“A festival that symbolizes diaspora as more than just Anthropology.”
- Film critic Armond White
One of the most prestigious Afrocentric international film festivals in North America, the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) was conceived in 1993 by current Co-Directors Reinaldo B. Spech and Diarah N’Daw-Spech with the intention of showcasing quality national and international cinema giving a voice to people of color all over the world.
ADIFF has managed to increase the presence of independent Afrocentric films from all over the world in the general American specialty movie scene by launching films such as The Tracker by Rolf de Heer (Australia), Kirikou and the Sorceress by Michel Ocelot (France), Gospel Hill by Giancarlo Esposito (USA), Darrat/Dry Season by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad), The First Rasta by Helene Lee (France/ Jamaica), The Story of Lovers Rock by Menelik Shabazz (UK) and Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story by Yousry Nasrallah (Egypt), among others.
Attracting a wider cross-section of cinephiles and audiences of African-American, Caribbean, African,
Latino and European ethnic backgrounds that share a common interest for good stories about the human experience of people of color, ADIFF is now a national and international event with festivals held in New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, Paris, France and Geneva, Switzerland.
For its 20th New York City edition—to be held in Manhattan and Jamaica, Queens from November 23 to December 11—ADIFF will open with the revolutionary collaboration between Hollywood and Nollywood, Doctor Bello, starring A-list Nollywood stars, including Genevieve Nnaji and Stephanie Okereke and several Hollywood actors, including Isaiah Washington, best known for Grey’s Anatomy; Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill and Independence Day, among many others); and Jimmy Jean-Louis (of the NBC series Heroes).
The New York Times has quoted film director/producer Tony Abulu and his financial backers as
saying “the film has the potential to chart a new direction for the booming Nigerian film industry half a
world away.”
Other ADIFF 2012 highlights will include NY premiere presentation of Survivor to be presented by
Actress, Director and Survivor Brook Bello along with International Black Women’s Public Policy
Institute (IBWPPI) President Barbara Perkins.
Survivor Trailer from Brook Bello on Vimeo.
Africa Straight Up by Africa.com will be shown at Teachers College, Columbia University (Broadway and 120th St.) on Friday, December 7 starting at 6:30pm. The film will be presented with The United States of Africa and will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Teresa Clarke of Africa.com. You can purchase tickets to the Festival screenings by logging onto the ADIFF website.
The African Diaspora International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. The 20th Annual New York African Diaspora International Film Festival is made possible thanks to the support of the following institutions and individuals: ArtMattan Productions; the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs, Teachers College, Columbia University; TV5 Monde; the New York City Council in the Arts; New York City Council Member Inez E. Dickens; NY State Senator Bill Perkins, the French Cultural Services; The Consulate General of Switzerland in New York; The International Organization of La Francophonie, The Namibian Film Commission, Black Spectrum, Thalia Cinema at Symphony Space, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, International Black Women’s Public Policy Institute, The Garifuna Coallition, WBAI, Africa.com, and public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. ADIFF is a proud member of the Harlem Arts Alliance.
Newsletter
RSS