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Alain Gomis

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Alain Gomis
Gomis at the 2026 Berlinale
Born (1972-03-06) 6 March 1972 (age 54)
France
Occupations
Years active1999–present

Alain Gomis (born 6 March 1972) is a French-Senegalese film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his films about contemporary life in West Africa, exploring rituals, memory, and culture. His 2017 feature film Félicité won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlinale, while Today (2012) and Dao (2026) were selected in competition for the Golden Bear. He is co-founder of the film production company Granit Films, in Paris.

Early life and education

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Alain Gomis was born in France on 6 March 1972,[1][2][3] of a Senegalese father and French mother. He grew up in France.[2]

Gomis studied art history,[2] and in 1993 graduated with a master's degree in film studies at the Sorbonne in Paris.[4][3]

Career

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After graduating, Gomis ran video production workshops for immigrant youth in Nanterre.[4] He then started making short films, the first three being the documentary Caramels et chocolats (Caramels and chocolates, 12 min., 1996), Tout le monde peut se tromper (Everyone can make a mistake; 8 mins, 1998), and Tourbillons (Whirlwinds, 13 min., 1999).[4][3] Tourbillons was screened at Clermont-Ferrand, New York, and Namur film festivals.[2]

Many of Gomis' films centre around contemporary life in West Africa, exploring rituals, memory, and culture.[4] Gomis' first feature film was L'Afrance [fr] (As a Man), released in 2001,[5] which won the Silver Leopard at the 2002 Locarno Film Festival.[6][4] With dialogue in Wolof and French, the story follows a young Senegalese man who has come to Paris to receive a good education help his home country when he returns. Completely unexpectedly, he encounters a problem with his residence papers because he had arranged an extension too late.[5] It stars Djolof Mbengue in the lead role as El Hadj, along with Delphine Zingg [fr], Samir Guesmi, Théophile Sowié, and Bass Dhem [fr].[7] His 2006 short film, Ahmed (24 mins), also stars Samir Guesmi.[8]

His next feature, released in 2007, was Andalucia, which screened at the Venice Film Festival.[9][3] His 2012 film Today (Tey/Aujourd'hui), which was made on location in Senegal,[3] was selected in competition for the Golden Bear at the Berlinale, and won the Golden Stallion award at FESPACO, which was the first time that a Senegalese film had been awarded this top honour.[3] It was also screened at other film festivals.[9][4][6] In 2013 his 90-minute comedy telemovie Les Délices du monde screened on France 2.[10]

His 2017 film Félicité was selected as the Senegalese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards,[11] making the December shortlist.[12][13] It won another Golden Stallion for Gomis at FESPACO, as well as the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlinale.[6]

In 2022, Gomis released this first documentary film, Rewind & Play, about American jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk. It was selected to screen in the Forum section of Berlinale,[14] and given a good review in the New York Times.[15]

Dao is a drama film that was made in France and Guinea-Bissau.[16] Gomis described the project as his most personal work.[17][18] It had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on 14 February 2026, where it was nominated for the Golden Bear,[19] and was released in French cinemas on 29 April 2026.[20]

Granit Films

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In 2009, he co-founded the production company Granit Films in Paris, with Nigerian filmmaker Newton Aduaka and Valérie Osouf,[3][21] a French filmmaker who had lived in Senegal for nine years.[22] By 2018, the company had released five feature films and seven shorts, several of which had won awards. Osouf directed the 2017 documentary feature about the Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako, titled Abderrahmane Sissako: Beyond Territories.[23]

Other activities

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In 2019, Gomis, along with Aissatou Diop, established the Yennenga Center in Dakar, Senegal, with the aim of promoting the production of independent films production in Senegal and elsewhere in Africa.[4] Gomis is managing director of the centre as of 2022.[3]

Filmography

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Gomis at the 2017 Berlinale

Feature films

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Year English Title Original Title Notes
2001 As a Man L'Afrance [fr] (As a Man) Silver Leopard at 2002 Locarno Film Festival
2007 Andalucia
2012 Today Aujourd'hui / Tey
2013 Les Délices du monde Telemovie[10]
2017 Félicité Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner
2026 Dao Nominated for the Golden Bear[19]

Short films

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YearEnglish Title Original TitleNotes
1999 Whirlwinds Tourbillons[3]
2003 Petite Lumière[24] Made in Senegal.[3]
2006 Ahmed[8]
2019 [Unnamed]1-minute segment shot on an iPhone, in 30/30 Vision: 3 Decades of Strand Releasing,
an anthology film made by Strand Releasing[25][26]

Documentaries

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Year Title Notes
2022 Rewind & Play Music documentary
on Thelonious Monk[15]

References

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  1. ↑ Armes, Roy (2008). Dictionary of African Filmmakers. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0253351166. OCLC 177009058.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Alain Gomis". Allocine. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dia, Thierno I. (21 February 2022). "Alain Gomis, Réalisateur/trice Producteur/trice Scénariste Monteur/se Dialoguiste". Africine (in French). Fédération africaine de la critique cinématographique (FACC). Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Alain Gomis Biography France / Senegal". African Film Festival, Inc. New York. Archived from the original on 21 July 2026. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 "L'Afrance". IFFR (in Dutch). 30 May 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Alain Gomis". Africultures (in French). 27 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "L'Afrance de Alain Gomis (2001)". Unifrance (in French). 20 February 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Ahmed (2006)". ČSFD.cz. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Dao". Sydney Film Festival. 8 June 2026. Archived from the original on 17 May 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Délices du monde (Les)". Africultures (in French). 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (5 October 2017). "Oscars: 92 Films Submitted in Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  12. ↑ Pond, Steve (14 December 2017). "Oscars Foreign Language Shortlist Includes 'The Square,' 'A Fantastic Woman'". The Wrap. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "Alain Gomis on Félicité and feeling like an immigrant everywhere". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "Anteprima Alain Gomis". Fondazione Prada. 31 March 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  15. 1 2 Kennedy, Lisa (9 March 2023). "'Rewind & Play' Review: Thelonious Monk Dazzles Even When an Interview Falls Flat". The New York Times. The documentary Rewind & Play makes damning use of a 1969 interview Thelonious Monk did with Henri Renaud for the French television program Jazz Portrait. Monk's European tour was set to end in Paris and the show was recorded shortly before.
  16. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (11 February 2026). "Alain Gomis' Berlinale Competition Film 'DAO' Unveils Trailer". Variety. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  17. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (14 February 2026). "'Felicité' Director Alain Gomis on His Berlinale Competition Comeback 'DAO' Set Between France and West Africa". Variety. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  18. ↑ Szalai, Georg (13 February 2026). "'Dao' Director Alain Gomis on One Wedding and a Funeral, Fact and Fiction Blurring in His Berlin Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  19. 1 2 "Dao". Berlinale. 14 February 2026. Archived from the original on 14 March 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "The Party Film Sales to sell Golden Bear contender Dao". Cineuropa. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "Granit films". Africultures (in French). 29 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "Biography". Valérie Osouf. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Osouf, Valérie". African Film Festival. Archived from the original on 21 July 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Petite Lumière". African Film Festival. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Ending the Decade: Frankfurt, Marrakech, and 30/30 Vision". Film Quarterly. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing". Strand Releasing. 17 December 2019. Archived from the original on 15 January 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
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