Scheduled to run from November 29 to December 15, 2013, the 21st annual New York African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) has unveiled this year’s lineup, which includes 73 films – 35 of them being World, US and NY Premieres – from 35 countries.
Highlights this year include: director Norry Niven’s directorial debut, Chasing Shakespeare, which will open this year’s edition of the festival on November 29th, as a New York Premiere at Symphony Space in Manhattan; Yidnekachew Shumete’s Nishan (or Medal Of Honor) will also make its New York City premiere as a Centerpiece film; and Pratibha Parmar’s documentary feature film about writer and activist Alice Walker, titled Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth, which will be a Gala screening at this year’s event.
In addition, attendees will be treated to other titles S&A readers should be familiar with, like the Curacao-set slave uprising epic drama Tula, The Revolt by Jeroen Leinders – also a NY premiere; Micheal Beach stars in the new drama Scrapper, directed by Brady Hall – a film that follows a man who makes a living by collecting discarded metal “scraps” or pieces, who meets a runaway teen, who becomes his work partner; Andrew Dosunmu’s acclaimed Mother of George, Alexandre Moors critically-lauded drama Blue Caprice; Said Ould-Khelifa’s Zabana! – account of the short life of Algerian freedom fighter Ahmed Zabana, and Algeria’s selection for the 2013 Best Foreign Language Oscar; the documentary RAÇA (RACE), from Brazilian filmmaker Joel Zito Araújo and American Megan Mylan, which tackles racial inequality in Brazil, via the lives of three black Brazilians; and more, including the once-banned Jews of Egypt by Amir Ramses, Fatal Assistance by Hatian filmmaker Raoul Peck; and The Stuart Hall Project by John Akomfrah.
ADIFF 2013 will also present the World Premiere of Al Robbins’ Raltat, a drama based on a true story of mistaken identity case post-9/11, in a cross-continental effort, taking place in both the New York and Morocco. The narrative follows the trials of a Moroccan woman living in the United States who is detained at JFK Airport in New York days after 9/11 because her husband has the same name as the lead hijacker.
I will return to highlight individual films from this year’s strong lineup of films – some I’ve seen; others I haven’t, like Legends of Madagascar by Haminiaina Ratovoarivony, The Miscreants by Mohcine Besri; Tango Negro: The African Roots of Tango by Angolan filmmaker Dom Pedro, Spies of Mississippi by Dawn Porter, Reflections Unheard: Black Women in Civil Rights by Nevline Nnaji, and I Don’ Been Through The Snake’s Skin & Come Out Clean by Ada Babino.
In the meantime, for the festival’s full lineup, visit http://nyadiff.org, where you’ll also find out how to purchase tickets to individual screenings or passes.
