HIGHLIGHTS

AFRO-LATINO FILMS IN ADIFF 2020

November 17, 2020

AFRO-LATINO FILMS IN ADIFF NYC 2020!

ADIFF 2020 PRESENTS A WIDE RANGE OF AFRO-LATINO FILMS!

Juano Hernandez, An Afro-Latino Actor in Hollywood

Presentation of five films – including Opening Night film, St. Louis Blues by Allen Resiner, the 1958 classic film broadly based on the life of W. C. Handy and featuring Nat ‘King’ Cole, Eartha Kitt, Pearl Bailey and Juano Hernandez.- to spotlight the work of actor Juano Hernández, an Afro-Puerto Rican stage and film actor who was a pioneer in the African American film industry.

OPENING NIGHT Q&A FRIDAY, NOV. 27 @ 7PM EST
Conversation with Miluka Rivera author of
Magnificent Juano Hernandez: From Vagabond to Hollywood Star

“Magnificent Juano Hernandez: From vagabond to Hollywood star,” by Miluka Rivera, a lauder writer-activist, journalist, actress, poet, and historian, is a splendid and moving story and biography of a gifted black performer, who broke racial barriers in all mediums since the 20s. He struggled against all odds, racism, poverty, segregation, and the hardships of the streets, as a gifted vaudevillian, he who was considered ‘the most versatile black actor in the world’ by Ebony magazine. This self-taught Puerto Rican erudite and well-respected pioneer actor was awarded by the British press and nominated for a Golden Globe in his first Hollywood film. In this meticulous research the author provides a finer understanding of an accomplished and best-paid black actor of his generation and the Golden era. His example will serve as an example and inspiration for the indomitable spirit of a human being and his capacity to conquer all hurdles and bigotry.

More info HERE

The Afro-Colombian Cinema program. Colombia has the largest number of Afro-descendants in Spanish speaking America. Some Colombian filmmakers have explored the Afro-Colombian experience in films. La Playa D.C. by Juan Andrés Arango and Chocó by Jhonny Hendrix gave to audiences in Berlin, Cannes and Toronto the opportunity to appreciate the multiracial/ multicultural reality of that nation. The films in this program offer an introduction to a very rich and interesting culture as well as some information on the struggle of the Afro-Colombian to be discussed during an ADIFF virtual panel focusing on Afro-Colombian cinema.

PANEL DISCUSSION
AFRO-COLOMBIAN CINEMA CONVERSATION – SUNDAY, NOV. 29 @ 5PM EST
Jhonny Hendrix, Director, CHOCÓ
Reinaldo Barroso-Spech, Ed.D., Co-Director ADIFF
Conversant: Natalie Adorno Ortiz, Universidad Nacional de Colombia

More info HERE.

US PREMIERES

• The Esmeraldas Beach (Slate 1)
A documentary that sets out to expose the invisibility of Afro-Ecuadorians and rectify the narrative of the country’s history. Among other stories is that of the 1999 assassination of Prime Minister Jaime Hurtado, the first Black to hold that office. More info HERE

• Kafe Negro (Slate 1)
Kafe Negro tells the story of migrations around a small grain that has become the second most important raw material on the global market. This film tells the story of the waves of migration of Haitian workers who, over time, have profoundly transformed the culture and demography of Cuba and allowed the development of coffee growing on the island. More info HERE

• The Mali-Cuba Connection / Africa Mia (Slate 3)
A musical documentary about ten young promising musicians from Mali sent to Cuba in 1964 to study music who developed a revolutionary new sound mixing Afro-Cuban rhythms with traditional African music. More info HERE

AFRO-BRAZILIAN FILMS

• The Malê Revolt (Slate 1)
Narrative drama based on the true story of the January 1835 revolt in the city of Salvador da Bahia by a group of enslaved African Muslims and freedmen who, inspired by the Haitian Revolution, rose up against the local government. More info HERE

• Burning Night (Slate 2)
Down on his luck and recently divorced, Paulo has begun driving a cab around Rio, hoping he’ll make enough to send his ex money to support their ten-year-old son. More info HERE

• Quilombo (Slate 3)
After the slave revolt of 1641, groups of enslaved black Brazilians escaped to mountainous jungle strongholds where they formed self-governing communities. More info HERE

HAITIAN FILMS

• Thus Spoke the Sea / Men Sa Lanmè Di (Slate 2)
The Haitian Sea, as you’ve never seen or heard it before: the sea tells the story of its relationship with the Haitian people, showcases its riches, reveals its mysteries and raises the alarm. More info HERE

• Three Blades / Trois Machettes (Slate 2)
A day in the life of a family of three in contemporary Haiti. Child, adolescent, man – each with his dreams and frustrations and each finding a way to live. More info HERE

REVIVAL
• Angelica (Slate 3)
ANGELICA, after a long absence from Puerto Rico, returns when her father, Wilfredo, suffers a stroke. This forced return and her father’s illness, forces Angelica to re-evaluate her relationship with her mother, and with her family… More info HERE