Mamadou Dia is a Senegalese filmmaker whose work explores politics, religion, and memory through intimate stories rooted in his community. He studied hydrology at the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar before working as a video journalist across Africa with the Associated Press and other agencies. In 2014, he moved to New York to pursue an MFA in Filmmaking at NYU Tisch, where his short Samedi Cinema premiered at Venice and Toronto. His debut feature, Baamum Nafi (2019), won the Best First Feature Award at Locarno and was Senegal’s official Oscar entry, screening at over 80 festivals worldwide. His second feature, Demba (2024), premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and examines grief and indigenous mental health practices in Senegal. A Guggenheim and Creative Capital fellow, Dia is currently editing a documentary on Ecole des Sables (the Ivy League of dance schools in Africa) following its students and founder Germiane Acogny. He is also developing his third feature, Augustus, inspired by the life of 19th-century African-American daguerreotypist Augustus Washington.