Sembene Ousmane dies at 84

African cinema lost a major figure June 9 with the death of Sembene Ousmane. Widely acknowledged as the father of Senegalese cinema, Ousmane directed his first feature in 1966, La Noire de…, based on one of his short stories. He made ten more films, some in his native Wolof; his last film, Moolaadé, won the Un Certain Regard award and a Special Mention at Cannes. Ousmane was 84.