http://www.nyadff.org/ChicagoADFF.htm

Ticket Information and Location

The 2nd Annual Chicago African Diaspora Film Festival (ADFF) will be held at the Facets Cinémathèque, in collaboration with ArtMattan Productions and ADFF, Inc., from June 11-17. During the African Diaspora Film Festival, people from diverse races, nationalities and backgrounds come together to enjoy important cinematic works of creativity, intellectual expansion, identity, and equality. In this world there are no boundaries around people, since they have a universal understanding of mutual humanity. Local audiences will have the rare opportunity to discover the fascinating stories that celebrate life, as well as the ongoing challenges of human beings who successfully navigate the realities of living in the modern world. Included this year are such challenging films as Ava and Gabriel, a stark look at racial intolerance; The Other World, a very personal story about a young woman's search for truth, and many other films, including the extraordinary film Borders, which follows the trials of a group of African immigrants as they make their way towards Europe. There is also The Opening Night film, Women's Love, a very entertaining comedy by young Egyptian filmmaker Khaled El Hagar. The ADFF is an opportunity to showcase talented and visionary filmmakers whose works are a part of the global Black experience.

AVA AND GABRIEL
Fri., Jun. 11 at 7 p.m.
Mon., Jun. 14 at 9 p.m.

In the 1940's, on the island of Curacao, the painter Gabriel Goedbloed arrives from Holland to paint a mural of the Virgin Mary in St. Anna's Church. The clergy and local citizens are surprised to find that he is black and they prove to be less than tolerant towards the visitor, especially after he chooses as his model, a young local teacher, Ava, who is engaged to a white police official. Directed by Felix de Rooy, Netherlands/Curacao, 1990, 35mm, 100 mins. In Dutch and Papiamentu with English subtitles

DOUBLE FEATURE: EGYPTIAN FILMS PROGRAM
Fri., Jun. 11 at 9 p.m.
Thurs., Jun. 17 at 6:30 p.m.

ROTATING SQUARE

Sami and his wife Sarah are packing to move to America, where they intend to open a restaurant. However, some unexpected and unforeseeable events take place, in this strange surrealist comedy/drama. Directed by Ahmed Hassouna, Egypt, 2002, BetaSP, 14 mins. In Arabic with English subtitles.

WOMEN'S LOVE

A rich man dies, leaving his money to his three daughters by different mothers. Never having met, they must live together for a year to receive their inheritance. Directed by Khaled El Hagar, Egypt, 2003, 35mm, 115 mins., In Arabic with English subtitles.

COMING TO ENGLAND

Sat., Jun. 12 at 3 p.m.

Coming to England is a film adaptation of Floella Benjamin's highly acclaimed book, first published in 1994. It tells the story of her journey as a ten year old from her home Trinidad to London in the 1960's. Floella's story is typical of many young West Indians of that time, when many of them, encouraged by enticing advertisements, left their homes in the Caribbean and migrated to Britain. Directed by Floella Benjamin, United Kingdom, 2003, 60 mins. .

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AFRICAN SHORTS PROGRAM

Sat., Jun. 12 at 5 p.m.

ACES

Aces is the story of a young man fighting against the domestic abuse of his mother by his drunken father. The situation escalates until Aces desperately stabs his father and is sent to jail for a period of 15 years. Nine years later he is out on parole, but becomes involved in another violent incident. Directed by Ntandazo "Didi" Gcingca, South Africa, 1999, BetaSP, 17 mins. In English.

CHILDHOOD DESTROYED

(L'ENFANCE CONFISQUÉE)

Eleven year old Mariam works as a domestic to provide for her guardian, her unemployed uncle Djimet, and his family. Despite her many tasks, she must also answer to the whims of his wife and young children. One day, Mariam is arrested and detained without her uncle or employer even inquiring of her whereabouts. Childhood Destroyed denounces the living conditions of young girls in Chad in a delicate yet powerful way. Directed by Zara M. Yacoub, Chad; 1999, BetaSP, 26 mins. In Arabic and French with English subtitles.

STAMBALI

Stambali is an annual tribute that the disciples of Sidi Saad pay to their master during an initiatory journey and rite of purification that lasts three days. In Stambali, the camera follows the rhythm of the possessions and dances of this Tunisian healing ceremony as it develops into an individual and collective hypnosis. Directed by Nawfel Saheb-Ettaba, Tunisia, 1999, BetaSP, 52 mins. In Arabic and French with English subtitles.

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THE OTHER WORLD

(L'AUTRE MONDE)

Sat., Jun. 12 at 7 p.m.
Tues., Jun. 15 at 9 p.m.

The Other World is the heart-breaking story of one woman's search for the truth. Yasmine Hattou, a young French-Algerian, goes to Algiers in search of her fiancée. She struggles in a country she does not know, where nothing seems normal, like being in another world that is always replete with violence. Directed by Merzak Allouache, France/Algeria, 2001, 35mm, 97 mins. In French and Arabic with English subtitles.

TASUMA, THE FIGHTER

Sat., Jun. 12 at 9 p.m.
Wed., Jun. 16 at 9 p.m.

A comedy set in contemporary Burkina Faso, Tasuma, The Fighter tells the story of a World War II veteran who has been trying for more than 50 years to obtain his well-deserved military pension. Convinced that he will be paid shortly, Sogo buys a mill on credit for the village, but the money does not arrive. When Sogo is put in prison because he cannot reimburse his loan, the women of the village rally to set him free. Directed by Daniel Kollo Sanou, Burkina Faso, 2003, 35mm, 90 mins. In French and Moré with English subtitles.

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DOUBLE FEATURE

AFRO-LATINO MUSIC PROGRAM

Sun., Jun. 13 at 1 p.m.

CANDOMBE

More than two hundred years ago, there was an influx into Uruguay of slaves from Africa who, after being freed, continued to make up the poorest and most marginalized stratum of society. Fernando Nuñez, a Black man, musician, and maker of drums, sees himself as the heir to "Candombe," an important social and cultural legacy from his slave forefathers. Directed by Rafael Deugenio, Uruguay, 1993, 16mm, 16 mins. In Spanish with English subtitles.

SUSANA BACA: MEMORIA VIVA

Susana Baca is not only a champion in the performance and preservation of Afro-Peruvian heritage, but also an elegant singer whose shimmering voice sings of love, loss and life. Susana has dedicated herself to researching and performing virtually all forms of Afro-Peruvian folklore and the lando has become her trademark. Directed by Marc Dixon, Dir Peru/Belgium, 2002, BetaSP, 54 mins. In Spanish with English subtitles.

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DOUBLE FEATURE

Sun., Jun. 13 at 2:30 p.m.

HUMAN BEHAVIOR

In 1993, police officers opened fire on a group of sleeping street children camped on the steps of a cathedral in Rio de Janeiro's central financial district, killing six of them. This event, later called the Candelaria massacre, is vividly depicted in this film about the plight of street children in Brazil. Directed by Flavio Leandro, Brazil, 35mm, 1995, 12 mins. Silent without dialogue.

THE FORGOTTEN ROOTS

The African presence is spread all over the New World. The Afro-Mexican communities of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Campeche are representative of the strong African presence in Mexico. Directed by Rafael Rebollar Mexico, 2001, BetaSP, 50 mins. In Spanish with English subtitles

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BORDERS

(FRONTIÈRES)

Sun., Jun. 13 at 4:30 p.m.

Wed., Jun. 16 at 7 p.m.

The remarkable feature debut follows the trials of a group of African immigrants as they make their way towards Morocco, dreaming of crossing the water to Europe. They place themselves at the mercy of others along the way, seeking a better future, while being ruled by the personal values of their pasts. Directed by Mostefa Djadjam, France/Algeria, 2002, 35mm, 102 mins. In French with English subtitles

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DOUBLE FEATURE

Sun., Jun. 13 at 7 p.m.

Thurs., Jun. 17 at 9 p.m.

THOMAS SANKARA

Captain Thomas Sankara was the leader of the Burkinabe Revolution. In the former Upper Volta known today as Burkina Faso, a group of men decided to launch a revolution that would enable the country "to accept the responsibility of its reality and its destiny with human dignity". Directed by Balufu Bakupa Kanyinda, Democratic Republic of Congo, 1991, BetaSP, 26 mins. In French with English subtitles.

LOOKING FOR LIFE

(CHERCHER LA VIE)

Looking for Life introduces two women, Anne-Rose and Rosemene, each of whom has her own particular way of battling through life. The former makes lunches in a factory yard in Port-au-Prince and sells her meals to the factory workers; the latter is employed in the same factory as a production worker making pullovers and T-shirts. This film reveals part of their daily work and the constant battle for survival, a plight that is shared by the other women in Haiti. Directed by Claudette Coulanges, Haiti/Germany, 1999; 16mm, 60 mins. In Creole and French with English subtitles.

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THE JOURNEY OF THE LION

Mon., Jun. 14 at 7 p.m.

Brother Howie is a Jamaican Rastafari who dreams of the land of his ancestors: Africa. On a journey in search of his roots, he travels through three continents and discovers the world...and Africa. Directed by Fritz Baumann, Jamaica/Germany, 1992, BetaSP, 90 mins, In English.

DOUBLE FEATURE JAZZ PROGRAM

Tues., Jun. 15 at 7 p.m.

ALMA'S JAZZY MARRIAGE

Jazz is replete with musicians who would never have gotten by without a strong, independent woman to keep them focused and together. Alma Foster was one of those women, whose memory, as "sharp as a 10 penny nail", provides a look at the giants who created jazz in America. Directed by Elizabeth She, Mal Sharpe and Sandra Sharpe, U.S.A., 2004, BetaSP, 27 mins. In English.

REMEMBER MARVIN GAYE

In 1981, Marvin Gaye, Motown·s "troubled man," took refuge in Belgium, where he lived for two years. Richard Olivier met him and filmed the genius of Rhythm ·n Blues at a time when he was trying to find peace within himself. "Remember Marvin Gaye" is an intimate and revealing musical portrait of a lesser-known facet of the singer·s life. Directed by Richard Oliver Belgium, 2002, BetaSP, 56 mins. In English.

Tickets are $9, $5 for members, FREE for Patron Circle Members.

Advance tickets: www.facets.org

Facets Cinematheque hotline: 773-281-4114

1517 W. Fullerton Ave. Chicago

SPECIAL SCREENING

JUNE 8, 2004

at DuSable Museum of African American Historywith

Two Afro-Brazilian Films: "Human Behavior" and "Denying Brazil"

Screenings followed by a Q&A sponsored by the Brazilian Cultural Center.

Address:
740 East 56th Place
Chicago, IL 60637

773.947.0600 (phone)

Tickets $5, $4 for members

www.dusablemuseum.org