ADIFF Black History Month Film Series
Latin American films co-presented by Cinema Tropical
February 12 - 15, 2021
www.nyadff.org
The African Diaspora International Film Festival will celebrate Black History Month virtually nationwide from Feb. 12 to the 15 with a selection of films about the multiple dimensions of Black History. The selection of 16 fiction and documentary films from 14 different countries offers a global perspective on significant historical moments in the life of people of African descent worldwide.
THE BLACK MOZART IN CUBA
(Stephanie James and Steve James, Cuba, 2008, 52 min. In English and French with English subtitles)
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The Black Mozart in Cuba is the latest act in the rehabilitation of the memory of this extraordinary human being. The film skillfully combines biographical information with performances of his works. Born in Guadeloupe of a Senegalese enslaved woman and a French nobleman, Joseph Boulogne, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), became one of the most remarkable figures of the 18th century. He influenced the music and political life of his time. He was a genius composer and conductor, a virtuoso violinist, the best fencer in Europe, as well as the first black general in the French army. For 200 years after his death his music was rarely heard, due in part to Napoleon’s efforts to erase his existence from history. Today, his music is being rediscovered and played by orchestras and music groups around the world. In this documentary, Cuba dedicates a week of cultural activities to his memory and welcomes Saint Georges as “a great hero of the Caribbean.”
JACQUES ROUMAIN: PASSION FOR A COUNTRY
(Arnold Antonin, Haiti, 2008, 111 min. In French and Creole with English subtitles)
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This exploration of Haitian society of the late 19th and early 20th centuries focuses on the tormented life of one of Haiti’s most important authors and prominent political figures, Jacques Roumain. In his perceptive writings, Roumain raised questions about the issues facing Haiti that remain relevant today. Some of Jacques Roumain’s best writings were translated by the legendary African-American poet Langston Hughes. The question is raised: what legacy has Jacques Roumain left for the future of Haitian youth.
THE FIRST RASTA
(Helen Lee, Jamaica/France, 2010, 85 min. In English and French with English subtitles)
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Forty years after Bob Marley's death, it is time to pay tribute to Leonard Percival Howell, The First Rasta At the beginning of the last century, the young Leonard Percival Howell (1893- 1981) left Jamaica, became a sailor and traveled the world. On his way, he chanced upon all the ideas that stirred his time. From Bolshevism to New Thought, from Gandhi to Anarchism, from Garveyism to psychoanalysis, he sought to find his promised land. With this cocktail of ideas Leonard "Going" Howell returned to Jamaica and founded Pinnacle, the first Rasta community.
GURUMBE: AFRO-ANDALUSIAN MEMORIES
(M. Ángel Rosales, Senegal/Mexico/Spain/Portugal, 2016, 72 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
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Flamenco is synonymous with Spanish culture. Yet, since its inception, theorists have sidelined the fundamental contribution of Afro-Andalusians to this art form. Commercial exploitation of the American colonies brought hundreds of Africans to Spain to be sold as slaves, forming a population which, over time, managed to gain space in a society wrought with racial prejudices. Music and dance were a fundamental part of their expression and the most important affirmation of their identity. As the black population began to disappear from Spain in the late 19th century, so too did their contribution to this extraordinary art form. In Gurumbe: Afro-Andalusian Memories, their story is finally told.
