Senegalese director Moussa Sene Absa is set to lead an engaging masterclass at CINÉMA AFRICAIN! Don’t miss the chance to learn from the visionary behind XALÉ, which will be showcased as the festival's opening film. Moussa Sene Absa is one of Africa’s most celebrated filmmakers. Gain insights into his filmmaking journey, his creative process, and his experiences working in both African and international cinema. A rare opportunity to learn from a master of the craft, offering valuable inspiration for filmmakers and film lovers alike.

THURSDAY 24. OCTOBER 2024 | 10H
KUNSTUNIVERSITÄT
Domgasse 1, Zeitbasiertes Wohnzimmer,  4th floor, Room N° DO0458
Free Entry!

MASTERCLASS
with Moussa Sene Absa

Moussa Sene Absa was born in 1958 in Tableau Ferraille, a suburb of Dakar. A multi-faceted artist, painter, writer, musician, actor and theatre director, Moussa Sène Absa got his start in the cinema by writing the screenplay for the film Les enfants de Dieu, followed by the short film Le Prix du Mensonge, which won an award at Carthage in 1988. He made his stage debut as an actor, then moved on to directing plays such as La légende de Ruba, which he also wrote. His screenplay Les Enfants de Dieu won an award at the Fort-de-France Francophone Film Festival, and his first feature film, the short Le Prix du mensonge, won him the Tanit d'argent at the Carthage Film Festival in 1988. In 1991, he made a feature film in 16mm, KEN BUGUL, followed by several short films, Jaaraama, Set setal and Entre vos mains in 1992. The following year, he directed MOLAAN and OFFRANDE À MAME NJARE, followed by the feature film ÇA TWISTE À POPONGUINE, which won several international awards. In 1994, he made a medium-length film, Yalla Yaana, followed in 1996 by TABLEAU FERRAILLE, a 35mm feature that won several awards, including Best Cinematography (Bertrand Chatry) at FESPACO 97. For Productions de La Lanterne, he directed the documentaries Jëf-Jël (1998) and Blues pour une diva (1999). In 2002, he directed Madame Brouette, a film in ‘homage to the affirmation of women’. In this film, music and song are omnipresent, but the chorus, which intervenes in the manner of Griots, is there to challenge us and remind us in an incantatory way that the destiny of an individual is often the fruit of his past. While preparing MADAME BROUETTE, he produced a daily comedy series, Goorgorlu, for Télévision du Sénégal, which proved an unqualified hit with viewers. His talent as a painter has also been recognised, and his work has been exhibited in Senegal, Europe and America.

His films include:

Le Prix du mensonge, 1988, fiction, Tanit d'Argent - Carthage 

Ken Bugul, la République des enfants, 1991, fiction

Jaaraama, 1992, documentary

Ça twiste à Popenguine, 1993, feature film

Yalla Yaana, 1994, drama

Tableau Ferraille, 1996, drama

Jef-Jel, 1998, documentary

Blues pour une diva, 1999, documentary

Madame Brouette, 2003, drama, Silver Bear -  Berlinale 

Teranga blues, 2006, fiction, in competition at Fespaco 2007.

Yoolé, Le Sacrifice -2012 in competition at Fespaco 2013

L'Affaire SEYE, 2016, documentary

XALÉ, 2022, feature film