The annual film festival is a platform for filmmakers, producers, and actors of African descent from around the world to showcase their work to a global audience.
By Helena Olori
The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) is gearing up for its 16th edition, scheduled to hold at George Washington University Student Centre, Washington D.C., US, from Friday, August 11, to Sunday, August 13, 2023.
Featuring a curation of diverse stories of the African continent and its diasporic communities across the globe, the #ADIFFDC2023 will showcase several films, ranging from documentaries that shed light on untold histories, to compelling narratives that explore contemporary social issues.
The festival, which is set to bring together film enthusiasts, critics and cultural connoisseurs, will kick off with the screening of The Woodstock of House, a documentary that chronicles “the triumph of a music genre that was attacked by mainstream America in the late 1970s for being too Black, too Latin, and too gay.” Directed by Rodrick F. Wimberly, and Senuwell Smith, The Woodstock of House sheds light on the resilience and evolution of the music genre called “House Music.”
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Also on the lineup is Mama Africa, a musical documentary by Finnish director, Mika Kaurismaki. The film traces the journey of the musical icon, Miriam Makeba, from South Africa to international stardom. There’s also Raja Amari’s She Had a Dream, which explores the resilience and hope of a young black working-class woman fighting for change in Tunisia.
Survival of Kindness, by Rolf de Heer; Ludi, by Edson Jean; Maria Judice directed Elephant; Citizen Kwame, by Yuhi Amuli; and Executive Order, a sci-fi thriller by Lázaro Ramos will also be screened in the course of the three-day festival.
The annual film festival not only provides an enriching cinematic experience, but also serves as a platform for filmmakers, producers, and actors of African descent from around the world to showcase their work to a global audience.
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The films showcased by The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), explore the human experiences of people of colour worldwide, inspiring imagination and challenging stereotypes. The festival celebrates diversity, unity, and humanity’s interconnectedness, through its thoughts provoking film lineup from Africa and the African diaspora, panel discussions, Q&A sessions with filmmakers, and workshops.
ADIFF, founded in 1993 by Reinaldo Barroso-Spech, is based in Harlem and is a minority-led, non-profit international film festival.
Pass tickets for the screenings can be obtained here.