We are thrilled to start CINÉMA AFRICAIN! with an exceptional showcase of African cinema. The opening night will feature the award-winning film XALÉ by renowned Senegalese director Moussa Sene Absa, paired with the short film TIMIS by Awa Moktar Gueye. Following the screenings, join us for an engaging Q&A session with Moussa Sene Absa, moderated by Nadia Denton and explore the creative journey behind XALÉ and gain insights into the director's artistic process.

The opening night will conclude with a DJ set by DJ Hooray at SOLARIS Bar, featuring the finest 70s and 80s Afrobeat and Highlife music, starting at 21H30.

WEDNESDAY 23. OCTOBER 2024 | 18H30

MOVIE 1 | MOVIEMENTO

XALÉ

Moussa Sene Absa
Senegal 2022, 101 minutes, color
Feature  film
Wolof with English subtitles
Followed by a Q&A with director Moussa Sene Absa, moderated by Nadia Denton

Awa, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, is happily living her teenage years alongside her twin brother Adama who dreams of Europe. When their grandmother dies, her aunt Fatou and her uncle Atoumane promise to marry in order to preserve the family union. But Fatou does not love Atoumane and the latter, tired of waiting to consummate his marriage, commits an act from which there is no going back. 

Moussa Sene Absa began cinema as a screenwriter for the film Les enfants de Dieu. His first short, Le prix du mensonge, received the Silver Tanit at Carthage 1988. In 1991, he directed the feature film Ken Bugul followed, in 1992, by the feature film Ça twiste à Popenguine, which won international recognition. In 1996, he directed Tableau Ferraille (Best Image at Fespaco 1997), the first part of his trilogy on women followed by Madame Brouette (Silver Bear, Berlinale 2002) and Xalé (2022). His last two feature films, Teranga Blues and Yoole were selected in competition at FESPACO in 2007 and 2013.

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Filmstill ©  Xalé | SetBetSet-Les Films du Continent

TIMIS

Awa Moktar Gueye
Senegal 2023, 15 minutes, color
Narrative short
Wolof with English Subtitles

Pa Kong-Kong is a mysterious man who carries a strange bag on his back, and no one knows what’s inside. Rumour has it he tortures little thieves, runaways and naughty children. He lives alone in Ñetty Mbar, a deserted, gloomy market in the suburbs of Dakar where, at night, a terrifying monster-like dog lurks. Binta, a curious and courageous girl, decides to confront Pa Kong-Kong in the middle of the night. She’s scared, but determined to prove that her friends were wrong to not pick a girl as their leader. They agree that if she succeeds, she’ll become the leader of their little gang.

Awa Moktar Gueye is a graduate of the University Gaston Berger University in Saint Louis, Senegal. After a Bachelor’s degree followed by a Master’s degree in Arts and Culture, she became a scriptwriter and an independent director. She has distinguished herself by her cinematographic culture and her curiosity for aesthetics during international in Paris (Fémis Summer University) in Morocco (FIDADOC Residency) and in Senegal (Rencontres Internationales du Cinéma du Réel). In her course at the university, she is the first student, and the only one in her class to finalize, to make a more than honorable end of study film and a thesis of theoretical study. She has made five films, including four school films combining documentary techniques and fiction techniques. Her films Le Chant des Corbeaux, Mo Mola La Borotti and Jaar Jaar received great remarks from the public at the Poitier International Film Festival, Bilbao International Film Festival and the International Documentary Film Festival of Saint Louis. Today, Gueye is committed with UNESCO and the Nara Residence in Japan, to promote the position of women in African cinema. According to Awa Moctar her name of artist « Today, we attach a lot of importance to appearances, I want to show the beauty differently . A beauty that opens up and accepts others.»