Screening Dates: Thursday, April 30, 2026, 8:00 PM / Saturday, June 6, 2026, 6:30 PM / Thursday, June 25, 2026, 8:00 PM 

Director: Ousmane Sembène
Screenplay: Ousmane Sembène
Cast: Mbissine Thérèse Diop, Anne-Marie Jelinek, Momar Nar Sene, Robert Fontaine

Senegal, France / 1966 / 59 min. / Black and White / DCP / French / With Turkish and English Subtitles

Black Girl, the debut film by Ousmane Sembène—one of the groundbreaking directors of 20th-century cinema—tells the story of Diouana, who comes from Senegal to France to work in the home of a wealthy family, and whose life gradually transforms into a prison in every sense. Considered one of the masterpieces of postcolonial cinema, the film reinforces the protagonist’s sense of alienation through its cinematographic techniques and editing choices, while also offering a profound critique of the colonial mentality that permeates modern life. Winner of the Jean Vigo Award, which honors independent spirit and originality, Black Girl ranks among the most significant films of the 1960s.

* To be screened in a 4K restored version.

** Restored by the Cineteca di Bologna / L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in collaboration with Sembène Estate, the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (INA), Éclair laboratories, and the Centre National de la Cinématographie. The restoration was funded by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project initiative.