Who gets to tell a story? And who gets to see themselves reflected on screen?

Sixty years after its release, Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl (La Noire de…, 1966) remains one of the defining works of African cinema. Restored in 4K and re-released by Odyssey Classics for its anniversary, Sembène’s groundbreaking debut follows Diouana, a young Senegalese woman who travels to France believing she’s beginning a new life, only to find herself trapped within the lingering structures of colonial power.

Filmmaker Kiriko Mechanicus is joined by filmmaker and archivist Djeneba Saccoh to discuss why Black Girl still feels so vital today. Together they unpack the quiet resistance woven through the film—from Diouana’s inner monologue to the carved mask that passes between worlds.

From there, Kiriko and Djeneba trace the film’s influence through Mati Diop’s Dahomey to Souleymane Cissé’s Den Muso, exploring how filmmakers across generations have continued to grapple with questions of representation, power and who gets to tell their own story.

New to Ousmane Sembène? We recommend listening to our companion interview with his son, Alain Sembène, in which producer Elliot Bloom explores the life, philosophy and legacy of the filmmaker often described as the father of African cinema.

Get tickets to Black Girl @ LAB111

Get tickets to Cine Of The Times: No Country For Old Men⁠ @ LAB111

Some filmmakers don’t just make great films, they change who cinema is for.

60 years ago, Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl (La Noire de…) announced a new cinematic voice to the world. Through the story of a young Senegalese woman working for a French family, Sembène exposed the brutal realities of colonialism while proving that African stories could—and should—be told on their own terms.

To mark the film’s 60th anniversary, producer Elliot Bloom speaks with Alain Sembène, the filmmaker’s son, about the remarkable life and philosophy behind one of cinema’s true pioneers.

Together, they discuss why Sembène turned from literature to filmmaking, why he believed cinema could become “the people’s night school,” and how he dedicated his career to challenging audiences to question the systems that shape their lives.

Get tickets to Black Girl @ LAB111

Get tickets to ⁠Cine Of The Times: No Country For Old Men⁠ @ LAB111

A LAB111 production. Edited and produced by Elliot Bloom, co-produced by Laura Gommans. Music by Hugo Emmerzael. Artwork by Studio FFF.