The importance of Sembene's work can also be measured by the different positions he holds in numerous international organizations and also by the number of awards his work has received around the world.

Member and co-founder of the Senegalese Association of Film Makers
Member and co-founder of the Pan African Federation of Film Makers (Fepaci)
Member of the African Association of Culture
President of the Senegalese section of the Pen Club International

1967  Member of the Jury of the Cannes Film Festival
1968  President of the jury at the Carthage Film Festival
1975  Member of the jury at the Moscow Film Festival
1977  President of the jury at the Berlin Film Festival
1981  President of the jury at the New-Delhi Film Festival
1982  President of the jury at the Ouagadougou Film Festival (Fespaco)
1983  Member of the jury at the Venice Mostra
1984  Member of the jury at the Rio de Janeiro Film Festival
1990  Member of the jury of the Finland Film Festival
1992  President of the jury at the Carthage Film Festival

1977  Honored at the 60th Anniversary of Soviet Cinema
1982  Honored at the 35th Anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival
1987  Honored in Pyong-Yang First Festival of Non-Aligned and Developing Countries
1991  Prize for Lifetime Creation at the Ouagadougou Film Festival
1992  "Living Legend Award" at The National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta
1993  Akira Kurosawa Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 36th San Francisco International Film Festival
2005  Lifetime Achievement Award at the Chicago International Film Festival
2005  Cannes: Carrosse d'Or from L'Association des réalisateurs français
2005  "Spirit of Saint-Louis" Prize awarded by Washington-based Human Right Watch Group