ADIFF NYC 2025 Spotlights Trailblazing African-American Cinema,from "The Dutchman" to "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T."
33rd Annual African Diaspora International Film Festival
November 28 – December 14, 2025
New York City & Online
The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) returns for its 33rd annual edition with more than 70 films from 30 countries, presented across three New York City venues and through a nationwide Mini Virtual Festival. This year’s program explores the global Black experience through bold new works, restored classics, and powerful conversations that connect audiences across generations and cultures.
Festival Venues
• Teachers College, Columbia University
• Cinema Village
• Online (U.S. & Canada) through the ADIFF Mini Virtual Festival
The Dutchman
Opening Night: The Dutchman
Saturday, November 29 – Teachers College
ADIFF opens with the New York Premiere of The Dutchman, Andre Gaines’s bold new adaptation of Amiri Baraka’s legendary 1964 play. Mixing surreal tension and psychological drama, the film reframes Baraka’s explosive confrontation with race and power for today’s audience. A filmmaker Q&A and VIP reception will follow.
Spotlight Event: A Conversation with Leslie Harris
Sunday, December 7 – Cinema Village
Join ADIFF for a special conversation with filmmaker Leslie Harris following the screening of her restored milestone film, Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.. Harris was one of the first Black women to write, direct, and produce a theatrically released feature film. She will reflect on her groundbreaking career, representation in film, and the legacy of independent Black cinema.
Program Highlight: Silenced Voices – Cinema & Censorship
This special series revisits revolutionary African-American films that faced censorship, suppression, or marginalization due to their radical politics and uncompromising storytelling.
Featured titles:
• Uptight (1968), dir. Jules Dassin – censored for its sympathetic portrayal of Black militants.
• Nation Time (1972), dir. William Greaves – considered “too militant” for public television.
• Within Our Gates (1920), dir. Oscar Micheaux – widely censored for confronting racial terror.
Celebrating the centenary of Frantz Fanon and Malcolm X, the festival presents MX Struggle for Freedom (1967) and Frantz Fanon: His Life, His Struggle, His Work. A panel on “Censorship & Cinema” with legal scholar Tanya Katerí Hernández will be held Friday, December 12 at Teachers College.
New Independent Features & Documentaries
ADIFF continues its commitment to highlighting new voices and untold stories from across the diaspora.
Highlights include:
• Who the Hell Is Regina Jones? – an overdue portrait of the SOUL Magazine co-founder who reshaped Black music journalism.
• Meta Take One – a gripping, black-and-white psychological thriller about the moral spiral of an obsessive filmmaker.
• Outdoor School – a heartfelt true story of a boy in 1990s Portland discovering healing and purpose in an outdoor education program.
• Can You Stand the Rain – a warm drama about friendship, grief, complicated pasts, and emotional renewal.
National Access
The ADIFF Mini Virtual Festival
Available November 28 – December 14
For audiences outside New York, the Mini Virtual Festival offers a curated selection of 20 titles available for streaming in the U.S. and Canada. The virtual pass ($50) includes documentaries such as Breaking Boundaries, Walter Rodney: What They Don’t Want You to Know, and Frantz Fanon: His Life, His Struggle, His Work.
Education at the Core: The ADIFF School Program
This year’s School Program includes films selected to inspire young audiences and encourage classroom conversation, including:
• Ruby Bridges, dir. Euzhan Palcy
• The Great Debaters, dir. Denzel Washington
• Breaking Boundaries, dir. Dina Burlis
ADIFF continues to work with educators and community organizations to make culturally relevant cinema accessible to students across New York City.
About ADIFF
Founded in 1993 in Harlem, ADIFF is a minority-led non-profit dedicated to expanding the understanding of the human experience of people of color worldwide through cinema. The festival features films from Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and North America, offering nuanced perspectives seldom seen in mainstream distribution.
Tickets & Passes
• In-person festival passes and single tickets
• Virtual Pass (U.S. & Canada): $50
• Ticketing and full schedule available at: www.NYADIFF.org