African Diaspora International Film Festival - Women's History Month

Schedule:

12:00 - 3:30 PM - Raja Amari - A Feminist Filmmaker: She Had a Dream & Foreign Body

12:00 - 2:00 PM - She Had a Dream

25-year-old Ghofrane dreams of becoming a politician and having an influence on the future of Tunisia. As a young black woman from the working class, it is a dream that requires stamina – and she has plenty of it.

Raja Amari’s film follows her up to the election in 2019 when she is on the streets to gather votes and give especially young people renewed faith in democracy in a polarized society plagued by racism and inequality.

A smaller film might turn a blind eye on realism in favor of a good story, but here both Ghofrane nor Amari are aware of the exhausting struggles that have to be overcome before she can bring about the change she so fervently longs to see happening. An inspiring film about a true idealist and a rich image of a society full of contrasts.

2:00 - 3:30 PMForeign Body

Seeking refuge from her Islamist radical brother whom she informed on, a young woman arrives in France illegally following Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution and discovers a new world of both hope and danger, in the fourth feature from writer-director Raja Amari (Satin Rouge, Buried Secrets).

In the turbulent aftermath of the Tunisian revolution, young Samia (Sarra Hannachi) flees her homeland. She braves hostile seas in the crossing to France, but once there she finds that her struggles have only just begun. With no friends, no family, and - most crucially - no immigration papers, Samia has to figure out how to make a life and a living in a foreign land.

4:00 - 5:30 PM - All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

A decades-spanning exploration of a woman's life in Mississippi and an ode to the generations of people, places, and ineffable moments that shape us.

"I seldom know how I feel about a movie until I have seen the ending. Twenty minutes into “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” I knew that I was watching a contemporary classic.  Raven Jackson’s striking debut feature film is a tribute to Black life in the rural South. The movie takes place in Mississippi and depicts the life of Mackenzie (Charleen McClure) as she ages from childhood to adulthood. Through extensive use of sparse dialogue, elaborate soundscapes and lingering close-ups, the non-linear storyline unfolds as if the viewer is turning the pages of a well-worn family album. The film suggests that there are childhood moments that irrevocably change us, but we are only privy to when those moments occurred in hindsight."

6:00 - 7:30 PM - Africa, USA + How To Sue The Klan

Africa, U.S.A. follows Naomi, a young 25-year-old discovering herself, as she explores Igbos Landing, an area where Igbo descendants decided to rebel; Oyotunji Kingdom- a real Yoruba Village in South Carolina; and, Africatown located in Mobile, Alabama which was founded by the last enslaved Africans illegally brought to the United States.

She finds a piece of Africa in the United States and discovers black stories, cultures, and legends rich with empowerment —ultimately finding pieces of herself and her African identity in the United States.

How to Sue the Klan is the story of how Five Black women from Chattanooga used legal ingenuity to take on the Ku Klux Klan in a historic 1982 civil case, fighting to hold them accountable for their crimes and bring justice to their community. Their victory set a legal precedent that continues to inspire the ongoing fight against organized hate.