I, a Negro (1959)

An influential classic of experimental documentary filmmaking. As an ethnographic film, Moi, un Noir was revolutionary in its attempt to address the problem of the ethnographer (nearly always a white man) filming subjects (nearly always people of color) objectified and stripped of agency by the filmmaking process. Rouch filmed his friend Oumarou Ganda (later a pioneer of African cinema) and two other young men seeking their fortunes in the city of Abidjan, inviting them to improvise scenes and add commentary on their experiences. The documentary becomes a shared project.