We acknowledge Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF are based.
We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

Xala

Directed by Ousmane Sembène
1975
Senegal
123 minutes
Unclassified 15+
Book Tickets
Buy a Flexipass now and save!
Xala (SFF 1976) is a brilliantly funny satire set in post-colonial Senegal, displaying Sembène’s scepticism about his country’s new dawn after independence from France.
Thierno Laye plays El Hadj, a middle-aged Senegalese businessman who sits on the Dakar Chamber of Commerce. The members of the board have inherited their positions from their departing European overlords – but they’re corrupt, quietly bought off with briefcases full of cash. El Hadj decides to marry a third wife, but on the evening of the wedding he suddenly discovers himself impotent (xala translates to sexual impotence in Wolof). Thinking he’s cursed, he goes to various healers, but without results. Based on the novel of the same name by Sembène, this film upset the government so much that 11 cuts were made before it was released in Dakar.

Tickets

Sun 9 Jun
12:30pm
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Assisted Listening
Wheelchair
Subtitled
Past Event Cancel
Program Strand
Ousmane Sembene Retrospective
Year
1975
Classification
Unclassified 15+
Language
In French and Wolof with English subtitles
Director
Ousmane Sembène
Producer
Paulin Soumanou Vieyra
Cast
Thierno Leye, Suene Samb, Myriam Niang
Screenwriter
Osumane Sembène
Cinematographer
Georges Caristan, Orlando L. López, Seydina O. Saye, Farba Seck
Editor
Florence Eymon
Genre
Africa, Politics & Economics, Festival Award Winners, Cinephile, Retrospective
Cart
Clear Cart

Your cart is empty.

View over 500 sessions to find the right films and events for you!

Browse In Cinema Program

Check out our list of films showing in your area

Browse Films

Donate Today
Help us bring you the best in cinema worldwide.
Booking Fee
$0
Subtotal
Total
Planner

Your planner helps you schedule your entire SFF experience. It shows sessions you've saved, purchased or added to your cart in a helpful timeline.

Sign in or register to save your planner!

Your planner is empty.

Use your planner to create your own unique SFF Experience

Browse Films & Events

Share
Your SFF
Let the world know what you'll be watching. Don't forget to tag @sydfilmfest!