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Flora Gomes’ 1988 debut feature follows Diminga from the guerrilla struggle against Portuguese rule into the uncertain politics of the postwar state. YBCA screens the 85-minute film in Ashley Clark’s World of Black Film: Revolutions series.
All times are local to the venue · America/Los Angeles
Saturday, December 19, 2026, at 2 p.m. The film starts promptly; no trailers. Arrive a few minutes early to be seated. Listed running time: 85 minutes; no separate event end time announced.
In Mortu Nega, the end of a liberation war opens another difficult chapter: how a country governs itself afterward. Flora Gomes follows Diminga from the guerrilla struggle to the bureaucracy and political divisions of Guinea-Bissau’s emerging state.
Diminga, played by Bia Gomes, joins the fight against Portuguese colonial rule to remain close to her wounded husband. Guinea-Bissau’s independence follows roughly half a century of Portuguese rule, but the film does not stop with the end of the guerrilla war.
In the aftermath, Diminga must find her way through an emerging bureaucratic state and its factional divisions. The shift gives the film its central tension: independence changes the political order, but it does not make the work of building a nation straightforward. Gomes’ account honors revolutionary fighters, including women, while also questioning the stories a country tells about its founding.
Further reading: Mortu Nega - YBCA ↗
YBCA’s World of Black Film: Revolutions centers on global Black cinema from the 1960s through the early 1980s, when decolonization movements and political consciousness shaped films exploring memory, migration, identity and rebellion. Mortu Nega, made in 1988, falls just beyond that period. Its focus on what follows an independence struggle gives the series a way to consider revolution’s consequences as well as its movements and ideals.
The selection ranges across different cinematic and political contexts. YBCA describes Med Hondo’s 1979 West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty as a musical investigation of imperialist oppression; the lineup also includes films such as Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl and Horace Ové’s Pressure. These titles frame Mortu Nega as part of a varied program, not a single national or stylistic account.
Further reading: Mortu Nega - YBCA ↗ · The World of Black Film: Revolutions - YBCA ↗
The Saturday before Mortu Nega, YBCA schedules Sambizanga, Sarah Maldoror’s 1973 film about Angola’s independence movement. The pairing brings two distinct national histories into view: Gomes’ film follows Guinea-Bissau into the postwar period, while the series description presents Maldoror’s film through the movement for Angolan independence.
The films are a week apart, so viewers can choose either screening on its own or use the sequence to compare how different filmmakers approach liberation and its political stakes.
Further reading: The World of Black Film: Revolutions - YBCA ↗
The series is co-presented by YBCA and Ashley Clark, the Criterion Collection’s curatorial director. Clark’s book, The World of Black Film: A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films, surveys films spanning more than 100 years and 30 countries. YBCA says copies will be available at the front desk at a discounted price for moviegoers; it does not list the price.
Further reading: Mortu Nega - YBCA ↗ · Ashley Clark - YBCA ↗
The World of Black Film: Revolutions runs from November 14, 2026, through January 16, 2027, with screenings listed at 2 p.m. on selected Saturdays. The December 12 screening of Sambizanga is the closest neighboring program in subject: Sarah Maldoror’s 1973 film concerns Angola’s independence movement, while Mortu Nega turns to Guinea-Bissau and the unsettled period after its war.
The film starts promptly, with no trailers. YBCA advises arriving a few minutes early to be seated. The listed running time is 85 minutes; no separate event end time is announced.
The screening is at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. The Screening Room is in the Gallery & Forum Building, whose main entrance is at 701 Mission Street.
A ticket includes the film, gallery admission and curator-selected snacks while supplies last. YBCA also provides free admission for one caregiver accompanying a visitor with accessibility needs.
Ticket holders may visit YBCA’s galleries before or after the film. Saturday gallery hours are 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
YBCA says its public entrances are accessible and elevators serve both buildings. The Gallery & Forum Building entrances at 701 Mission Street and the Garden Esplanade have electric push-button doors. Wheelchairs are available first-come, first-served from the Info Desk.
Sign-language interpretation for YBCA programs is available with three weeks’ notice. YBCA’s general information lists accessible seating for Forum events, but does not describe seating arrangements for this specific Screening Room screening; contact YBCA in advance if you need event-specific details.
YBCA says Ashley Clark’s book will be available at a discounted price for moviegoers at the front desk. The price is not listed.
The film is in the Gallery & Forum Building at 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Its main entrance is at 701 Mission Street; YBCA’s separate theater entrance is at 700 Howard Street.
YBCA says it can be reached by public transit, car, bike or on foot, but its visit information does not list specific transit routes or parking details. The map links can calculate directions from your starting point. The Gallery & Forum Building’s entrances at 701 Mission Street and the Garden Esplanade have electric push-button doors.
YBCA lists the film at 85 minutes. It starts promptly at 2 p.m. without trailers, so arrive a few minutes early to be seated.
The $15 ticket includes the film, gallery admission and snacks while supplies last. Admission is free for YBCA members.
YBCA provides free admission for one caregiver accompanying a visitor with accessibility needs.
YBCA lists accessible public entrances, elevators in both buildings, first-come, first-served wheelchairs at the Info Desk, and sign-language interpretation with three weeks’ notice. Contact YBCA about seating details for this screening.
The event listing does not state an age policy.
Yes. Gallery admission is included, and Saturday gallery hours are 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
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Images from the linked sources. Each caption identifies the context of the image.
Event, planning and background information checked 2026-11-02 against the linked sources.