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Sarah Maldoror’s 1973 film screens Dec. 12 in Ashley Clark’s series on Black cinema, decolonization and political change.
All times are local to the venue · America/Los Angeles
Saturday, December 12, 2026. Film starts promptly at 2 PM; no trailers. The listed film running time is 97 minutes; the event page does not state an end time. Arrive a few minutes early to be seated.
After Portuguese authorities arrest resistance leader Domingos Xavier, his wife Maria sets out on foot to find him. In Sarah Maldoror’s Sambizanga, that personal search becomes a way to follow Angola’s independence struggle—and a chance to see a woman’s experience placed at the center of a story about liberation.
YBCA presents Sambizanga as based on a true story. Domingos Oliveira plays Xavier, whose arrest helps set an anti-colonial uprising in motion; Elisa Andrade plays Maria, who travels on foot in an effort to save her husband.
The film’s political register includes revolutionary language alongside spiritual songs of Angolan villagers. YBCA also draws attention to the courage and hardships of women in liberation movements, giving Maria’s experience a place in the political story rather than treating it as a side plot. The center describes Maldoror as an early woman director in African cinema.
Further reading: Sambizanga - YBCA ↗
YBCA’s series, The World of Black Film: Revolutions, looks to the 1960s through the early 1980s, when decolonization movements and radical political change coincided with a larger presence of Black filmmakers behind the camera. Its films address subjects including memory, migration, politics, identity and rebellion. The series is curated by Ashley Clark, an author and programmer who is Criterion Collection Curatorial Director, and runs from Nov. 14, 2026, through Jan. 16, 2027, with screenings listed at 2 p.m.
The films around Sambizanga make the series’ range clear. Timite Bassori’s 1969 La Femme au Couteau (The Woman with the Knife), scheduled for Dec. 5, is described as a drama from Ivory Coast set at a postcolonial crossroads. On Dec. 19, Flora Gomes’ 1988 debut feature Mortu Nega turns to the difficult aftermath of Guinea-Bissau’s guerrilla war for independence. These neighboring choices put Sambizanga’s account of resistance in conversation with questions of what political change leaves behind.
The series draws on Clark’s book, The World of Black Film: A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films, a survey of films from more than 30 countries and spanning over a century. YBCA says discounted copies will be available at the front desk for moviegoers; the discount amount is not specified.
Further reading: The World of Black Film: Revolutions - YBCA ↗ · Sambizanga - YBCA ↗
The listed program is a single screening of Sarah Maldoror’s 1973 film.
The film starts promptly, with no trailers; YBCA asks visitors to arrive a few minutes early to be seated. The listed running time is 97 minutes, but the event listing does not give an end time.
The ticket includes the film, curator-selected snacks while supplies last, and gallery admission. For ticket questions, YBCA lists 415-978-2787 during gallery hours.
YBCA invites ticket-holders to visit the galleries before or after the screening. On Saturdays, the galleries are open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
YBCA says all public entrances are accessible. In the Gallery & Forum Building, the 701 Mission Street and Garden Esplanade entrances have electric push-button doors; elevators serve both buildings. Wheelchairs are available first-come, first-served at the Info Desk. One caregiver accompanying a visitor with accessibility needs is admitted free, and sign-language interpretation is available with three weeks’ notice.
The center lists accessible seating for its Theater and Forum, but does not specify seating arrangements for this Screening Room event. Assistive listening devices are available for amplified performances; YBCA does not say whether they apply to this film screening. Contact YBCA at 415-978-2700 to confirm event-specific arrangements.
YBCA offers large-print guides for exhibitions and allows breastfeeding and bottle-feeding in public spaces. ADA-defined service animals are welcome if leashed and under their handler’s control, without creating a threat or disturbance. Pets, emotional-support animals and therapy animals are not permitted.
The Screening Room is in YBCA’s Gallery & Forum Building at 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. YBCA identifies 701 Mission Street as the building’s main entrance.
YBCA says the center can be reached by public transit, car, bicycle or on foot, but its visit page does not list transit routes or parking details. Use the map link to calculate directions from your own starting point.
Yes. YBCA invites ticket-holders to visit before or after the screening; Saturday gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
YBCA lists accessible seating for the Theater and Forum but does not specify arrangements for this Screening Room event. Call 415-978-2700 to confirm.
No end time is listed. The film starts promptly at 2 p.m. without trailers and has a listed running time of 97 minutes.
701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.
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.