Taking place this weekend, Friday January 8 to Sunday January 10, is the African Diaspora International Film Festival’s Best of ADIFF series, which include new screenings of last year’s festival highlights, including the Closing Night film “BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez" (on the influential poet, playwright and activist) which won ADIFF 2015’s Public Award for the Best Film Directed by a Woman of Color. Director/Editor Sabrina Schmidt Gordon will receive her award on Saturday, January 9 at 8:30pm during an AWARD Ceremony to be followed by the encore screening of the film, and then a Q&A with the director and reception.
The Best of ADIFF will be held at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.
Other highlights include:
– ADIFF 2015’s Opening Night film “The Man Who Mends Women, The Wrath of Hippocrates” by Thierry Michel, which tells the story of Dr. Denis Mukwege, a man who has dedicated his life to assist women subjected to rape in his native DRC.
– ADIFF 2015’s Centerpiece screening “Cu-Bop: Cuba – New York Music Documentary” by Shinichi Takahashi, a documentary for all music lovers that explores the African roots of Cuban jazz and documents what happens when expats return to the source of their inspiration, will also be part of the selection.
– “If Only I Were That Warrior” by Valerio Ciriaci – an ADIFF 2015 Gala Screening which moves in and out of Ethiopia, Italy and the United States to tell a story of unpunished war crimes, colonial wars and African history.
– “Invisible Heroes: African Americans In The Spanish Civil War,” by Alfonso Domingo and Jordi Torrent that introduces us to the remarkable story of African Americans who fought as volunteers in Spain for democracy and for civil rights that were denied to them in their own country.
– “The Blind Orchestra” by Mohamed Mouftakir, a humorous yet critical look at the life of a group of musicians in Morocco during the early years of the reign of Hassan II.
– British drama "Honeytrap" by Rebecca Johnson which tells a story of fifteen-year-old Layla, a beautiful and naive Trinidadian girl who, freshly arrived from her native land, quickly embarks on a journey of love, sex, hip hop and violence.
– The Idris Elba starrer "Second Coming" by Debbie Tucker Green – an emotional and intimate drama about a woman in a London family who faces a dilemma with her husband and the tensions and communication issues associated with her situation.
– And "Hear Me Move” by Scottnes L. Smith. Labeled the first Dance Movie of South Africa and featuring cameo appearances by South African stars Amanda Du Pont, Boity Thulo and Khanyi Mbau, “Hear Me Move” received huge popular acclaim last year in its home country and was one of the most popular films of ADIFF 2015.
For more information about the Best of ADIFF program, including how to pre-purchase tickets, and the full schedule, visit the festival web site at www.nyadiff.org.
