8th Annual Chicago African Diaspora Film Festival June 18-24

June 12, 2010 - PRLog -- 8TH ANNUAL CHICAGO AFRICAN DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL
June 18-24

The African Diaspora Film Festival and The Facets Cinémathèque are presenting The 8th Annual Chicago African Diaspora Film Festival (ADFF 2010 -Chicago), which will be held at Facets from June 18-24. This outstanding event will feature a selection of Black Independent Films from around the world and this one-week series will exhibit 15 films, present a program of films from the US, France, Haiti, Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa just to name a few of the countries represented. Recognized as one of the most important film festivals depicting an eclectic mix of foreign, independent, classic and urban films representing the global experience of people of color through an extraordinary range of subjects and artistic approaches from all over the world, ADFF 2010-Chicago will showcase the works of Stanley Nelson (Two Dollars and a Dream: The Story of Madame C.J. Walker; The Murder of Emmett Till) Raoul Peck (Lumumba, Sometimes in April), John Kani, Aaron Woolfolk and many others whose films come directly from FESPACO, the Toronto International Film Festival, ADFF-New York and Sundance.    

Premiere highlights in ADFF 2010-Chicago

Sundance entry “Freedom Riders” by award winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson exposes audiences to the brutality and sacrifices Freedom Riders faced in their quest to make America a better place for everybody.  Official selection, Sundance Film Festival.

Shot in Haiti, “Moloch Tropical,” by award winning filmmaker Raoul Peck, tells the story of a dictator in the Caribbean. This elegant drama is a powerful visual depiction of the negative effect of power. Official selection Toronto and Tribeca Film Festivals.

John Kani, the famous award winning South African actor (Soweto Green, Saturday Night at The Palace) goes behind the camera to make “Nothing But The Truth,” the story of Sipho Makhaya, a 63 year old librarian trying to adjust to the new South Africa. With a great sense of humor and sense of purpose, Mr. Kani not only directs but also stars in this cinematographic version of his award winning play by the same name. Silver Yennenga Stallion, FESPACO 2009.

Aaron Woolfolk lived in Japan as an English teacher for some time. Set mostly in Japan, his film “The Harimaya Bridge” is perhaps the first feature film directed by an African-American depicting a contemporary story about Japanese and African-Americans. Built around the human experience of Daniel (veteran theatre and cinema actor Ben Guillory), “The Harimaya Bridge” explores the tensions Daniel harbors as a result of the death of his father in Japan during World War II. Encouraged by his old friend Joseph (Danny Glover), he reaches a critical point in his life when he is faced to the death of his estranged son killed in a fatal accident in Japan and decides to go there to recover his son’s remains. Official Selection ADFF – NYC 2009.

Narrated by award winning actress Cicely Tyson, “Up From The Bottoms” is the story of African-American men and women who left the rural South looking for a better life and settled in Muskegon, Michigan. These men and women struggled to give the American Dream a larger meaning.  Official Selection ADFF – NYC 2009.                
       

Other films premiering in ADFF 2010-Chicago

“Black Nation” by Motz Helm is a reflection about the state of affairs of the African-American male population today. The Swedish director has a long term connection to the city of Detroit and the Church Shrine of the Black Madonna as his father was central in the documentation of the 1967 Detroit riots, the Church’s part in this seminal event and the filming of Stokeley Carmichael’s (Black Panther Party) 1968 fundraising tour of Europe.

“Adera” by Nega Tariku is a South African drama that depicts the story of Ethiopians living in South Africa. A surprising contemporary story of surrogate motherhood, family traditions and immigration.

“Do U Cry 4 Me Argentina” by Bae Youn Suk talks about the little known reality of South Korean immigrants in Argentina. A rare film about a revealing human experience.

Brazilian filmmaker Silvio Tendler takes us to a different place with his revealing documentary “The Global World Seen From Over Here: A Conversation With Milton Santos” about Milton Santos, an Afro-Brazilian of incredible intellectual proportions who dedicated his life to humanity. In this film, Professor Milton Santos talks about life, the world and being black and intellectual in Brazil.

“Just Like Us” by Ahmed Ahmed asks “Do Muslims have a sense of humor?” Ahmed Ahmed, with a group of stand up comedians, tours several countries in the Middle East to put this question to a test.

More than 50 years ago, many countries in Africa became independent nations. Amilcar Cabral, Jomo Kenyatta, Sekou Toure, Frantz Fanon, Ahmed Ben Barka and other men and women contributed to this historic episode. The African Leaders Program is a modest celebration of that moment. With two films -- “Amilcar Cabral” by Anna Ramos Lisboa and “Frantz Fanon: His Life, His Struggle, His Work” by Cheikh Djemai -- ADFF 2010-Chicago invites Chicago to celebrate the African Liberation Movement.

Encore Moments in ADFF 2010-Chicago

“On the Verge of a Fever” by John L'Ecuyer is based on Dany Laferriere’s autobiographical work on growing up in Haiti. Actress Mireille Mettelus  (“On the Verge of a Fever” and “Moloch Tropical”)  will be present to talk about her work on both films and will share her experience working with Raoul Peck and Dany Laferierre, two of the most important Haitian filmmakers/writers of today. A fundraiser for Haiti has been organized by the DuSable Heritage Association in the context of ADFF on Sunday, June 20.

After winning the Prix du Jury at Cannes 2010 with “A Crying Man,” the Chadian Mahamat Saleh Haroun confirms his presence as an important international filmmaker. His previous film “Daratt /Dry Season,” Prix du Jury at the Venice Film Festival 2005, is part of the ADFF-Chicago selection this year.


The 8th Annual African Diaspora Film Festival-Chicago is made possible thanks to the generous support of the following institutions: Facets Cinemateque, ArtMattan Productions; The DuSable Heritage Association (DHA) in Chicago, the Diaspora Spirit, the Center for Black Diaspora at DePaul University, The Organization International de la Francophonie, the Quebec Government Office – Chicago, the cultural services of the Consulate General of France Chicago and The Consulate of Japan-Chicago.

The Facets Cinémathèque is located at 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. in Chicago. For a full schedule and to order advance tickets online please call 773-281-4114 or visit http://www.facets.org.  Tickets are $12 for Opening Night, $9 general admission.

For a complete schedule for the 8th Annual African Diaspora Film Festival- Chicago, for screeners, press information, and interviews, contact ArtMattan Productions at  (212) 864-1760 / Fax (212) 316-6020 or E-mail PR@NYADFF.org.  Festival web site: www.NYADFF.org.

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Held in NYC, Chicago, DC and Jersey City, the African Diaspora Film Festival (ADFF) features programs around urban, classic, foreign & independent films that explore the richness and diversity of the life experience of people of color all over the world.