June 2009

The Facets Cinémathèque is located at 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. in Chicago. For more information on films playing in the Cinémathèque, please call 773-281-4114. To order advance tickets online, visit the TicketWeb website by clicking here.

The Seventh Annual
CHICAGO AFRICAN DIASPORA
FILM FESTIVAL

June 19-25

The African Diaspora Film Festival and The Facets Cinémathèque are presenting The Seventh Annual Chicago African Diaspora Film Festival, which will be held at Facets from June 19–25. This outstanding event will feature a selection of Black Independent Films from around the world for the seventh consecutive year. This one-week series will exhibit 11 films, including eight Chicago premieres. Five of the films, Naked Acts, Cape Verde my Love, Paloma Delight, Family Motel and Patterns of Passion are centered on women from the USA, Algeria, Cape Verde, and Somalia, some looking inwards, others looking outwards, but who all share the common urge of fighting for a better life. The other six films set in Haiti, Cuba, Senegal, Nigeria, the US and Brazil, explore how history is connected to today’s reality. The African Diaspora Film Festival is an eclectic mix of foreign, independent, classic and urban films representing the global Black experience through an extraordinary range of subjects and artistic approaches. Created in 1993 by ArtMattan Productions, a company that produces a collection of programs and events promoting Afrocentric theme cultures, ADFF has long been delighting audiences with U.S. and world premieres of independent films, including features, documentaries, animation, and shorts.

Jarreth Merz, a Swiss-Nigerian actor living in Los Angeles is summoned to Nigeria to bury his father. According to Nigerian tradition, the first-born is in charge of a father’s burial. But who is this father? Although Jarreth accepts the responsibility, he struggles with why he feels morally bound towards a family whom he hardly knows and who has never been particularly interested in him? Thus starts a journey of self-discovery. Directed by Kevin Merz, Nigeria/US/Switzerland, 2008, BetaSP 75mins, documentary in English and German with English subtitles.

Winner "Festival Real Life" Accra 2008.

This Opening Night screening and preceding catered reception sponsored by the Center for Black Diaspora DePaul University and the Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago.

Chicago Reader    

Showtimes:
Fri., June 19 at 7 pm
Wed., June 24 at 9 pm

A young aspiring actress whose mother was a Blaxploitation star loses 57 pounds and lands her first role in a movie. Her part demands a nude scene. Her dilemma is then to keep her clothes on and keep the part as well. Through this struggle, Cicely embarks on a journey that is revealing of secrets she once hid beneath her excessive weight. Directed by Bridgett Davis, USA, 1998, BetaSP. 90 mins. In English.

YouTube preview     Director interview     Village Voice        

Showtimes:
Fri., June 19 at 9:30 pm
Mon., June 22 at 8:30 pm

She's got a lousy service job, a husband stranded in Somalia and a teenage daughter with an attitude. Then, just when she thinks it can't get worse, Ayan and her kids are slapped with an eviction order. That's when they check into a seedy family motel. Shot in Vancouver with a nonprofessional cast and developed in collaboration with the lead character, Family Motel is a realistic and moving portrait of a strong woman facing life's many challenges with courage, determination and a beautiful spirit. Directed by Helene Klodawsky, Canada, 2007, BetaSP, 88mins. In English.

Official site     YouTube preview     Director site     PBS POV        

Showtimes:
Sat., June 20 at 2 pm
Sun., June 21 at 9 pm

Greed and idealism collide in this powerful narrative set in the small southern town of Julia as preparations are made to memorialize the fortieth anniversary of the assassination of civil rights activist Paul Malcolm. Paul's brother John, played with quiet intelligence by Danny Glover, is urged on by his wife Sarah, the remarkable Angela Bassett, to continue the mission to save the neighborhood of Gospel Hill from developers intent on buying up black owned homes in order to create a golf course for the rich. Actor-director Giancarlo Esposito adds nuance as the ambitious Dr. Ron Palmer, a man willing to seize opportunity at the expense of his community. Tensions of the past resurface, as a town and its people struggle with age-old issues of the politics of prejudice. Images of past and present blend seamlessly as reminders of lessons yet to be learned. With Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Samuel Jackson, Nia Long and Julia Styles. Directed by Giancarlo Esposito, USA, 2007, BetaSP, 98 mins. In English.

Official site     YouTube trailer        

Showtimes:
Sat., June 20 at 4:30 pm
Sun., June 21 at 6:30 pm

After its theatrical release in various cities in the US and Canada, Youssou N'Dour: Return to Gorée is back by popular demand. This remarkable film traces is the journey of the famous Senegalese singer in his quest to humanize through music the story of those who started their journey as slaves. An homage to jazz, and the courage and creativity of those who created this powerful music. Directed by Pierre-Yves Borgeaud, Senegal/USA/ Luxembourg/Switzerland, 2006, 35mm, 108mins, doc. in English, French, Wolof with English subtitles.

This screening will be preceded by a cocktail party at 6:30 pm.

Official site     YouTube preview     Youssou N'Dour     Village Voice     TimeOut Chicago        

Showtime:
Sat., June 20 at 7 pm

Praïa, Cape verde. Laura, Flavia and Bela are childhood friends. Each leads her own life and they sometimes meet to dance, dine and have fun. But one day the calm rivers of their lives break their banks and become wild torrents: Ricardo, Flavia's husband, rapes his pupil Indira, Laura's 13-year old eldest daughter. A film that takes a critical look at the lives of women in Cape Verde and their abusive men. Directed by Ana Lucia Ramos Lisboa, Cape Verde, 2007, BetaSP, 77min. In Portuguese Creole with English subtitles.

Showtimes:
Sat., June 20 at 9:30 pm
Thurs., June 25 at 6:30 pm

This fascinating documentary chronicles the experiences of Cuban and Haitian exiles in the United States since the 1960s. Using photojournalistic images, Black and White in Exile deals with the complex themes of assimilation and the often divisive issues of immigration, especially when race and politics collide. Directed by Ray Blanco, USA, 1997, BetaSP, 120 mins. In English, Creole and Spanish with English subtitles.

Showtime:
Sun., June 21 at 1:30 pm

This very informative and revealing documentary explores the Haitian society of the late 19th century and early 20th by focusing on the tormented life of one of Haiti's most important authors, Jacques Roumain, who was also a prominent political figure. In his writings, Roumain raised vivid questions that were and still are very much relevant in regard to some of the issues the country faces to this day. Directed by Arnold Antonin, Haiti, 2008, BetaSp, 111 mins. In Creole and French with subtitles.

Showtimes:
Sun., June 21 at 4 pm
Tues., June 23 at 6:30 pm

Rhythmic Uprising is a documentary that shows how vibrant Afro-Brazilian Performing Arts are used to fight racism, social exclusion, and poverty in Bahia, Brazil. The film outlines the transformative powers of a large movement of community cultural projects that make up the latest chapter in a creative struggle for racial equality that began four centuries ago. Directed by Benjamin Watkins, Brazil/USA, 2008, BetaSP, 66 mins. In Portuguese with English subtitles.

Official site        

Showtime:
Mon., June 22 at 6:30 pm

This is the story of a young woman trying to come to grips with her past in order to move forward with her life. Passion is a working single mother struggling to control her volatile temperament. Her boss, as a disciplinary action, forces her into therapy. During her therapy session, she explores the decisions she made and the patterns of dysfunction that have plagued her throughout her life. Directed by Patrick Coleman, USA, 2008, BetaSP, 84 mins. In English.

YouTube trailer        

Showtime:
Tues. June 23 at 9 pm

In Algiers, Zineb is an institution. Under the name of Madame Aldjeria, she dishes favors of any kind: from securing building permits to finding female companionship for lonely men. However, when she sets her sights on a high-class score that will help leave her blemished past behind, she learns that ambition leads to a permanent chain of compromises. Directed by Nadir Mokneche, Algeria/France, 2006, 35mm, 134 mins. In Arabic and French with English subtitles.

YouTube trailer     Variety        

Showtimes:
Wed., June 24 at 6:30 pm
Thurs., June 25 at 9 pm

Tickets:
$9 general admission
FREE for Facets Members!

Order tickets online


For all Cinémathèque inquiries, contact Charles Coleman at 773.281.9075 or charles@facets.org

Facets Multimedia
1517 W. Fullerton Ave.
Chicago IL 60614
800.331.6197

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CHARLES COLEMAN
Film Programmer for Facets Cinémathèque

Read his feature in the Chicago Reader