4K Restoration Of Ousmane Sembène’s MANDABI Will Be Available For The First Time In UK Cinemas And On DVD, Blu-Ray And Digital

A BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION OF OUSMANE SEMBÈNE’S MANDABI WILL BE

AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE UK IN CINEMAS AND ON DVD, BLU-RAY AND DIGITAL

STUDIOCANAL is thrilled to announce they will release a 4K restoration of Ousmane Sembène’s trailblazing Senegalese classic Mandabi (The Money Order) in cinemas and on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital in June 2021.

**Vintage World Cinema release available to pre-order here**

Directed, written and produced by the legendary, ‘father of African cinema’ Ousmane Sembène, the film was originally made in 1968 where it won the Special Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival. This will be the first time the film has been released in the UK and is complete with new artwork by Nigerian artist Adekunle Adeleke.

This second feature by Sembène was the first movie ever made in an African language—a major step toward the realisation of the trailblazing Senegalese filmmaker’s dream of creating a cinema by, about, and for Africans. One of his most coruscatingly funny and indignant films, Mandabi—an adaptation of a novella by the director himself—is a bitterly ironic depiction of a society scarred by colonialism and plagued by corruption, greed, and poverty.

One day, Ibrahima Dieng (Makhouredia Gueye) receives a letter containing a money order from his nephew, a street sweeper in Paris.  Ibrahima, without work in Dakar, and with a large family to support can only keep 2,000 CFA francs; a portion must be kept aside for his nephew and the rest to be given to his sister.  But the news spreads fast in his neighbourhood ... his wives, his neighbours and family see in this promise of money their escape. Ibrahima must then face a nightmarish foray into the corrupt and absurd world of Senegalese bureaucracy, which eventually leaves him even more miserable than he was before.

The 4K restoration of the film premiered at the Lumière Film Festival 2020 in Lyon with Sembène’s son, Alain Sembène in attendance to present the film at the special occasion.  

Alain said of the restoration: “Seeing the restored version of Mandabi by STUDIOCANAL made me really emotional. It brought me back to my time on set with my father and the actors, transporting me back to Dakar in the 60’s…

When I was a kid the story made me laugh, but I understood quickly the relevance of the story. A story that is still relevant today, treated with great finesse and accuracy”.

Mandabi will also be released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital in June 2021 with the following bonus content:

• Shooting Mandabi - Silent Footage from British Pathé
• Audio Commentary with Sembène! (2015) Filmmakers Samba Gadjigo and Jason Silverman
• Interview with Alain Sembène
• Interview with African film Curator and Consultant Keith Shiri
• Discussion with Sembène Specialist and Author David Murphy
• Conversation in Dakar with Author Boubacar Boris Diop and Sociologist Marie-Angélique Savané
• Theatrical trailer
• 20-page booklet with brand-new essay from celebrated Sembène writer David Murphy

Follow STUDIOCANAL on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About STUDIOCANAL
STUDIOCANAL, a 100% affiliate of CANAL+ Group held by Vivendi, is Europe’s leader in production, distribution and international sales of feature films and TV series, operating directly in all three major European markets - France, the United Kingdom and Germany - as well as in Australia and New Zealand.

STUDIOCANAL owns one of the most important film libraries in the world, boasting nearly, 6,000 titles from 60 countries. Spanning 100 years of film history, this vast and unique catalogue includes among others the iconic Terminator 2, Rambo, Breathless, Mulholland Drive, The Pianist and Belle de jour.

STUDIOCANAL has fully financed box office hits Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Paddington 1 and 2, The Commuter and Shaun The Sheep Movie. Upcoming films backed by STUDIOCANAL include Jojo Moyes adaptation The Last Letter from your Lover, female action thriller Gunpowder Milkshake, Gil Kenan’s live action A Boy called Christmas and Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy starrer The Electrical Life of Louis Wain.

STUDIOCANAL produces more than 200 hours of TV series each year and operates at the international level, by distributing globally its scripted productions and CANAL+ Créations Originales (1,000 hours of current and library content in distribution). STUDIOCANAL has developed a network of award-winning European production companies, including TANDEM Productions in Germany (Shadowplay), the UK’s RED Production Company (Finding Alice, Years and Years), Spain’s BAMBÚ PRODUCCIONES (Two Lives, On Death Row) and France’s STUDIOCANAL ORIGINAL (Nine Women, Narvalo, Mouche). STUDIOCANAL is also an associate of URBAN MYTH FILMS (War of the Worlds), Benedict Cumberbatch’s production company SUNNYMARCH TV (Patrick Melrose) and Danish-based SAM Productions founded by Søren Sveistrup and Adam Price (Ride Upon The Storm).