The 20th Annual African Diaspora International Film

The film festival attracts 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

[Entertainment: Film]

One of the most prestigious Afrocentric International Film Festival 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.

Described by film critic Armond White as “a festival that symbolizes diaspora as more than just anthropology,” 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), Daratt/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.

There will be a press conference and media screening this Friday,
October 28 at 6pm announcing films, panels and special events
surrounding this year’s festival. Co-Directors Reinaldo Barroso-Spech and Diarah N’Daw-Spech as well as special invited guests will be there. Media check in is 5 pm at Teachers College, Columbia University; 525 West 120th St. – between Broadway and Amsterdam. Contact: Diarah N’Daw-Spech, (212) 864-1760 e-mail: [email protected]

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; the French Cultural Services; The Consulate General of Switzerland in New York; The International Organization of La Francophonie, The Namibian Film Commission, The Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University; Québec Government Office in New York; WNYC and public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

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