THE PROFESSOR
A Senegalese Film Project for Change
The Professor is an urgent, character-driven human drama grounded in Senegalese culture and brought to life by an accomplished and widely recognized Senegalese cast, an award-winning creative team, and a story that speaks directly to today’s most pressing social questions.
Set within a traditional housing compound in Dakar, Senegal, The Professor explores the intimate and controversial issue of domestic violence through the lives of neighbors shaped by opposing cultural ideals. At its core, the film examines the clash between tradition and modernity, patriarchy and progress, silence and courage — all unfolding in a tightly knit community.
Executive summary
The story centers on Batou, a young woman suffering abuse at the hands of her boyfriend Modi, and the four neighbors — Safi, a homemaker wrestling with the constraints of patriarchal norms; her husband Gora, a respected witch doctor defending tradition; and Ibou and Dior, a progressive professor and a principled lawyer, respectively — who must overcome their differences to protect her.
Shot in Wolof, Senegal’s most widely spoken language, The Professor will be filmed in Thies, Senegal, on a custom-built set replicating the courtyard community of Plateau, a Dakar suburb familiar to director Moussa Thiam.
This is a Senegalese film for Senegalese, African, and global audiences, featuring a local crew and locally sourced equipment to ensure authenticity and cultural resonance.
When a young woman becomes the victim of domestic violence in a Senegalese housing compound, four neighbors – each shaped by different cultural ideals – must overcome their differences to protect her, shaking the foundation of tradition and sparking a fight for change.
LOGLINE
A tableau vivant, offering a gripping portrait of life in a traditional housing compound in Senegal.
The life of the community gets shaken up when Modi, one of the neighbors, starts to mistreat and violently batter Batou, his girlfriend.
Safi, a homemaker, and her husband Gora, a witch doctor, embody the essence of traditional Senegalese cultural norms. In contrast, Ibou, the professor, and Dior, a lawyer, represent progressive, modern values embraced by many young Senegalese people today. Overcoming their differences Safi, Ibou and Dior come together to save the life of Batou.
SYNOPSIS
The central conflict emerges as Safi begins to understand and admire Ibou’s and Dior’s humanistic outlook while working together to rescue Batou. Batou’s plight is the catalyst that prompts Safi to question the traditional role and treatment of women in society.
Meanwhile, Safi’s husband, Gora—a highly respected figure in the community—grows increasingly resentful. He firmly believes in tradition and the subservience of women, a system that has served him well throughout his life. As Safi changes before his eyes, he feels increasingly betrayed.
Is their relationship doomed? Or will Gora find it within his heart to change?
The Professor will be shot in Wolof, Senegal’s most widely spoken language.
STORY WORLD
The Professor takes place almost entirely within a residential compound in Dakar — a self-contained world where neighbors live in close quarters.
The compound is both physical and social: a concrete structure shaped by tradition, proximity, and quiet hierarchies.
Inside this world, everyday life unfolds — children play, women wash clothes, tenants exchange glances. But just beyond the shared courtyard, cycles of domestic violence repeat behind closed doors. The closeness of this setting heightens the stakes; everyone hears more than they say, and silence is a norm.
The compound is based on a real location where the writer-director grew up, and much of the visual and emotional language of the film is drawn from personal memory — making the space feel lived-in, specific, and emotionally layered.
STYLE & TONE
THE VISUAL STYLE WILL REFLECT THE EMOTIONAL INTENSITY AND MORAL COMPLEXITY OF THIS CHARACTER-DRIVEN DRAMA.
The film’s aesthetic will highlight the inner lives of its characters—allowing the camera to capture the drama of the story and emotions, reflecting the heightened psychological nuance and human vulnerability. The Professor balances the severity of the domestic drama, with humor, levity, and a keen eye for the human follies.
Shot in Thiès, Senegal, on a custom-built set modeled after the traditional courtyard communities of Plateau, the film will draw from lived experience to create a textured and immersive world.
We aim to create a visual paradox: while the setting conveys the atmosphere of a period piece, the story itself unfolds in the present day with contemporary characters facing urgent social themes head on.
Themes
community, civil courage, outsiders
The act of speaking out against domestic violence is a courageous commitment to the betterment of society.
LOVE
In “The Professor” love is everywhere, full of its contradictions, complexities and beauty:
The traditional, happily married couple who develop in opposite directions and hurt each other along the way.
The parents who love their children madly only to draw them into their strife and force them to choose sides.
The overwhelming love of the children for their mother, intuiting the pain she’s going through while being all but powerless to help her.
The jealous, controlling, delusional, vain love that destroys what it claims to cherish.
The love and responsibility we feel for our neighbor, friend and the community we live in.
The romantic love that comes subtly and unexpectedly when we have all but given up on it.
Comparable films
These are a few of films that have profoundly shaped writer and director Moussa Thiam’s vision and approach to cinema. These works have not only inspired him creatively but have also left a lasting impact on his artistic journey.
