Safi Faye
Encyclopedia
Safi Faye is a Senegal
ese film director
and ethnologist
. She was the first Sub-Saharan Africa
n woman to direct a commercially distributed feature film. She has directed several documentary and fiction films focussing on rural life in Senegal.
, Senegal to a Serer
family. Her parents were from Fad'jal, a village south of Dakar. She attended the Normal School in Rufisque
and receiving her teaching certificate in 1962 or 1963, began teaching in Dakar.
In 1966 she went to the Dakar Festival of Negro Arts and met French ethnologist and filmmaker Jean Rouch
. He encouraged her to use film making as an ethnographic tool. She had an acting role in his 1971 film Petit à petit. Faye has said that she dislikes Rouch's film but that working with him enabled her to learn about filmmaking and cinéma-vérité. In the 1970s she studied ethnology at the École pratique des hautes études
and then at the Lumière Film School. She supported herself by working as a model
, an actor
and in film sound effects. In 1979, she received a PhD
in ethnology from the University of Paris
. From 1979–1980, Faye studied video production in Berlin
and was a guest lecturer at the Free University of Berlin
. She received a further degree in ethnology from the Sorbonne
in 1988.
(The Passerby), drawn from her experiences as a foreign woman in Paris. It follows a woman (Faye) walking down a street and noticing the reactions of men nearby. Faye's first feature film
was Kaddu Beykat
which means The Voice of the Peasant in Wolof
and was known internationally as Letter from My Village or News from My Village. She obtained financial backing for Kaddu Beykat from the French Ministry of Cooperation. Released in 1975, it was the first feature film to be made by a Sub-Saharan African woman to be commercially distributed and gained international recognition for Faye. On its release it was banned in Senegal. In 1976 it won the FIPRESCI
Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics (tied with Chhatrabhang) and the OCIC
Award.
Faye's 1983 documentary film Selbé: One Among Many follows a 39 year-old woman called Sélbe who works to support her eight children since her husband has left their village to look for work. Selbé regularly converses with Faye, who remains off-screen, and describes her relationship with her husband and daily life in the village.
Faye's films are better known in Europe
than in her native Africa as a result of them rarely being shown in Africa.
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and ethnologist
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
. She was the first Sub-Saharan Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n woman to direct a commercially distributed feature film. She has directed several documentary and fiction films focussing on rural life in Senegal.
Early life and education
Safi Faye was born in 1943 in DakarDakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, Senegal to a Serer
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
family. Her parents were from Fad'jal, a village south of Dakar. She attended the Normal School in Rufisque
Rufisque
Rufisque is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula. It has a population of 179,797 . In the past it was an important port city in its own right, but is now a suburb of Dakar....
and receiving her teaching certificate in 1962 or 1963, began teaching in Dakar.
In 1966 she went to the Dakar Festival of Negro Arts and met French ethnologist and filmmaker Jean Rouch
Jean Rouch
Jean Rouch was a French filmmaker and anthropologist.He is considered to be one of the founders of the cinéma vérité in France, which shared the aesthetics of the direct cinema spearheaded by Richard Leacock, D.A. Pennebaker and Albert and David Maysles...
. He encouraged her to use film making as an ethnographic tool. She had an acting role in his 1971 film Petit à petit. Faye has said that she dislikes Rouch's film but that working with him enabled her to learn about filmmaking and cinéma-vérité. In the 1970s she studied ethnology at the École pratique des hautes études
École pratique des hautes études
The École pratique des hautes études is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions....
and then at the Lumière Film School. She supported herself by working as a model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and in film sound effects. In 1979, she received a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in ethnology from the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. From 1979–1980, Faye studied video production in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and was a guest lecturer at the Free University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
. She received a further degree in ethnology from the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in 1988.
Film career
Faye's first film, which she also acted in, was a 1972 short called La PassanteLa Passante
La Passante , is a French drama film from 1951, directed by Henri Calef, written by Henri Calef, starring Henri Vidal and Louis de Funès. The scenario is based on the novel "La Femme sans passé" of Serge Groussard...
(The Passerby), drawn from her experiences as a foreign woman in Paris. It follows a woman (Faye) walking down a street and noticing the reactions of men nearby. Faye's first feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
was Kaddu Beykat
Kaddu Beykat
Kaddu Beykat is a 1975 Senegalese film directed by Safi Faye. It was the first feature film made by a Sub-Saharan African woman to be commercially distributed and brought international recognition for its director...
which means The Voice of the Peasant in Wolof
Wolof language
Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger–Congo language family...
and was known internationally as Letter from My Village or News from My Village. She obtained financial backing for Kaddu Beykat from the French Ministry of Cooperation. Released in 1975, it was the first feature film to be made by a Sub-Saharan African woman to be commercially distributed and gained international recognition for Faye. On its release it was banned in Senegal. In 1976 it won the FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
Prize from the International Federation of Film Critics (tied with Chhatrabhang) and the OCIC
SIGNIS
SIGNIS is a Roman Catholic lay ecclesial movement for professionals in the communication media, including radio, television, cinema, video, media education, Internet and new technology. It is a non-profit organization with representation from over 140 countries...
Award.
Faye's 1983 documentary film Selbé: One Among Many follows a 39 year-old woman called Sélbe who works to support her eight children since her husband has left their village to look for work. Selbé regularly converses with Faye, who remains off-screen, and describes her relationship with her husband and daily life in the village.
Faye's films are better known in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
than in her native Africa as a result of them rarely being shown in Africa.
Filmography
- 1972: La Passante (The Passerby)
- 1975: Kaddu BeykatKaddu BeykatKaddu Beykat is a 1975 Senegalese film directed by Safi Faye. It was the first feature film made by a Sub-Saharan African woman to be commercially distributed and brought international recognition for its director...
(Letter from My Village) - 1979: Fad'jal (Come and work)
- 1979: Goob na nu (The harvest is in)
- 1980: Man Sa Yay (I, Your Mother)
- 1981: Les âmes au soleil (Souls under the Sun)
- 1983: Selbe: One Among Many (or Selbe and So Many Others)
- 1983: 3 ans 5 mois (Three years five months)
- 1985: Racines noires (Black Roots)
- 1985: Elsie Haas, femme peintre et cinéaste d'Haiti (Elsie Haas, Haitian Woman Painter and Filmmaker)
- 1989: Tesito
- 1996: MossaneMossaneMossane is a 1996 Senegalese drama film directed by Safi Faye. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival...