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Message from: ArtMattan@aol.com (african-cinema-conference@xc.org)
About: 5TH ANNUAL CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL

Sat, 20 Sep 1997 13:52:42 -0400 (EDT)

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    Originally from: <ArtMattan@aol.com>
    Originally dated: Sat, 20 Sep 1997 13:52:42 -0400 (EDT)

    TRIAD COMMUNICATION
    Contact: Cynthia Kirkpatrick
    212 - 741-9454

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    September 15, 1997

    5TH ANNUAL CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL SET
    NOV. 28 - DEC. 14 AT CINEMA VILLAGE

    THE GLOBAL EXPERIENCES OF PEOPLE OF COLOR REVEALED IN
    MORE THAN 40 FILMS FROM OVER 26 COUNTRIES

    New York, New York... For two weeks beginning November 28th and continuing
    through December 14th, the Contemporary African Diaspora Film Festival
    (CADFF) will celebrate the 5th year of its unique showcase of works by
    filmmakers from the African Diaspora with screenings at the Cinema Village
    Theatre (12th Street between 5th Avenue & University Place). There is also
    a
    new initiative, CADFF UPTOWN, which will feature screenings at the Harlem
    Victoria V Theatre (125th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues) and at
    Columbia's Miller Theatre (116th Street and Broadway).

    This year's 5th anniversary event includes over 40 different feature films
    and shorts, dramas and documentaries, classics and new releases that
    highlight the multifaceted lives of people of African descent. Films from
    North Africa (Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria), the Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico,
    Guadeloupe), Europe (France, Great Britain, Spain, Belgium), North America
    (United States, Canada), South America (Uruguay, Venezuela, Brazil) and many
    sub-Saharan African countries including Ethiopia, Gabon, Cameroon, South
    Africa, Cape Verde, Guinea, Senegal and Burkina Faso will be screened.

    Conceived and developed by ArtMattan Productions who created the festival in
    1993, the Contemporary African Diaspora Film Festival (CADFF) has developed
    into the largest annual specialized film festival on the East Coast.
    Organizers expect this year's film offerings to attract an estimated 15,000
    movie-goers.

    Since its inception, the festival has secured major corporate sponsors
    including Western Union, Philip Morris, Island Records, the Francophonie
    Agency (ACCT.), Village Voice, the Senegal Tourist Bureau and BET Movies
    Starz!

    Festival founders, Reinaldo Barroso-Spech, a professor of foreign languages
    and his wife Diarah N'Daw-Spech, a financial consultant, might seem an
    unlikely pair to have conceived of such a timely idea, but they are
    committed
    and on a mission with a purpose.

    "Originally I thought that foreign language films from the African Diaspora
    would be an excellent way for my students to learn French and Spanish
    conversation and idiomatic expressions, especially if these films expanded
    their view of world cultures," notes Professor Barroso-Spech, who was born
    in
    Cuba and educated in Cuba, Paris, Spain and the United States. "However,
    when we began looking for films to use as examples, there were few choices
    available in the American market."

    "We both love movies," adds Diarah N'Daw-Spech whose parents are from France
    and Mali. "So when we began searching for films, we attended a number of
    film festivals. We made contact with directors and producers we had heard
    about from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and the United
    States. Many of the filmmakers we met were eager to have their films
    screened in the States but were concerned about how their work would be
    positioned in larger festivals. Our specialized festival gave most of them
    a
    showcase they hadn't had before. The rest is history."

    Some of the films that have enjoyed great success since being part of the
    Contemporary African Diaspora Film Festival are "The Keeper," "The Journey
    of
    the Lion," and "Sankofa."

    To celebrate its fifth anniversary, five special nights are being organized
    each featuring a new release from a different country from Africa and the
    African Diaspora. Each special night will celebrate the culture and cinema
    of the selected country with special screenings, guest filmmakers,
    discussions, and a catered reception.

    CADFF UPTOWN
    This year, ArtMattan Productions will launch a new initiative, CADFF UPTOWN,
    in collaboration with the Center for Outreach and Innovation at Teachers
    College, Columbia University; Morningside Area Alliance; and the Miller
    Theatre School of the Arts at Columbia University. CADFF UPTOWN was
    conceived as a community outreach program to serve the Upper West Side
    communities which traditionally did not benefit from the international
    exposure the festival afforded the Greenwich Village area where all
    screenings had previously been held.

    CADFF UPTOWN will feature screenings at the Harlem Victoria V Theatre (125th
    Street between 7th and 8th Avenues) and Columbia's Miller Theatre (116th
    Street and Broadway). In addition, a series of panel discussions with guest
    filmmakers from around the world as well as film scholars and industry
    professionals will take place on December 12 and 13, at Columbia
    University's
    Teachers College. To close the festival and the CADFF UPTOWN, ArtMattan
    Productions has organized a December 14th concert hosted by the Miller
    Theatre featuring women artists from Africa and the African Diaspora.

    YOUNG PEOPLE'S PROGRAM
    As in previous years, the Contemporary African Diaspora Film Festival will
    have a special Young People's Program and, with select films appropriate for
    its Children and Young People's Section, will coordinate with schools from
    the five boroughs to arrange for junior high and high school classes to
    attend special morning screenings.

    For further information about the Contemporary African Diaspora Film
    Festival, to order advance tickets, or to be put on the Festival mailing
    list, please write ArtMattan Productions, 535 Cathedral Parkway, New York,
    NY
    10032 or call 212 - 749-6020.

    ###

    NEW YORK: 345 HUDSON STREET, 16TH FLOOR
    NEW YORK, NY 10014
    (212) 741-9454 FAX (212) 741-9434
    E-MAIL: TRIADNY@AOL.COM



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