ADIFF’s US Independent: Activism and Social Commentary Film Series presents 14 programs that take a look at the diversity of voices in independent film in USA.

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, May 10, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) - in collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Community Affairs at Teachers College, Columbia University - hosts the US Independent: Activism & Social Commentary Film Series featuring 16 films highlighting diverse voices in the USA.

ADIFF’s US Independent: Activism and Social Commentary Film Series presents 14 programs that take a look at the diversity of voices in the independent film scenario in the United States. Independent films are made outside of the studio system, often with lower budgets, by filmmakers who have a vision and mission to tell a story. The films in the selection reflect strongly that reality.

Three documentaries spotlight the life of three personalities that contributed significantly to the American cultural landscape. Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth by Pratibha Parmar tells the compelling story of an extraordinary woman. Alice Walker made history as the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her groundbreaking novel, The Color Purple. Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band by Carol Bash is a feature documentary on the life and music of this renowned jazz pianist, composer and arranger and Paul Laurence Dunbar: Beyond The Mask by Frederick Lewis is a documentary on the life and legacy of the first African American to achieve national fame as a writer, Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), best remembered for his poem, “We Wear the Mask”.

Other films present stories of individuals fighting for social justice including The Last Revolutionary by Michael Brewer about Mac Perkins who, in his Los Angeles throwback hideout, is plotting to stop an attack from the far right and racist groups around the country; Betrayal of a Nation by Brandi Webb, a documentary in which The U.S Government is indicted and brought to trial on charges holding it accountable for crimes against citizens of color; Fighting for Respect by Joanne Burke, a documentary that captures the plight of African American soldiers who fought in WWI, receiving the Croix de Guerre military decoration from France, while still fighting discrimination and hatred at home in America; Angels on Diamond Street by Petr Lom, a film about three inspiring women fighting for social justice in an African American church in North Philadelphia who help a Mexican undocumented immigrant asking for sanctuary; Running with My Girls by Rebekah Henderson follows five diverse female activists who decide to run for municipal office in Denver — one of the fastest gentrifying cities in the U.S.

Other independent films tell more personal stories that deal with issues of personal struggle and healing including Desiree by Felix de Rooy, about a young psychologically troubled woman from Brooklyn; Stand Down Soldier by Jeryl Prescott about Sergeant Stacy Armstrong who returns home from three deployments with PTSD; The Sleeping Negro by Skinner Myers about a young black man who must overcome rage, alienation, and hopelessness in order to find his own humanity; Thicker Than Blood by Anthony Williams about a tight-knit family left broken and faced with the task of trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces and put them back together before losing each other forever and Angelica by Marisol Gómez-Mouakad about a young Black Puerto Rican woman forced to re-evaluate her relationship with her racist mother and family members.

The US Short program includes White Like the Moon by Marina Gonzalez Palmier about a Mexican-American girl who struggles to keep her identity when her mother forces her to bleach her skin; The Mason Ring by Terry Dawson about a pair of siblings who make a late night drop off at a funeral home and have an impromptu goodbye with their deceased grandfather and Kenbe Fem: A Haitian Story of Survival, Unity and Strength, a documentary by Mark Goodnow and David Pierre-Louis about the resilience of the Haitian community.
Included in the series are 8 documentaries and 8 narratives. Ticket prices are $10 for one screening/program and $45 for an all-access pass.

US INDEPENDENT ACTIVISM & SOCIAL COMMENTARY FILM SERIES AT A GLANCE:

Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth by Angelica by Marisol Gómez-Mouakad (USA)
Betrayal of a Nation by (USA)
Desiree by Felix de Rooy (USA)
Fighting for Respect: African Americans in WWI by Joanne Burke (USA/France)
Kenbe Fem: A Haitian Story of Survival, Unity and Strength by Mark Goodnow (USA)
Mary Lou William: The Lady Who Swings the Band by Carol Bash (USA)
The Mason Ring by Terry Dawson (USA)
Running with My Girls by Rebekah Henderson (USA)
The Sleeping Negro by Skinner Myers (USA)
Stand Down Soldier by Jeryl Prescott (USA)
Paul Laurence Dunbar: Beyond the Mask by Kane Stratton (USA)
Thicker Than Blood by Anthony Williams (USA)
The Last Revolutionary by Michael Brewer (USA)
White Like the Moon by Marina Gonzalez Palmier (USA)
Angelica by Marisol Gómez-Mouakad (USA/Puerto Rico)
Angels on Diamond Street by Petr Lom (USA/Netherlands)

The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization.

The US INDEPENDENT ACTIVISM & SOCIAL COMMENTARY FILM SERIES is made possible thanks to the support of the following institutions and individuals: ArtMattan Productions; the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs, Teachers College, Columbia University and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation and administered by LMCC, The New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Diarah N'Daw-Spech
ArtMattan Films
212-864-1760
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