Black Girl is a 1966 Senegalese film written and directed by Ousmane Sembene, following a young Senegalese woman who travels to the French Riviera to work as a nanny for a French family, only to find herself confined to their apartment and treated as a live-in maid rather than the caretaker she was promised to be. Told partly through her interior narration, the film builds a quiet, devastating account of colonial era racism and isolation that culminates in tragedy. It is widely regarded as the first feature film made by a sub-Saharan African director to receive major international recognition, and a foundational work of African cinema.
Facts
Classification
AwardTanit d'Or (Carthage Film Festival) 1 Release Year Connections
Created By
Source Black Girl (1966 film), Wikipedia
In Medium
Source Black Girl (1966 film), Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Senegal, originated there.
- Also in Language Atlas: French, original language there.
Sources
1. Black Girl (1966 film), Wikipedia
Lead, first sentence, year
is a 1966 drama film, written and directed by Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène in his feature directorial debut.
Lead, first sentence, country
is a 1966 drama film, written and directed by Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène in his feature directorial debut.
Wikipedia Awards section (jean-vigo), checked 2026-09-27
1966, Prix Jean Vigo for best feature film
Wikipedia Awards section (tanit-dor), checked 2026-09-27
1966, Tanit d'Or, Carthage Film Festival
In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
Black Girl (French: La noire de..., lit. 'Black girl of...') is a 1966 drama film, written and directed by Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène in his feature directorial debut.
Created By: Ousmane Sembène, Article lead sentence
Black Girl (French: La noire de..., lit. 'Black girl of...') is a 1966 drama film, written and directed by Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène in his feature directorial debut.
View the SourceFrequently Asked Questions
Was Black Girl the feature directorial debut of Ousmane Sembene?
Yes, it was Sembene's first feature as writer and director.
Black Girl marked Ousmane Sembene's feature directorial debut. Sembene had already worked as a novelist and had made short films in Senegal, but Black Girl, released in 1966, was his first full length feature as writer and director, and it became a foundational work of African cinema.
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