African Diaspora International Film Festival DC 2023

This year, ADIFF DC will be screening films at George Washington University during the weekend of Agust 11 - 13. You have the option of buying a ticket here online or at the door. To not miss any of the screenings and panels discussions, consider

ADIFF DC 2023 AT A GLANCE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11

1:00pm |

In a dystopian future, the Brazilian government decrees a measure that forces black citizens to migrate to Africa in an attempt to return to their origins. Seeing themselves in the center of terror, two cousins take refuge in an apartment, where they debate social and racial issues, and share the same yearning for the change of country. Directed by Lázaro Ramos, 2022, 94 min, Brazil, Drama/Sci-fi, Portuguese with English

3:00pm |

Citizen Kwame is a Kafkaesque film about travel visas. It tells the story of Kwame, an African man who wants to travel outside of his compound, but he must first get a visa from a Caucasian gatekeeper who controls movements in-and-out of the house. It is only with the help of a newly acquired Caucasian girlfriend that he succeeds. Directed by Yuhi Amuli, Rwanda, 2023, 81 minutes, Drama, French with English Subtitles

4:50pm |

“YAFA, Forgiveness” explores the social and economic dynamics at work in the relationship between an African immigrant in Paris and a Caribbean policeman from Guadeloupe as they seek to understand each other. Directed by Christian Lara, France, 2019, 85 minutes, Drama, French with English subtitles

6:40pm |

Music Pictures gives us four legacy portraits of New Orleans music figures Irma Thomas, Little Freddie King, Ellis Marsalis, and The Tremé Brass Band. Now in their 80s, these local masters continue their practice, for the love of the music, in the city that made them who they are. Directed by Ben Chace, USA, 2022, 72 minutes, Documentary, English

OPENING NIGHT FILM:

8:30pm |

This documentary details the triumph of a music genre that was attacked and nearly destroyed by mainstream American in the late 1970s for being too black, too Latin, and too gay. It also portrays the rebirth of this music genre called House Music thanks to Black teenagers from the south side of Chicago and a chosen few DJs who had a role in the creation and grown of this musical genre. Directed by Rodrick F. Wimberly, Senuwell Smith, USA, 2021, 97 Min, English

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12

SPOTLIGHT ON SOUTH AFRICA

10:00am |

In the stylish new film "Back Of The Moon" directed by Oscar-nominated South African director Angus Gibson, we are transported to the glitzy yet dangerous world of Sophiatown. Set in 1958, the story revolves around Badman, an intellectual and leader of a powerful gang in this half-demolished ghetto near Johannesburg. As apartheid police prepare to uproot the residents, Badman, refusing to accept the harsh reality, decides to fight for his home. However, his plans are disrupted when he unexpectedly crosses paths with Eve Msomi, a talented torch-singer on the verge of an international career. The night of their fateful meeting becomes a turning point as Badman's gang, sensing his vulnerability, turns against them both. Starring Richard Lukunku and Moneoa Moshesh, this film captures the vibrant yet treacherous atmosphere of Sophiatown. Directed by Angus Gibson, South Africa, 2019, 95min, Drama, Zulu w/English subtitles

12:00pm |

Miriam Makeba, a pioneering African musician, achieved international fame while staying true to her South African heritage. Forced into exile in 1959, she sang for influential figures like John F. Kennedy and collaborated with artists such as Harry Belafonte, Nina Simone, and Hugh Masekela. Makeba's life was marked by turmoil, but she consistently championed truth, justice, and the rights of oppressed people, particularly black Africans under apartheid. Following a concert in Italy, she passed away in November 2008. Mika Kaurismäki's documentary delves into her five-decade musical journey, showcasing rare archival footage and interviews with her contemporaries. Directed by Mika Kaurismäki, South Africa/Germany, 2011, 88 minutes, Documentary, English

2:00pm |

Mercurial blues-man Fantastic Negrito faces his demons amidst the mental health crisis ravaging his Oakland community. As he creates his most personal album, Negrito searches to answer: in a sick society, how do you keep from going crazy? Directed by Francisco Núñez Capriles & Yvan Iturriaga, USA, 2022, 93 minutes, Documentary, English

3:40pm |

In a cage on a trailer in the middle of the desert, BlackWoman (Mwajemi Hussein) is abandoned, left to die. But BlackWoman seems not ready. She escapes, journeying through pestilence and persecution, from desert to mountain and finally to city, on a quest for an unknown beginning. But the city is more uncertain even than the desert, and recaptured, BlackWoman must find another escape. Or does she? Directed by Rolf De Heer, Australia, 2022, 93 minutes, Documentary, English

6:50pm |

Zora Neale Hurston, path-breaking novelist, pioneering anthropologist and one of the first black women to enter the American literary canon (Their Eyes Were Watching God), established the African American vernacular as one of the most vital, inventive voices in American literature. This definitive film biography, eighteen years in the making, portrays Zora in all her complexity: gifted, flamboyant, and controversial but always fiercely original... Directed by Sam Pollard, USA, 2008, 83 minutes, Documentary, English

8:30pm |

A woman witnesses a M**der of a young boy by a police officer and suffers from a prolonged mental breakdown that renders her incapable of leaving her apartment. Directed by Maria Judice, USA, 2022, 93 minutes, Documentary, English

SUNDAY, AUGUST 13

10:30am |

25-year-old Ghofrane dreams of becoming a politician and having an influence on the future of Tunisia. As a young black woman from the working class, it is a dream that requires stamina – and she has plenty of it.

Raja Amari’s film follows her up to the election in 2019 when she is on the streets to gather votes and give especially young people renewed faith in democracy in a polarised society plagued by racism and inequality. A smaller film might turn a blind eye on realism in favour of a good story, but here both Ghofrane nor Amari are aware of the exhausting struggles that have to be overcome before she can bring about the change she so fervently longs to see happening. An inspiring film about a true idealist and a rich image of a society full of contrasts. Directed by Raja Amari, 2021, 90 min, Tunisia, Documentary, Arabic and French with English subtitles

12:20pm |

Strahinja and his wife Ababuo left Ghana with a dream of a better life in Europe. Instead of reaching the western part of the continent, they were deported back to Serbia. Strahinja has started to build himself a career, while Ababuo is unable to fulfil her ambitions and she feels increasingly frustrated. When she disappears one day, Strahinja sets out to find her… A crystal clear, humanistic story about the need to find one’s place in the world. It’s also a tale of love, the most profound testimony of which might also be the most painful. Directed by Stefan Arsenijević, Luxembourg/ Lithuania/ Bulgaria/ France/ Serbia, 2022, 129min, Drama, English and Serbian with English subtitles.

2:10pm |

In the war-torn Sahel region, Naïma arrives at a displaced persons camp, unaware that her quest to find her long-lost brother Saïd will finally be fulfilled. Their separation occurred after their parents died in a terrorist attack, leaving Naïma with hearing loss and a lifelong obsession to reunite with her brother. However, their joyous reunion is short-lived when Naïma learns that Saïd has joined the wrong side, forcing her to choose between protecting their only surviving parent or delivering him to justice to dismantle the terrorist group he is part of. Directed by Boubakar Diallo, Burkina Faso, 2023, Drama, 90 min, French with English subtitles

CLOSING NIGHT

6:30pm |

PANEL + RECEPTION AFTER THE SCREENING

After a half truth lands her under immense financial pressure, Ludi Alcidor embarks on a frantic scour through Miami's private care-taking world in an increasingly desperate attempt to send money to her family in Haiti. Directed by Edson Jean, US, 2023, Documentary 87 min, English

Event Venue

GWU Marvin Center, 800 21st Street NW, Washington, United States

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