On Wednesday May 10, a standing room-only crowd gathered for the opening of the New York African Film Festival at the Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater.
Opening Night featured the New York premiere of Moussa Sène Absa’s Xalé, the third film in his trilogy focused on women.
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Carib News chatted with the well-known Senegalese director and writer at the premiere. No stranger to the African Film Festival, he was excited to show this film, the last part of a series, heavy on music and of course, women.
Xalé, boldly inflects contemporary melodrama with traditional storytelling modes in this potent, music-filled tale of one woman’s tragedy and transcendence. The film focuses on Awa (Nguissaly Barry), a 15-year-old schoolgirl happily excelling at school and living her teenage years alongside her twin brother Adama (Mabeye Diol), who dreams of going to 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 against his niece, from which there is no going back.
The film begins in the present with an attractive middle-aged woman who seduces an older man in a Dakar bar, plying him with alcohol and taking him back to his place where she stabs him to death.
It continues with a back story, from years before leading up to the death, and ends with the explanation to why the stabbing took place. There is a complete chorus of singers throughout the film.
Xalé evokes a lot of emotion and begs the question – Is revenge killing really wrong? One could argue that the trajectory of Awa’s life would have taken on a different turn had she not suffered a grave injustice at the hands of her uncle, her own blood. Who know how different it could have been for her.
In our interview with Absa, he shared that his highlight of life has been a focus on women figures because he has been surrounded by them all of his life, having lost his Dad when he was three days old.
His directorial debut, the short film Le Prix du Mensonge, earned him the Silver Tanit at the Carthage Film Festival in 1988. He is known for Tableau ferraille (1997), L’extraordinaire destin de Madame Brouette (2002), and Teranga Blues (2007)
His first film deals with polygamy and politics. The second film focused on women’s choices and whether her decisions are good or bad, and who has the right to say.
Absa is also a painter and brought along with a few of his pieces to showcase at opening night. His work has been exhibited in Senegal, Europe and North America.
Launched in 1993, the NYAFF is one of the first film festivals in the United States to reflect on the myriad ways African and diaspora filmmakers have used the moving image to tell complex nuanced stories of cultural and aesthetic significance. Under the banner title, Freeforms, the festival will present over 50 films from more than 25 countries that explore and embrace the visionary, probing and fearless spirit of African film and diaspora storytelling.
The festival ran through May 16. See photos from opening night below.
