HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 29TH ANNUAL AFRICAN DIASPORA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

NYADIFF 2021

The Sleeping Negro Poster

Myriam Makeba

Friday November 26 – Sunday December 12, 2021

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA, November 30, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ – The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) will celebrate its 29th anniversary both in person and virtually with special in-person screenings followed of questions and answers at Cinepolis in Manhattan, a selection of in-person screenings at Cinema Village and an online selection of 77 films from 38 countries from November 26 to December 12, 2021, including 38 world, American and New York premieres.

The festival presents an eclectic selection of recent and older films, stimulating and entertaining, some by independent filmmakers and others directly from major international film festivals such as Berlinale, Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, FESPACO and Durban. Several covers are also on the program.

ADIFF 2021 wishes to reward FESPACO – the largest film festival on the African continent which, since 1969, has represented a rare opportunity for African storytellers to present their creations on the world stage – with a selection of 15 FESPACO titles, including some in competition this year.

Other highlights include a World Black History program, a solid selection of South African films, LGBTQ + themed films, special presentations and Zoom conversations.

The opening night film, the critically acclaimed drama “The Sleeping Negro” by Skinner Myers, will premiere in New York in person at Cinepolis on November 26 in the presence of the filmmaker. The Sleeping Negro is “a superb character study of a black man, how he sees himself and how he has been treated by society, it’s surreal but real and terrifying”. ~ Ulkar Alakbarova, moviemovesme.com.

Following in the footsteps of LA Rebellion filmmakers, The Sleeping Negro director Skinner Myers tells a very personal and intimate story in a drastically non-traditional cinematic style to freely express his feelings as a black man in America.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• The world premiere presentation of Fighting for Respect: African American Soldiers in WWI by
Joanne Burke, a landmark documentary that captures the plight of African American soldiers who fought in World War I, receiving the military decoration of the Croix de Guerre from France, while still fighting discrimination and hatred at home by America.

• Loimata, The Sweetest Tears by Anna Marbrook, a poignant yet tender story of a family’s unconditional love in the face of intergenerational trauma. They return to their homeland of the Sāmoa in their commitment to heal, to find their identity and to become whole again. There will be a Zoom Q&A following the virtual screening of this film’s centerpiece on December 4th.

• A Son (Un Fils) by Mehdi Barsaoui is an intense family drama with Franco-Tunisian actor Sami Bouajila, winner of the Orizzonti Prize for best actor, Venice Film Festival 2019 and winner of the Césars, France for best actor in 2021. La gala screening of the film on December 9 at Cinepolis will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

• Zépon by Gilles Elie-Dit-Cosaque is a poetic comedy set on the island of Martinique today in a world of cockfighting and family revenge. It could be summed up in one line: Following a bet, a Man plays his only daughter in a cockfight.

• Several films highlighting the Afro-Brazilian experience will premiere at ADIFF 2021, notably the Brazilian thriller Le silence de la forêt / O Silêncio da Chuva by Daniel Filho with the famous Afro-Brazilian actor Lázaro Ramos (Madame Satã, The Man Who Copied) as Inspector Espinosa who is in charge of the investigation into the murder of cadre Ricardo in Rio de Janeiro. Also in the selection is Jeferson De’s Doctor Gama, a 2021 Brazilian biographical drama that tells the story of Luiz Gama, Brazil’s most important abolitionist leader.

For more information on the 29th African Diaspora International Film Festival, to receive the full lineup, screenings and high resolution images, please contact Diarah N’Daw-Spech at (212) 864-1760 / fax (212 ) 316-6020 or e-mail pr@nyadiff.org. Festival website: www.nyadiff.org.

The African Diaspora International Film Festival is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.

ADIFF 2021 FACT SHEET

WHAT: 29th African Diaspora International Film Festival

OR:
Cin̩polis Chelsea Р260 W 23rd Street, New York, New York
Cinema Village – 22 E 12th St, New York, NY 10003
Online in NY, NJ and CT at nyadiff.org

WHEN: From November 26, 2021 to December 12, 2021.

TICKETS: From $ 10 to $ 30 depending on the screening / event. Festival pass available.
4 SPECIAL EVENTS:
Opening, Gala, Centerpiece, Closing
6 PROGRAMS:
Celebration of FESPACO; South African cinema: The First Nation program; Black World History Program; Audience Award for Best Film Directed by a Woman of Color; ADIFF school program.
78 FILMS IN 37 COUNTRIES:
Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Cameroon, Curaçao, DRC, France, Ghana, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Mali, Martinique, Morocco, Mexico, Namibia, New Zealand, Niger, Panama, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, South Africa, Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States, Zimbabwe.
38 FIRST
12 SPECIAL GUESTS
17 DAYS
http://www.NYADIFF.org

The 29th New York African Diaspora International Film Festival is made possible by the support of the following institutions and individuals: ArtMattan Productions; the Harlem Community Development Corporation, the New York City Council in the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts; The International Organization of La Francophonie New York, New York City Council member Bill Perkins; Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation and administered by LMCC, Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs, Teachers College, Columbia University, Columbia University Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures, Columbia University African American and African Diaspora Studies Department, and Manhattan Community Award Program, Africa Goodnest, The Martinique Bureau and WBAI.

Diarah N’Daw-Spech
ArtMattan Productions
+1 212-864-1760
write us here

ADIFF 2021 interview on ABC7 HERE AND NOW