PAULIN SOUMANOU VIEYRA & AFRIQUE SUR SEINE: THE GENESIS OF AFRICAN CINEMA.
AFRIQUE SUR SEINE is commonly presented as the first African movie ever made by Africans themselves. The person to thank for that is Paulin Soumanou Vieyra, one of the pioneers of African cinema.
Paulin Soumanou Vieyra was born in 1925 in Benin but moved to Senegal at the age of 10. He later went on to go study in France, where he got the opportunity to learn filmmaking. Paulin was a mentor and collaborator to other filmmakers as well, such as the legendary Ousmane Sembène, Djibril Diop Mambéty, and Ababacar Samb Makharam.
Paulin was a historian, critic, and director. He's the first African to graduate from the Institut of High Study in Cinematography in France.
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The movie Afrique sure seine was shot in 1955, making it the first film ever shot by francophone Africans. The film is a black-and-white narrative motion that depicts the life of African students in Paris. their encounters and the nostalgia they felt far from their native land.
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The movie was filmed in Paris and not in any African countries because Africans were prevented from filming in colonies at that time, which was the status of many west African countries. Nevertheless, AFRIQUE SUR SEINE started a new wave of new African filmmakers and will forever be the starter of African cinema.
AFRIQUE SUR SEINE
DIRECTOR: PAULIN SOUMANOU VIEYRA, MAMADOU SARR
Genre: Short film
COUNTRY/YEAR: SENEGAL/FRANCE/1955
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SYNOPSIS: The film recounts the life of African students in Paris, their encounters, and the nostalgia they felt far from their native land.