Event

FFFEST: Mossane

DIRECTOR: SAFI FAYE

Introduction by Vilna Bashi Treitler, Chair of the Department of Black Studies UCSB

Conversation with Manouchka Labouba, Gabonese Filmmaker and USC Doctoral Fellow in Cinema and Media Studies & Professor Jude Akudinobi, Lecturer at Department of Black Studies UCSB

Winner of Cannes' Un Certain Regard, Mossane is a film about a beautiful 14-year-old girl from a rural Serer village, beloved by many including her own brother, and Fara, a poor university student. Although she has long been promised in marriage to the wealthy Diogaye, Mossane defies her parents wishes and pursues a relationship with Fara. Safi Faye's gorgeous, powerful film begins from a detailed observation of contemporary village life, and unfolds with the mounting force of an ancient drama. The film shows the strength of a younger generation as they resist archaic traditions, and revels in their courage and their wish for emancipation. Faye is the first sub-Saharan African woman to direct a feature film and is recognized as one of Sub-Saharan Africas most prominent directors.

Safi Faye is one of the most influential African filmmakers whose work is greatly inspired by her studies as an ethnologist, treading the line of documentary and fiction. She began her career in film as an actress appearing in Jean Rouchs 1970 Petit à Petit. She began directing films in 1972 with her short, La Passante. Her feature debut, Kaddu Beykat (1975) was the first commercially distributed film directed by a woman from Sub-Saharan Africa. She has made several films including Mossane, which won Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 1996. Before becoming a filmmaker she was a school teacher in Dakar. She has an undergraduate degree in Ethnology from the Sorbonne, and a PhD in Ethnology from the Paris Diderot University.

Please arrive at least 10 minutes early as screenings & panels will start on time.

FFFEST (Female Filmmakers Festival) is a 3-day screening and talk series celebrating women filmmakers taking place in LA October 12-14, 2018 at The Downtown Independent, founded by
Passerbuys and Women & Film.

www.fffest.org @fffest__ #FFFEST