ADIFF 2025 Celebrates Latin America’s Black and Indigenous Voices

The 33rd African Diaspora International Film Festival will present a dynamic slate of Latino films exploring identity, resistance, and belonging

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, November 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The 33rd African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), running from November 28 to December 14, 2025, will present a dynamic slate of Latino films exploring identity, resistance, and belonging through Afro-descendant and Indigenous perspectives.

Latin America Through Diasporic Lenses
Leading the lineup is Sugar Island (Dominican Republic), directed by Johanne Gómez Terrero. A standout at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, the film follows Makenya, a Dominican woman of Haitian descent, navigating life, love, and survival in a sugarcane batey. It is a bold portrayal of intersectional identity and post-colonial struggle.

Brazil continues its strong tradition of Afrocentric storytelling with Malês by award-winning director Antônio Pitanga, revisiting the 1835 slave rebellion in Bahia — a defining moment in Brazil’s journey toward freedom. Also from Brazil, Brick by Brick captures a working family’s quiet determination to build both a home and a future.

Short Films: Art, Memory, and Rhythm
The festival’s Afro-Latino short film program bridges continents and generations. Bi-ilé traces the living cultural thread between Nigeria and Brazil through an artist’s return to ancestral roots. El Canon (The Canon) from Chile — a striking narrative about the objectification of the Black body — and Candombe from Uruguay, a musical celebration of African legacy in the Americas. Both Candombe and Bi-ilé highlight the continuing resonance of African heritage in Latin America.

A Haitian Thread Across Borders
Three films — Sugar Island (Dominican Republic), El Canon (ChilChile), and The Last Meal (Canada) by Haitian-Quebecois director Maryse Legagneur — reflect the Haitian diaspora’s indelible cultural imprint across the region. The Last Meal, a tender story of memory and reconciliation, captures how food becomes a bridge between pain and healing.

For Young Audiences
ADIFF’s School Program includes Adiós Momo (Uruguay), a beloved classic about an Afro-Uruguayan boy who rediscovers joy and childhood amid hardship — a timeless lesson on hope and resilience.

Censorship and Resistance
The “Cinema and Censorship” program features Marighella (Brazil), directed by Carlos Moura, narrating the story of guerrilla leader Carlos Marighella — a symbol of defiance against authoritarian repression.

Indigenous Voices in Focus
From Peru, Rosa Chumbe tells the story of an Indigenous policewoman in Lima whose struggle with alcoholism and family issues becomes a quiet meditation on endurance and redemption.

“Latin American cinema is redefining how we see race, history, and identity,” said Dr. Reinaldo Barroso-Spech, ADIFF Co-Director. “These films illuminate voices often silenced — Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and immigrants — reminding us that the story and history of the Americas is complex and multilayered.”

The 33rd African Diaspora International Film Festival will be held at Teachers College, Columbia University; Cinema Village; and The Lenfest Center for the Arts.
Tickets are $15 ($13 for students/seniors). Festival passes and schedules are available at www.NYADIFF.org.

Festival passes and tickets are now available at www.nyadiff.org, with screenings running November 28 – December 14, 2025 in theaters and online at nyadiff.org

ABOUT THE AFRICAN DIASPORA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Founded in 1993 and based in Harlem, the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) is a minority-led, 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to expanding understanding of the human experience of people of color worldwide through cinema. Its curated programs include socially relevant and award-winning films from Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and beyond.
The 33rd Annual New York ADIFF is made possible with support from ArtMattan Films, NYSCA, The Harlem Community Development Corporation, The New York City Council for the Arts, West Harlem Development Corporation, UMEZ administered by LMCC, the Office of Community Affairs at Teachers College, the International Organization of la Francophonie in New York, the Netherlands Consulate General, and the Québec Government Office in New York.

PRESS CONTACT
Nina Hay
African Diaspora International Film Festival
Cell: 1-347-233-1053
Email: info@nyadiff.org

Diarah N'Daw-Spech
African Diaspora International Film Festival
+1 212-864-1760
email us here

ADIFF New York 2025

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