Alain Gomis

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

Gomis studied art history, which won the Silver Leopard at the 2002 Locarno Film Festival. His 2006 short film, Ahmed (24 mins), also stars Samir Guesmi.

His next feature, released in 2007, was Andalucia, which screened at the Venice Film Festival.

His 2017 film Félicité was selected as the Senegalese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, making the December shortlist. It won another Golden Stallion for Gomis at FESPACO, as well as the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlinale. and given a good review in the New York Times.

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

Granit Films In 2009, he co-founded the production company Granit Films in Paris, with Nigerian filmmaker Newton Aduaka and Valérie Osouf, a French filmmaker who had lived in Senegal for nine years. 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.

Other activities 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. Made in Senegal.

Documentaries