“Fifty-one years after its initial release, this seminal film remains hauntingly relevant.” Allison N. Conner, Bitch Media
“There are few endings in all of cinema as powerful and rich as this—brimming with tragic wisdom and latent meaning, with finality and promise, with humor and pain.” – Jonathan Rosenbaum
“The first sub-Saharan film to make a major impact in Europe and North America, BLACK GIRL radiates with an expressive tone, despite some script compression and the typical production obstacles of a mid-60s independent film.” – The Guardian
Wednesday, January 28, 6:00 p.m. & Sunday, February 1, 12:00 p.m. | Diouana, a young Senegalese woman, moves from Dakar to Antibes to work for a French couple who previously employed her in Senegal. Expecting to care for children and see France, she instead finds herself trapped as an isolated domestic servant, forbidden from leaving the apartment. Through flashbacks contrasting her initial excitement with increasing alienation, Sembène depicts the psychological violence of neocolonial relationships. The white couple treats Diouana as an exotic object while denying her humanity. Her employers' casual racism and her profound isolation lead to tragic consequences. This pioneering work—the first feature by a sub-Saharan African director—uses stark cinematography and the haunting presence of an African mask to examine racial exploitation and the false promises of colonial modernity.
Awards & Nominations
Winner (BLACK GIRL) - Prix Jean Vigo, Feature Film
African Cinema: From Independence to Now Lecture Series | January 28–May 17, 2026
This film series explores 65 years of African cinema, from anti-colonial resistance to digital reinvention. Through 14 films from across the continent, African filmmakers reimagine the medium as a tool for decolonization, self-representation, and artistic innovation, connecting the political with the poetic. Presented in collaboration with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Art History, Theory, and Criticism department. Lecturer: Delinda Collier, Professor of Art History. Synopses by Delinda Collier. Select titles offered with encores; encores do not include lecture.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu