Mandabi is a 1968 film written and directed by Ousmane Sembène, based on Sembène's novel "The Money Order".
Set in Dakar, Mandabi tells the story of Ibrahim (Makhouredia Gueye) and the transformative effect that a 25,000 franc money order from his nephew in Paris has on his fortunes. Word quickly travels about his new found wealth, while a thousand bureaucratic obstacles stand in the path between him and his money.
A superb character study, Mandabi is also a sharp satire on post-independence African nations and the shadow cast by colonialism.
Winner of the Grand Jury prize at the Venice Film Festival, Sembène’s adaptation of his own novella set a new course for African cinema: radical, anti-colonial and proudly independent in its methods.
Seen as the first feature ever made in an African language, Mandabi fulfilled director Ousmane Sembène's dream "to restore Africa’s stories to Africans."
This stunning new 4K restoration now brings it to the rest of the world.
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