Jun 10, 2007 4:41 PM

The Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembene, regarded as one of the pioneers of African cinema, died this weekend at his home in Dakar at the age of 84, his friends and family said Sunday.
He had been ill since December.
Born into a fisherman's family in the southern region of Casamance in 1923 he began his film-making career in 1963 with "Borom sarret," a short black and white production which tells the story of a poor cart-driver.
In all he made some 10 films. His first full-length film, "The Black Girl from..." is seen as Africa's first full-length feature.
He won two prizes at the Venice Film Festival, in 1968 and in 1988.
He was also a prolific writer and a co-founder of the Panafrican festival of film and television of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) held every two years.
His funeral is due to take place Monday.