"Sembene’s social realist tableaux are tempered by his empathy and a hushed intimacy suffuses his work. A heady mix of social comedy and melodrama." –Vibe
"A sunny, minimalist soap opera. Offers both an introduction and a postscript to Sembene’s work." — Village Voice
"Faat Kine marks a milestone in its director's relentless struggle to create restorative images of Africa and to promote a new film language... A folktale masterfully oscillating between past, present and future." – Samba Gadjigo
Wednesday, April 1, 6:00 p.m. | Faat Kiné is a successful gas station owner and single mother in Dakar who raised two children after being abandoned by both their fathers during her youth. As her children prepare for their baccalaureate exams, various men pursue Kiné, including a dignified older gentleman. Sembène celebrates modern African women's economic independence and sexual agency while critiquing patriarchal hypocrisy and religious conservatism. Through vibrant colors and comedic tone, the film portrays Kiné navigating bourgeois Senegalese society, managing her business empire, and confronting past lovers who reappear seeking forgiveness or money. This feminist comedy champions women's solidarity—Kiné's mother and women friends provide crucial support—while examining how contemporary Senegalese women forge autonomy despite traditional pressures.
*This film has been sourced from educational and archival distributors, reflecting the long-standing material and political constraints that have shaped the preservation and circulation of African cinema; as a result, image quality may fall short of contemporary exhibition standards, a condition that itself speaks to the uneven histories of access, distribution, and valuation that filmmakers such as Ousmane Sembène have long critiqued.
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