On Thursday 7 December 2023, French filmmaker Alice Diop presented her State of Cinema at Bozar in Brussels. Every year, Sabzian asks a guest to write a State of Cinema, and to choose a film that connects to it. This way, once a year, the art of film is held against the light, an invitation to reflect on what cinema means, could or should mean today. Alice Diop chose the film Sambizanga (1972) by Sarah Maldoror. Diop's speech was followed by a conversation with Maldoror’s daughter Annouchka de Andrade, former artistic director of the International Film Festival of Amiens. With her sister Henda Ducados, she has developed a project to preserve and share the work of their parents, Sarah Maldoror and Mário de Andrade.

The text of Diop’s lecture is available on Sabzian in French as well as in Dutch and English translation.