ADIFF AND ARTMATTAN FILMS ANNOUNCE THE FATHER’S DAY VIRTUAL FILM SERIES

A Global Film Series Exploring Fatherhood, Legacy, Reconciliation, and Cultural Inheritance

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 4, 2026 /⁨EINPresswire.com⁩/ – In celebration of Juneteenth and Father’s Day, the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), in collaboration with ArtMattan Films, presents the second installment of its virtual mini-festival series celebrating more than 30 years of film distribution by ArtMattan Films. Running June 19–28, 2026, this Father’s Day Virtual Film Series features seven films with stories spanning multiple continents, cultures, and generations.

Fatherhood vs. Paternity: Love, Legacy, and Responsibility The series invites audiences to reflect on fatherhood and paternity in all their complexity—through love and sacrifice, presence and absence, joy, inheritance, and mentorship. Through stories of migration, loss, reconciliation, and cultural transmission, these films examine how fathers influence the lives of their children and how family legacies are carried across generations and continents.

“The film series invites audiences to reflect on the people, histories, and traditions that shape our understanding of fatherhood and paternity,” said Dr. Reinaldo Barroso-Spech, Co-Founder of ArtMattan Films and ADIFF. “These films explore fatherhood in many ways—through presence and absence, conflict and reconciliation, inheritance and mentorship—while celebrating the resilience of families and communities across the African diaspora and beyond.”

THE FILMS ACT I: THE CALL TO RETURN - Journeys sparked by a father’s illness or death, compelling characters to confront the past and rediscover their roots.

Angelica Directed by Marisol Gómez-Mouakad | Puerto Rico When her father falls critically ill, Angelica returns home to Puerto Rico after years away. As she reconnects with her family, she is forced to confront long-suppressed tensions surrounding race, colorism, and belonging within her own family history.

Glorious Exit Directed by Kevin Merz | Nigeria / Switzerland Following the death of his father, a Swiss-Nigerian man returns to Nigeria to oversee the funeral rites of a respected tribal chief. The journey becomes an exploration of identity, responsibility, and the enduring weight of ancestral traditions.

ACT II: THE SEARCH AND THE SACRIFICE - Characters cross physical and emotional borders in pursuit of fathers, justice, or inherited obligations.

Black Dju Directed by Pol Cruchten | Cape Verde / Luxembourg Determined to find the father he barely knows, a young Cape Verdean leaves his island home for Europe. His search becomes a moving portrait of migration, displacement, and the challenges faced by families separated by borders and circumstance.

Daratt (Dry Season) Directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun | Chad In the aftermath of Chad’s civil war, a teenager is sent to avenge his father’s death. What begins as a quest for revenge gradually evolves into a profound meditation on grief, forgiveness, and the possibility of reconciliation. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2006 Venice International Film Festival.

ACT III: THE RECKONING - Moments of crisis challenge conventional notions of fatherhood and expose the fragile foundations of family life.

Fevers (Fièvres) Directed by Hicham Ayouch | Morocco / France A troubled adolescent is sent to live with the father he barely knows in the suburbs of Paris. As father and son struggle to coexist, their relationship exposes deep emotional wounds while opening the possibility of healing. Winner of the Étalon d’Or de Yennenga (Golden Stallion), the top prize at FESPACO 2015.

A Son (Un Fils) Directed by Mehdi Barsaoui | Tunisia After their son is critically injured during a terrorist attack, a couple faces an urgent medical crisis that uncovers a long-buried family secret. This acclaimed drama examines the meaning of fatherhood beyond biological ties. Starring Sami Bouajila, winner of the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor at the 2019 Venice Film Festival.

ACT IV: THE PRESERVATION OF LEGACY - A celebration of mentorship, cultural inheritance, and the enduring bonds that connect generations.

Music Pictures: New Orleans Directed by Ben Chace | United States The third of four portraits of legendary New Orleans musicians, this vibrant documentary segment follows acclaimed jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis, patriarch of the renowned Marsalis musical family. Through scenes of Marsalis performing, teaching, and making music with his children and grandchildren, the film offers a moving reflection on fatherhood, mentorship, and the transmission of artistic traditions from one generation to the next.

Presented nationwide, the virtual mini-festival offers audiences an opportunity to discover a curated selection of films from the ArtMattan catalog, highlighting stories of fatherhood, family, and cultural inheritance from around the world.

EVENT DETAILS Father’s Day Film Series June 19–28, 2026 Streaming nationwide at nyadiff.org All-access series passes and individual film rentals are available through the festival platform.

ABOUT ARTMATTAN FILMS Founded in 1994, ArtMattan Films is a leading distributor of films from Africa and the global diaspora. Through theatrical, educational, community, and streaming platforms, ArtMattan brings independent cinema exploring the experiences of people of color to audiences across the United States.

ABOUT ADIFF Founded in 1993, the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) presents independent films from around the world that explore the human experience of people of color, with particular focus on people of African descent. Through film and dialogue, ADIFF promotes cross-cultural understanding and celebrates stories often overlooked by mainstream media.

MEDIA CONTACT ArtMattan Films & ADIFF Communications info@nyadiff.org www.nyadiff.org

Diarah N’Daw-Spech African Diaspora International Film Festival +1 212-864-1760 Visit us on social media: https://www.facebook.com/NYADIFF https://www.youtube.com/@africandiasporainternation1291