ADIFF 2011 OPENING NIGHT Friday, November 25 @ 6:00PM Thalia
AN EVENING WITH MENELIK SHABAZZ
6:00pm BURNING AN ILLUSION
The illusions being burnt are those of Pat Williams (Cassie McFarlane), an attractive 22-year old Black girl with a steady clerical job, her own little flat in West London, and the aim of settling down to a comfortable lower-middle class married life with Mr. Right. She is shaken out of this dream by Del, a feckless, disgruntled macho type (played with sullen charm by one of UK's best Black actors, Victor Romero), who moves in with her uninvited. He expects sex and food on demand and comes to regard the right side of the bed as his private preserve. The film explores first the growing tensions of the affair and then the girl's gradual realization that her aspirations are simply those that a white world has imposed upon her. Drawn into the world of 'Africa' (and the realization of her own cultural background) and also one in which women are not mere chattels, looking for more chattels, she begins to see society more sharply. UK, 1981, 107mins, drama, English, Menelik Shabazz, dir.
8:00pm THE STORY OF LOVERS ROCK
Lovers Rock, often dubbed 'romantic reggae' is a uniquely black British sound that developed in the late 70s and 80s against a backdrop of riots, racial tension and sound systems. Live performance, comedy sketches, dance, interviews and archive shed light on the music and the generation that embraced it. Lovers Rock allowed young people to experience intimacy and healing through dance- known as 'scrubbing'- at parties and clubs. This dance provided a coping mechanism for what was happening on the streets. Lovers Rock developed into a successful sound with national UK hits and was influential to British bands (Police, Culture Club, UB40) These influences underline the impact the music was making in bridging the multi-cultural gap that polarized the times. The film sheds light on a forgotten period of British music, social and political history. UK, 2011, 96mins, documentary, English, Menelik Shabazz, dir.
Sorry, the festival is no longer selling tickets for this event. However, there are still tickets available at the Thalia Theatre.
Please call the Thalia Cinema box office at (212) 864-5400 to inquire about tickets availability on site and online.
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