Meet Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the Talent behind “Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love”

Interview by Anta Sane | June 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment

At an early age, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi was well on her way to being a masterful and accomplished Director. At just 24 years old, she won the Best Director Award at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival for her documentary debut film – A Normal Life. It was after this that she decided to shift gears and in her own words, her next project was “to make an uplifting film about Africa and thought that music was one way to do it”. Her subject choice was none other than the best selling and most influential African artist of all time, the legendary Youssou N’dour.

“Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love” opens in NYC Theaters!!

Written by Anta Sane | June 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment

After 5 years of dedication, hard work, and an incredible journey with Africa’s most influential and talented artist of all time, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi ’s documentary, “Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love”, opens in theaters in New York city on June 12th, 2009.

Chai, a Princeton graduate in comparative literature, is the American director and producer behind the documentary that retraces the daily life of N’dour throughout a 2 year period in Africa, Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, following his controversial Grammy award winning album “Egypt”, which brought a lot of criticism and rejection in his native country, Senegal, due to his release and performances during the holy month of Ramadan. » Read more…