Senegal-born director, writer, cinematographer, and
photographer Samba’s work is defined by his poetic approach,
emotional intelligence, and a profound visual language. Raised
in the Middle East and the United States, Samba’s multicultural
upbringing informs his perspective for stories that connect
people across language, geography, and experience.
Inspired by the traditions of Senegalese storytelling and
shaped by contemporary cinema and digital culture, Samba
explores the human experience with work that feels both
mythical and intimate at once. Before he even raises a camera,
he likes to start off his projects with poetry, translating emotion
onto the page. Samba has brought his unique lens to campaigns for some
of the world’s most influential brands, including Nike, Apple,
Google, Netflix, Adobe, TikTok, Warner Bros., Gucci, Prada, On
Running, and Beats. Most recently, he turned his lens to sports brand Yonex, with a film that transforms tennis into a gladiator’s arena, using
shadows and contrast to visualize the battles, trials and
tribulations of the sport. His shots drip with woe and triumph in
cool mono-chrome and saturation. Wind, sweat, and the sounds
of the city add immense color to an already vivid film. He has also worked closely with Naomi Osaka, traveling with the tennis star as her personal photographer and videographer during the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Wimbledon tournaments, where he witnessed and captured Osaka’s
gladiatorial determination, moments of contemplation, hesitations and ferocity. A completely self-taught filmmaker, Samba picked up a camera and began creating purely as an act of artistic expression. He began releasing his films, often stories with no dialogue, online, where they transcended language barriers, connecting him with an audience across the globe of more than 500,000 followers, with his films receiving millions of views. His latest short, TO BROOKLYN AND BACK, captures the shared feeling of Samba’s work – living between poetry and film. Born in the heat of a Brooklyn summer, it follows a woman reflecting on her love for a man. It’s a quiet, intimate piece, where every
frame feels like a memory. Now working between New York and Paris, Samba’s mission remains simple and ambitious: to keep learning, keep creating,
and move the needle toward stories that audiences have never
seen, or felt, before.