'

Sembene!

Play trailer

Sembene!

2015

1h 22m

Biography

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, an African freedom fighter, uses stories as weapons.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

A useful and entertaining overview of Sembne's life and career

Feb 13, 2017

Full Review

Phil Hoad

Guardian

Majors in the Senegalese's trailblazing; most notably the fact that he was responsible for the first film shot by a black African.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 6, 2016

Full Review

Michael Rechtshaffen

Los Angeles Times

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.

Nov 26, 2015

Full Review

Tori Brazier

One Room With A View

The material is fascinating, particularly with Sembène the first African to make a film in Africa for an African audience.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 19, 2019

Full Review

Bernard Boo

Way Too Indie

Sembene! is too dry and formal to be lovable, but it makes its point emphatically, paying tribute to a filmmaker whose pugnaciousness was both a gift and a curse.

Rated: 6.5/10

Feb 28, 2019

Full Review

Diane Carson

KDHX (St. Louis)

Interweaving animation, clips from feature films, photographs and archival footage, the film traces Sembene's amazing journey from WWII to international recognition as the "father of African film."

Aug 29, 2017

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Samba Gadjigo

Director

Jason Silverman

Director

Ousmane Sembene

Actor

Mbissine Thérèse Diop

Actor

Samba Gadjigo

Screenwriter

Jason Silverman

Screenwriter

Endless Poetry

94%

80%

Endless Poetry

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Endless Poetry

Guantanamo's Child: Omar Khadr

100%

%

Guantanamo's Child: Omar Khadr

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Guantanamo's Child: Omar Khadr

Requiem for the American Dream

92%

84%

Requiem for the American Dream

Watchlist

Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth

88%

%

Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth

Simone: Woman of the Century

71%

73%

Simone: Woman of the Century

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Simone: Woman of the Century

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, an African freedom fighter, uses stories as weapons.

Director: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman
Producer: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman
Screenwriter: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman
Production Co: Galle Ceddo Projects
Genre: Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.1K
Runtime: 1h 22m

Most Popular at Home Now