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| In Search of the Black Night opens the 8th annual DC ADIFF |
From our friends at the African Diaspora International Film Festival...
8th Annual DC African Diaspora International Film Festival, August 22-24, 2014
The 8th DC African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) will hold its annual edition from August 22 to 24, 2014. The weekend will feature ten films - including eight DC premieres, that will take audiences in and out of the United States. Egypt, Madagascar, Serial Leone, and Argentina are some of the countries that will be featured in the selection of films to be showcased in DC ADIFF 2014.
Coming back to the Goethe-Institut located on 812 Seventh Street, NW in Washington DC, DC ADIFF will start with critically-acclaimed historical documentary Jews of Egypt by Amir Ramses. The film details events from the first half of the twentieth century up to moment of the great exodus of the Jewish Egyptian community that took place after the tripartite attack of 1956.
In Search of the Black Knight is the Opening Night film of DC ADIFF 2014. Director Tamarat Makonnen travels across the country in an attempt to illuminate the state of affairs in the Black-American dating scene. Combining professional advice, street interviews and sketch comedy, the humorous documentary touches on subjects such as intercultural and interracial marriage, and building a family. The Opening Night screening will be preceded by a catered reception and followed by a question-and-answer segment with film director, Tamarat Makonnen.
From the beautiful African nation of Madagascar comes Legends of Madagascar by Haminiaina Ratovoarivony. The film illustrates the journey of Jimi, and his close friends, Bob and Dylan, as they travel to the Madagascan countryside to see Jimi’s ill father. While taking on present-day concerns such as native Malagasy and Indian immigrants’ cultural tensions, military corruption, as well as the challenge to preserve indigenous traditions amidst the nation’s economic growth, the film also depicts realistic and warm characters that embody the spirit of the African island.
The 8th DC ADIFF has a strong Afro-Latino flavor. Leading the pack is Tango Negro: The African Roots of Tango, a film exploring the African presence in the Rio de la Plata area of Uruguay and Argentina and the influence culture in the music and dance in the area. Tango, milonga and milongeon, etc. have a strong African component that Angolan director, Dom Pedro, illustrates with music, dance and historic narration.
From Venezuelan director Luis Alberto Lamata comes another ADIFF Washington D.C. premiere, the story Azú set during slavery times about an African woman that brings hope to a group of enslaved men and women who have been captive in a plantation where they have lost their African identity. Azú is the force that leads them to new frontiers.
Based on the life experiences of writer/producer Antonio Morales, the “Romeo and Juliet” inspired For Love in the Caserio tells the story of two young lovers, Cristal and Angelo, from opposite ends of a perpetual gang war as they live in Puerto Rico’s largest public housing project. Through the pure and genuine love they have for one another, they hope to end to the rivalry between their two families. A clear testimony of the value of films with social criticism, For Love in the Caserio has helped to establish peace among gangs and change many lives in a community known primarily for its drugs and violence. In attendance will be director Luis Enrique Rodriguez for a question-and-answer segment after the screening.
They Are We is a film that deeply goes in the African based cultures in the New World. It follows a group of Afro-Cubans in the village Perico in Matanzas who have danced Gangá for centuries. When they are invited to their ancestral home of Sierra Leone after tracing their West African heritage through a similar musical expression, we witness a very emotional moment as Sierra Leoneans and Afro-Cubans dance and sing together the dance and songs of the Gangá-Longobá.
Closing the Afro-Latino component of the festival is the “Brazil Program” with two films from the country with the largest African descent population outside the African continent. The program includes the short film The Summer of the Gods, about a little girl who is introduced to Afro-Brazilian mysticism and religious practices while visiting her grandmother and the Swiss/Brazil production, Maria Bethania: Music is Perfume a tender portrait of one of the most beloved and respected Brazilian artists of our time. The program will be followed by a catered reception sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland.
DC ADIFF 2014 will close with the premiere screening of a drama that brings back memories of a turbulent period in Chicago. For the Cause by Katherine Nero, tells the story of Mirai Scott, a reputable civil rights attorney, who takes on a case that is particularly tough: the defense of her former Black Panther member father charged with the attempted murder of a policeman. For the Cause director Katherine Nero will be in attendance for a question-and-answer segment after the screening.
The African Diaspora International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization.
The 8th Annual African Diaspora Film Festival-Chicago is made possible thanks to the generous support of the following institutions: The Goethe-Institut, ArtMattan Productions, TV5 Monde, Rhythm N’ Dance and the Embassy of Switzerland. The Goethe-Institut is located 812 Seventh Street, NW in Washington D.C.
For a full schedule and to order advance tickets please call 212-864-1760 or visit http://www.NYADIFF.org.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:
Friday, August 22, 2014
6:00 PM Jews of Egypt
Opening Night
7:00 PM Catered Reception
8:00 PM In Search of the Black Knight + Q&A
Saturday, August 23, 2014
1:00 PM Azu
3:00 PM Legends of Madagascar
5:00 PM Tango Negro: The African Roots of Tango
7:30 PM Love in the Caserio + Q&A
Sunday, August 24, 2014
1:00 PM They Are We
2:45 PM Brazil Program: The Summer of Gods + Maria Bethania, Music is Perfume
4:30 PM Closing Reception sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States of America
5:00 PM For the Cause + Q&A
VENUE:
GOETHE-INSTITUT
812 Seventh Street, NW
Washington D.C., 20001
TICKET PRICE:
Opening Night: $20
General Admission: $12
Students or Seniors: $10
Weekend Pass: $60
Day Pass: $25
Group Discount (10 or more): $8.50/person
WEB SITE: http://www.NYADIFF.org
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/African-Diaspora-Film-Festival-ADFF/237052729573
Friday, August 22 @6:00 PM
JEWS OF EGYPT
Washington D.C. Premiere
Jews of Egypt captures fragments of the lives of the Egyptian Jewish community in the first half of the twentieth century until their second grand exodus after the tripartite attack of 1956. Detailing events from the first half of the twentieth century until Egyptian Jewish community’s grand exodus after the tripartite attack of 1956, the film documents the creation of the Egyptian nation as well as the processes taken to cultivate their identity. (Egypt, 2013, 95 min, Amir Ramses, dir., Documentary)
Friday, August 22, 2013 @7:00 PM
IN SEARCH OF THE BLACK KNIGHT - Opening Night
Washington D.C. Premiere
Q&A with director
Catered reception
In Search of the Black Knight takes a humorous look at the complexities of African-American romantic relationships. In particular, the film addresses the perceived shortage of eligible black men and the theories on why this problem exists. The film follows director Tamarat Makonnen as he travels across the country in an attempt to find the truth behind this widely contested subject. Combining professional advice, street interviews and sketch comedy, this comical documentary depicts a familiar territory, but a necessary conversation nonetheless. (United States, 2013, 102 minutes, Tamarat Makonnen, dir., Documentary)
Saturday, August 23, 2014 @1:00 PM
AZÚ
Washington D.C. Premiere
After surviving the treacherous Middle Passage, suffering the humiliation of an auction block, and a purchase by slave traders, Azú is brought to the plantation of a sugarcane farmer. Little does her master know that Azú has an ancestral destiny that will completely disrupt the plantation’s natural order. Action, mysticism and the African identity come together in this story enveloped in magic and the fight for freedom. Stars Pedro Durán, Carmen Francia, Maryelis Rivas, Flora Sylvestre and Juvel Vielma. (Venezuela, 2013, 100 minutes, Luis Alberto Lamata, dir., Drama)
Saturday, August 23, 2014 @3:00 PM
LEGENDS OF MADAGASCAR
Washington D.C. Premiere
A young man studying in the Madagascan capital of Antananarivo is compelled to return to his village when he learns that his father has fallen ill. The film follows Jimi, and his close friends, Bob and Dylan, as they journey to the Madagascan countryside. While taking on contemporary issues such as the ethno-racial tensions between the Madagascan natives and Indian immigrants, military corruption, as well as the challenge to preserve indigenous traditions amidst the nation’s economic growth, the film also depicts off-the-wall characters that embody the spirit of the African island. Even with rampant signs of political strife along their journey, the trio still has their fair share of camaraderie and hijinks. (Madagascar, 2012, 93 min, Haminiaina Ratovoarivony, dir., Drama/Comedy)
Saturday, August 23, 2014 @5:00 PM
TANGO NEGRO: THE AFRICAN ROOTS OF TANGO
Washington D.C. Premiere
Tango Negro explores the expression of African-ness inherent in the dance of the “tango” and the contribution of African cultures to the dance’s creation. Angolan director, Dom Pedro, details the dance’s early cultural significance as a depiction of the social life of captured African slaves and provides an expansive compilation of musical performances and interviews from tango enthusiasts and historians alike. Tango Negro provides a novel insight into the depth of tango’s sub-Saharan African musical influence—a presence that has crossed oceans and endured the tides of forced bondage. (France, 2013, 93 min., Dom Pedro, dir., Documentary)
Saturday, August 23, 2014 @7:30 PM
LOVE IN THE CASERIO
Washington D.C. Premiere
Q&A with director
Based on a play written and staged by Antonio Morales with residents of Puerto Rico’s largest public housing project, the Luis Llorens Torres, and inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” For Love in the Caserio tells the story of two young lovers, Cristal and Angelo, from opposite ends of a never ending gang war. They hope to put an end to the rivalry between their two families through their love. Shot inside the 140-building complex, with residents playing most of the roles, this gritty drama explores a world rarely seen in Puerto Rican cinema. (Chicago Latino Film Festival 2014). (Puerto Rico, 2013, 100 min, Luis Enrique Rodriguez , dir., Drama/Action)
Sunday, August 24, 2014 @1:00 PM
THEY ARE WE
Washington D.C. Premiere
Can a family separated by the transatlantic slave trade for 170 years sing and dance its way back together? They Are We reveals how a community of Afro-Cubans in the remote Cuban village of Perico learn of and become acquainted with their ancestors in Sierra Leone and vice-versa. They Are We documents the story of survival, cultural endurance, and the testament of resolve and shared humanity prevailing over the most austere of historical institutions. (Cuba/Sierra Leone, 2013, 77 min, Emma Christopher, dir., Documentary)
Sunday, August 24, 2014 @2:45 PM
BRAZIL PROGRAM
THE SUMMER OF THE GODS + MARIA BETHANIA: MUSIC IS PERFUME
Washington D.C. Premiere
THE SUMMER OF THE GODS
The Summer of the Gods revolves around Lili, a six year old Afro-Brazilian who unites with her native religious ancestry on a summer visit to her family’s rural village. Soon after arriving in Northeast Brazil, where Afro-Brazilian religious traditions still endure, Lili encounters Orishas. As these African deities help her cope with a gift that has previously vexed her, Lili’s grandmother upholds Afro-Brazilian religious practices as a revered local priestess. To ensure that these customs carry on after her grandmother passes, the gifted Lili is led on a mystic and supernatural adventure of initiation. (Brazil/USA, 2014, 20 min, Eliciana Nascimento, dir., Drama)
MARIA BETHANIA: MUSIC IS PERFUME
Maria Bethania: Music is Perfume brings to the widescreen the formidable 40 year career of Brazilian singing star, Maria Bethania. Featuring her concerts and her famous brother, composer/singer Caetano Veloso, and Bethania’s musical contemporaries, the film enters the intimate sphere of Bethania's creative process and illustrates her discography’s reflection of Brazilian music history. Branding the singer a muse of Brazilian counter-culture and a queen of romantic ballads, the works of Maria Bethania are closely chronicled in relation to Brazil’s societal development during the performer’s prominence. (Brazil/France 2005, 77 min, Georges Gachot, dir., Documentary)
Followed by Closing catered reception sponsored by The Embassy of Switzerland in the United States
FOR THE CAUSE
Washington D.C. Premiere
Q&A with director
Upon her recent victory in a major prosecution, Mirai Scott, a reputable civil rights attorney is contacted by her estranged father, a former Black Panther who went underground decades prior after an altercation with the FBI. Captured and extradited, Mirai’s father has been charged with the attempted murder of a policeman. Initially, Mirai refuses his case. However, when Mirai’s mother refuses to elaborate on the parents’ period in the Black Panther Party, Mirai’s curiosity is piqued. While filling in the blanks of her past and overcoming her own relationship and trust issues, unearthed are deep-seated hostilities, long-buried wrongs and masked deceptions as Mirai aggressively pursues her father’s defense. (USA, 2013, 85min, Katherine Nero, dir., Drama)
