*NEW YORK – The Best of the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) is back from Jan. 12 to 14 with a selection of some of the most popular and critically acclaimed films in ADIFF 2017. Screenings will be held at Teachers College, Columbia University.
The Last Revolutionary by Michael Brewer (USA, 2017, 75min) has been selected to Open The Best of ADIFF. The film depicts two black men who came together as revolutionaries in the 1970s but whose lives took very different paths. They meet again in a Los Angeles throwback hideout during Obama’s presidency and debate and argue around how to best stop the ongoing attacks from the far right and racist groups around the country. Reviewer Carine Fabius of the Huffington Post writes: “The Last Revolutionary is a powerful film, whose lasting effect sneaks up on you like a hand grenade loaded with vision. It starts out light and humorous .. and ends with a sucker punch to the stomach.”
The Last Revolutionary is one of several films in the Best of ADIFF that deal with issues of social justice, activism and police brutality, issues that have been for a long time and continue to be of great concern to communities of color worldwide.
Going back into history are films like Malcolm X : An Overwhelming Influence On The Black Power Movement! a personal and intimate portrait of the activist’s public and private life; Winnie, the award-winning Sundance documentary on Winnie Mandela; Mama Africa: Miriam Makeba a powerful documentary about the South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba, and Barrow: Freedom Fighter – a biopic about the man who led the struggle for Barbados independence after 300 years of British colonialism. Marcia Weekes, director of Barrow: Freedom Fighter will receive ADIFF’s 2017 Audience Award for the Best Film Directed by a Woman of Color during the Best of ADIFF.
Addressing contemporary concerns are Black Cop, a searing political satire about a black cop who seeks revenge after being egregiously profiled and assaulted by his colleagues and Kafou, a dark comedy and a thriller intended to be a social commentary on Haitian society.
Hispanic/Latino films in the Best of ADIFF are The Valley of the Black Descendants, a documentary about Chileans of African descent fighting to get official recognition from a State that has concealed their culture and African identity for more than 200 years. The Invisible Color: Black Is More Than A Color – by dean of Afro-Cuban Cinema Sergio Giral – investigates the black Cuban exile community in South Florida and Gurumbé: Afro-Andalouisian Memories by Spanish director Miguel Angel Rosales explores the fundamental contribution of Afro-Andalusians to that art form of Flamenco.
For more information about the Best of ADIFF, to receive the complete line up, screeners and high resolution images please contact Diarah N’Daw-Spech at (212) 864-1760/ fax (212) 316-6020 or e-mail [email protected]. Festival web site: www.nyadiff.org.
The African Diaspora International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization.
The Best of ADIFF 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; The Harlem Community Development Corporation, the New York City Council in the Arts, Consulate General of Barbados at New York and WBAI. ADIFF is a proud member of the Harlem Arts Alliance.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
FRI, JAN 12
7PM The Last Revolutionary
Sat, Jan 13
2PM Malcolm X: An Overwhelming Influence on the Black Power Movement!
4:30PM Black Cop
6:30PM Kafou
8PM Barrow: Freedom Fighter
SUN, JAN 14
1PM Mama Africa: Miriam Makeba
3PM Winnie
5PM Afro-Latino Program: The Invisible Color & The Valley of the Black Descendants
7:30PM Gurumbé: Afro-Andalusian Memories
source:
African Diaspora International Film Festival
www.nyadiff.org
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