
Canadian Premiere
Idrissa lives in the suburbs of Dakar, Senegal. As a result of budgetary restrictions imposed by the IMF, then headed by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, he lost his job as a civil servant. Since then, Idrissa has been looking for work, without success. His pride as an African man is all the more affected by the fact that he is now entirely dependent on his wife, Viviane, who somehow manages to support the family through her medical practice. Aminata (Idrissa and Viviane’s daughter) and Moussa, two young students in love with each other, also see their lives disrupted by the economic situation imposed on the country. After yet another humiliation, Idrissa, who holds Strauss-Kahn responsible for his misfortune, decides to go and see a marabout to prepare his revenge…
Amidst the daily movements of life in the city, we are drawn into a changing political landscape that comically unravels one man’s life. Through his downfall, we see the effects of government cuts and sanctions on the lives of everyday people, as well as the state of university education in Dakar. The futures of both the young and older generations become entwined in resistance to the foreign pressures dictating Senegal’s future.
Kika Memeh & Ogheneofegor Obuwoma, FOCUS Curators
Presented by
Charles Auguste Kottou, Charles Auguste Kottou, Aida Ndeye Aidar, Oumou Ndeye Kaltoum Ndiaye, Jean-Pierre Correa
Senegal/Belgium/France/
Rwanda
2023
In Wolof and French with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits & Director
Producer
Oualid Baha, Aurélien Bodinaux, Souleymane Kébé, Ottis Ba
Screenwriter
Ottis Ba, Katell Guillou
Cinematography
Myriam Amouri, Joséphine Ndour
Editor
Yannick Leroy

Ottis Ba
Ottis Ba was born in Dakar. At the age of fifteen, he moved to Paris where he became passionate about theatre. He has acted in Othello and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Théâtre national de Nice. Ottis began to venture into cinema, first as an actor, then as a self-taught director. He directed a few short films including one with French actress Aïssa Maïga. Tooth For Tooth is his first feature.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Shepherds
Mathyas quits his marketing job in Montreal and goes to France with the romantic notion of becoming a shepherd. He's in for a rude awakening... Based on a true story, Deraspe's stirring film plays spiritual uplift off against some 3000 sheep and a donkey.
Secret Mall Apartment
The stranger-than-fiction true story of a group of artists who built and furnished a hidden apartment inside a mall, remaining undetected for years. This is an absurdly fun and surprisingly profound film about gentrification and art.
That They May Face the Rising Sun
John and Kate have moved from London to a farm in Ireland, to the bemusement of the locals. This lyrical Irish reverie taps deep wells of feeling in the stuff of everyday life.
The Hermit of Treig
In this rather special film, Lizzie MacKenzie trains her camera on octogenarian Ken Smith, who has lived more than four decades off-the-grid on the shores of Loch Treig, in the Scottish Highlands. This cheerful hermit is a personable storyteller.