short · essay film, documentary · pre-history
Directed by Alain Resnais and Chris Marker, with cinematography by Ghislain Cloquet, this 1953 essay film is an anti-colonial critique of how Western museums frame African art, asking why African sculpture sits in the Museum of Man in Paris while Greek and Egyptian art sits in the Louvre.
Fun fact: Cloquet, the film's cinematographer, went on to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Tess in 1980.
Notes: Colonial-era, French-directed critique of colonialism, not African-directed; included in pre-history era per AFA methodology as a clearly labeled non-African-directed work. Censored in France, with the second half effectively banned by the CNC from 1953 until the 1960s for its anti-colonial content. Director credit corrected 2026-07-29: La Cinematheque francaise credits Resnais and Marker as directors with Cloquet as cinematographer; some other databases list Cloquet as a co-director, so this remains a minor credit discrepancy worth noting.
Verification: verified · Sources:
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Poster source: La Cinematheque francaise