African Diaspora International Film Festival, Caribbean Film Series 2024
April 26-28
African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), Caribbean Film Series 2024 showcases an impressive lineup of 12 films from across the Caribbean and its diasporas, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. The event offers a cinematic exploration of the rich and diverse cultures of the Caribbean through the presentation of classic films, premiere screenings, and conversations. This year the Carribean Film Series includes four Latin American films offering an impactful selection of stories, both fiction and non-fiction, with Latinx subjects at the core.
All screenings at:
408 Zankel, Teachers College, Columbia University
525 W 120th St., New York City
For tickets and more information visit: caribbeanfilms.eventive.org/films
THE MALI-CUBA CONNECTION
(Edouard Salier and Richard Minier, Mali/France/Cuba, 2020, 81 min. In Spanish and French with English subtitles)
In the midst of the Cold War, ten young promising musicians from Mali are sent to Cuba to study music and strengthen cultural links between the two socialist countries. Combining Malian and Afro-Cuban influences, they develop a revolutionary new sound and become the iconic ensemble ‘Las Maravillas de Mali’. New Year’s Eve 2000. Richard Minier, a French music producer meets a former member of the band in Bamako and decides to bring the band back together.
MALUALA
(Sergio Giral, Cuba, 1979, 84 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
In 19th century Cuba, runaway African slaves known as 'Cimarrons' hid in settlements in the eastern mountains. But discord among the Cimarrons is sown by a limited offer of freedom from the Spanish. Maluala is part of a trilogy of films about Cuba's slave uprisings made by Sergio Giral, the best-known Afro-Cuban director.
ANGELICA
(Marisol Gómez-Mouakad, Puerto Rico, 2016, 100 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles)
Angelica, after a long absence from Puerto Rico, returns home when her father, Wilfredo, suffers a stroke. This unexpected return and her father's illness force Angelica to re-evaluate her relationship with her mother and family members who don't accept her because of her skin color. She must face herself and discovers that she does not know who she is. After her father's death, Angelica must decide whether to return to the comfort of her previous life, dissatisfied, but secure, or set on an adventurous path to rediscover herself as an independent, modern, strong, black, and Puerto Rican woman.
SUGAR CANE MALICE
(Juan A. Zapata, Dominican Republic, 2021, 76 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
A documentary about the working conditions of Haitian workers in one of the largest sugar cane plantations in the world, located in the Dominican Republic and belonging to the Fanjul Family, one of the most powerful families in America.
