“Is France that black hole?”
★★★
We invite you to a double screening of Black Girl (1966), the groundbreaking debut by
Ousmane Sembène - widely regarded as the father of African cinema and Beutset (2023) a
radical short from emerging filmmaker Alicia Mendy.
Released in 1966, Black Girl is a haunting and deeply human portrait of postcolonialism, identity,
and displacement. Sembène’s quietly radical film follows a young Senegalese woman navigating
isolation and racism after moving to France for work and opportunity. With its stark poetic
realism and unflinching social critique, Black Girl remains a landmark in world cinema and a
defining moment in African storytelling on screen.
Following Black Girl, we will screen Beutset (2023), a bold short film by Alicia Mendy. Set in a
near-future Dakar where a parasite has contaminated the city’s water, Beutset tells the story of
Alioune, a young man who can no longer afford the pills that suppress the parasite’s symptoms.
As madness sets in, he instead experiences a radical clarity, embarking on a journey of political
and spiritual awakening.
★★★
Doors Open at 6:30PM