 3 years he made short films. he directed his first feature film "La noire de" in 1966.

Sembène followed this success with the 1968 Mandabi, achieving his dream of producing a film in his native Wolof. Later Wolof-language films include Xala (1975, based on his own novel), Ceddo (1977), Camp de Thiaroye (1987), and Guelwaar (1992). The Senegalese release of Ceddo was heavily censored.

However, Sembène distributed fliers at theaters describing the censored scenes and released it uncut for the international market.
His final film, the 2004 feature Moolaadé, won awards at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and the FESPACO Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Ousmane Sembène died on June 9, 2007, at the age of 84. He had been ill since December 2006, and died at his home in Dakar, Senegal

Filmography

• Mooladé, 2004
• Faat-Kiné, 2000
• Heroisme au Quotidien, 1999
• Guelwaar, 1992
• Camp de Thiaroye, 1987
• Ceddo, 1977
• Xala, 1975
• L'Afrique aux olympiades, Basket africain aux J.O de Munich RFA, 1972
• Emitaï, 1971
• Taaw, 1970
• Les dérives du chômage, 1969
• Traumatisme de la femme face à la polygamie, 1969
• Mandabi, 1968
• La noire de, 1966
• L'empire songhay, 1963
• Borom Sarret, 1962