Xalé is showing at Unseen Cinema on March 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, 22-26, and 29-31.
By Frank Njugi
During the whole of March 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, Unseen Cinema and Sudu Connexion are partnering with Senegalese filmmaker, Moussa Sène Absa, in what is being described as a rousing showcase of his 2022 film, Xalé, in honour of Women’s History Month.
Xalé, which represented Senegal at the 2023 Oscars, follows the moving story of Awa, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, 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 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 Sène 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 in 1988. In 1991, he directed the feature film, Ken Bugul, followed by the 1992 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.
Sudu Connexion, Unseen Cinema’s partner, is an international sales and distribution company for films from Africa and its diaspora, based and established in Pantin, France, in 2016. Representing a catalogue of short, medium length and feature-length films, Sudu Connexion actively networks in and pushes for African films in over 1000 festivals all over the world. These films have been screened and awarded at major film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Venice, Toronto, Sundance, IDFA, FESPACO, Carthage, and Durban. They are available on TV on globally available channels such as BBC, Arte, Canal+, TV5 Monde, and Aljazeera. In 2024, Sudu Connexion will release and exhibit African arthouse films in cinemas in Africa.
Xalé is showing at Unseen Cinema on March 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, 22-26, and 29-31. You can buy tickets here.