Film · Niger

Samba the Great

Directed by Moustapha Alassane · French · 1977 · 14 min

Based on a traditional folktale, this animated film follows the hero Sambagana, who must complete a succession of arduous trials in order to make a princess laugh and earn her consent to marriage. Combining drawn animation and stop-motion puppetry, the film retells the legend through a stylized, episodic quest narrative.