Buy Tickets

$12 General Admission, $9 Member, $7 child age 14 or younger

Doors Open for admissions 30 min. prior to screening Buy tickets at Film Center or online now

Impotence (XALA) is a Sengalese social comedy, filmed in the Wolof language. A rich, corrupt business executive marries for the third time for the express purpose of getting his name in the papers. After a disappointing wedding night, the businessman discovers that he’s impotent. As he goes through a series of “cures” (including several tinged with witchcraft), his prestige in the communities dwindles along with his sense of manhood. Through XALA, director Ousmane Sembene attacks African neo-colonialism on an allegorical level.xala2

“The jokes and details are delightful, yet there’s real anger behind them, and it bursts spectacularly into view in the concluding frames.” -Geoff Andrew, TIME OUT

“It’s very much worth seeing.” -Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES