Djibril DIOP MAMBETY was born in 1945 near Senegal’s capital city of Dakar in Colobane, a town featured prominently in some of his films. Mambety’s interest in cinema began with theater. Having graduated from acting school in Senegal, Mambety worked as a stage actor at the Daniel Sorano National Theater in Dakar until he was expelled for disciplinary reasons. In 1968, at age 23, without any formal training in filmmaking, Mambety directed and produced his first short film, Contras’ City. He died in July 1998.