ADIFF Women’s History Month Film Series Highlights Black Women’s Stories, African-American Stories and Conversations

The African Diaspora International Film Festival is happy to announce its 2026 Women’s History Month Film Series, a three-day program celebrating women’s voices

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, March 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) is happy to announce its 2026 Women’s History Month Film Series, a three-day program celebrating women’s voices in cinema across the African diaspora. Taking place March 27–29 at Teachers College and The Forum, Columbia University, the series brings together filmmakers, scholars, and audiences to engage with stories of resilience, creativity, family, and cultural legacy.

This year’s edition places a special focus on African American stories and filmmaker conversations—including the 2026 Oscar-shortlisted documentary "Seeds" —alongside a significantly expanded virtual festival, allowing audiences across the country to participate in the program online.

From political exile and artistic activism to motherhood, cultural identity, and land ownership, the films trace the many ways Black women shape history and community across generations.

Opening Night: A Landmark Film in Black Cinema
The series opens Friday, March 27 at 7:00 PM with the classic "Black Girl" by Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène, paired with "The Silent Monologue" by Khady Sylla. Widely recognized as one of the foundational works of African cinema, "Black Girl" follows a young Senegalese woman who travels to France to work as a maid, only to confront racism, isolation, and exploitation. In a striking echo across generations, "The Silent Monologue" portrays a domestic worker in Senegal who faces exploitation within a Senegalese household, offering a powerful reflection on class, labor, and dignity from within African society itself.

Free Event
Presented as a free community screening supported by the West Harlem Development Corporation, Invisible Beauty will be shown at the Forum on Sunday, March 29 at 1 PM. The film offers an intimate portrait of fashion pioneer Bethann Hardison, whose decades of activism helped open doors for Black models and challenge systemic racial exclusion in the global fashion industry.

African-American Highlights and Conversations
At 2:30 PM on Saturday, ADIFF presents "A Life in Arts Through the Eyes of Dr. Leslie King", followed by a Q&A with film co-director Ben Baker-Lee. The documentary profiles renowned art historian and curator Dr. Leslie King Hammond, whose work has helped champion generations of artists of color in museums and academia.

Later that afternoon, "SPADURA" screens with a live Zoom Q&A. Framed as an off-kilter baby shower, the film unapologetically takes on motherhood, the emotional and financial cost of IVF, grief, aging, as well as the unique fertility obstacles faced by Black women in America

"The Eyes of the Rainbow" and "Blueprint for My People" are presented in a powerful double bill exploring the African diaspora through poetry and political history. Blueprint for My People lyrically illuminates the African American experience, pairing spoken-word narration of Margaret Walker’s poem “For My People” with contemporary imagery and rare 19th-century cyanotypes. Complementing this poetic reflection, Gloria Rolando’s "The Eyes of the Rainbow" gives voice to Assata Shakur, documenting her life in Cuban exile following her 1979 escape from a U.S. prison.

The film series closes with a screening of "Seeds", directed by Brittany Shyne and shortlisted for the 2026 Academy Awards. The film offers an intimate look at Black generational farmers and the ongoing struggle to preserve land, legacy, and independence in rural America.

Stories from Across the African Diaspora include:

• The double feature "Village Keeper" and "She Island" will be followed by a Q&A discussion. "Village Keeper" portrays a single mother confronting trauma while raising her teenagers in a crowded apartment in Toronto, while She Island follows a Caribbean mother and daughter confronting a mysterious curse threatening the identity of the island’s women.
• "Power Alley", from Brazil, follows a teenage volleyball player facing an unwanted pregnancy while preparing for a championship match.
• "The Last Meal", directed by Haitian filmmaker Maryse Legagneur, presents an intimate father-daughter story about illness, reconciliation, and memory expressed through shared meals.

Expanded Virtual Festival
A key element of this year’s Women’s History Month series is ADIFF’s expanded virtual festival, which allows audiences across the United States and Canada to engage with the program.

The online selection includes films such as "Mother Surinam", "Faraw! Mother of the Dunes", "Brides", "Survival of Kindness", "Mama Africa: Miriam Makeba", "Breaking Boundaries", "Amal", "Josephine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man’s World", "Susana Baca: Memoria Viva", "Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun", and "Ludi". Together, these films bring stories from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Australia and Latin America to audiences nationwide and beyond. Virtual screenings will be available for 48 hours after rental.

Event Information
What: ADIFF Women’s History Month Film Series
When: March 27–29, 2026
Where: Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 W 120th St, New York, NY 10027
The Forum – Room 315, 601 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027

Tickets: www.nyadiff.org

About ADIFF
The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), founded in 1993, presents films that explore the human experience of people of African descent around the world. Through festivals, curated programs, and year-round screenings, ADIFF highlights stories that expand understanding of the global African diaspora and its cultural, political, and artistic contributions.

ADIFF Women’s History Month is made possible thanks to the support of ArtMattan Films, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Office of Community Affairs at Teachers College, Columbia University.




ADIFF WOMEN HISTORY MONTH FILM SERIES AT A GLANCE

Friday, March 27
7:00 PM Black Girl & The Silent Monologue (Senegal)

Saturday, March 28
12:30 PM Power Alley (Brazil)
2:30 PM A Life in Arts Through the Eyes of Dr. Leslie King + Q&A (USA)
4:30 PM Spadura + Zoom Q&A (USA)
6:30 PM The Last Meal (Canada/Haiti)
8:30 PM The Eyes of the Rainbow & Blueprint for My People (USA/Cuba)

Sunday, March 29
1:00 PM The Forum – Room 315 Invisible Beauty (USA)
4:00 PM Village Keeper & She Island + Q&A (Canada/Trinidad and Tobago/USA)
6:30 PM Seeds (USA)

Diarah N'Daw-Spech
African Diaspora International Film Festival
+1 212-864-1760
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"A Life in Arts Through the Eyes of Dr. Leslie King"

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