The cinema of Senegal is a relatively small film industry which experienced its prime from the 1960s through to the early 1980s, but has since declined to less than five feature films produced in the last ten years. Senegal is the capital of African cinema and the most important place of African film production after its independence from France in 1960.
Mambéty's feature-length debut, Touki Bouki (The Hyena's Journey) addresses themes of hybridity and social isolation in Senegal.
Sembène's Xala (1975) is a black comedy which satirizes corruption in African politics with El Hadji's impotence symbolizing the failure by many to overcome greed.
Sembène's 2004 film Moolaadé explores the controversial subject of Female circumcision in Africa
Cinema of Africa covers both the history and present of the making or screening of films on the African continent, and also refers to the persons involved in this form of audiovisual culture. It dates back to the early 20th century, when film reels were the primary cinematic technology in use. During the colonial era, African life was shown only by the work of white, colonial, Western filmmakers, who depicted Africans in a negative fashion, as exotic "others". As there are more than 50 countries with audiovisual traditions, there is no one single 'African cinema'. Both historically and culturally, there are major regional differences between North African and sub-Saharan cinemas, and between the cinemas of different countries.
Cinematic street poster in Tunis, Tunisia for the Egyptian film Saladin the Victorious (1963, Arabic: الناصر صلاح الدين, Al Nasser Salah Ad-Din) directed by Youssef Chahine starring Ahmed Mazhar as Saladin, Salah Zulfikar, Nadia Lutfi and others.
Egyptian filmmaker and actress Bahiga Hafez, (1908-1983) in 1930s.
A US poster for the movie The African Queen (1952) directed by John Huston starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
Senegalese film director, producer and write Ousmane Sembène (1923-2007) in Berlin, 1987.