Madame Brouette

A painter as well as a filmmaker, Absa draws heavily on performance art and other visual art forms in his feature films. As he once said, “I see the décor as a character, and this character is just as important as an actor. The sets speak to us. I like cinéma vérité, and I am inspired by reality.” Absa’s work exemplifies a generation of Senegalese filmmakers (including Mansour Sora Wade and Dyana Gaye) whose use of color, stunning imagery, and close collaboration with various forms of performance art is inspired by the culture’s ‘Masters.’ Absa presents a Senegal that recognizes the value of all of its people, speaking to and valuing the old and the young, men and women, the politics and the poetry of his society. —www.movingimage.us

Moussa Sene Absa overflows with creativity. He is an artist, writer, and musician, as well as a film director. He made his debut as an actor, then moved to directing with the production of his own stage play, La Légende de Ruba.
In cinema, he wrote the screenplay for Les Enfants de Dieu which was honoured at the Francophone film festival. His directorial debut, the short film Le Prix du Mensonge, earned him the Silver Tanit at the Carthage Film Festival in 1988.
His film Tableau Ferraille won the award for best photography at FESPACO 1997. He has also produced a popular daily comedy sketch, Gorgorlu, for Senegalese television.
His talent as a painter is also well established and his work has been exhibited in Senegal, Europe and North America. —BBC