Streaming now: Celebrate motherhood through a selection of films from the African Diaspora International Film Festival’s Mother’s Day Virtual Series, streaming May 10–17.
The program brings together films that place mothers at the center of their struggle to create better lives for their children. The films come from Canada, the United States, Peru, Cape Verde, Suriname, Mali, and South Africa, spanning colonial histories and present-day realities.
Together, they reveal the resilience of mothers navigating difficult conditions across different times and places.
Sergeant Stacy Armstrong returns home from multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. She struggles to rebuild her life and marriage as PTSD and emotional distance fracture the family she is trying to hold together. Stand Down Soldier offers a rare portrait of a Black woman soldier, tracing her experience in the military and her difficult return home.
Directed by Jeryl Prescott, USA, 2015, 82 min, Drama, English
This documentary traces the life of a washerwoman navigating Dutch colonial rule and independence, offering a revealing portrait of motherhood and national identity in Suriname. It premiered at the 2023 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), one of the world’s leading documentary festivals.
Directed by Tessa Leuwsha, Suriname, Documentary, 2023, Dutch/English (with English subtitles)
A powerful documentary on the life and legacy of Miriam Makeba, tracing her journey as an artist, activist, mother, and global symbol of African liberation.
Directed by Mika Kaurismäki, Germany / South Africa, 2011, 90 min, Documentary, English / Various languages with English subtitles
A single mother navigating urban precarity becomes the emotional anchor of her community while trying to protect her children from systemic violence. Directed by Karen Chapman, this TIFF-premiered drama traces her journey through grief toward healing.
Directed by Karen Chapman, Canada, 2024, 94 min, Drama, English
Directed by Ana Lúcia Ramos Lisboa, this film follows three women in Praia, the capital of Cabo Verde, whose lives unfold between friendship and everyday routines. When a violent incident affects one of their daughters, their sense of stability is shaken. It offers a critical look at the realities of women and mothers in Cabo Verde.
Directed by Ana Lúcia Ramos Lisboa, Cape Verde, 77 minutes, Drama, 2007, Portuguese, Creole (with English subtitles)
Dear Reader, I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out on behalf of the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), which returns to Chicago for its 23rd annual edition from June 5–7, 2026 at FACETS. As part of this year’s festival, we are presenting several films exploring Afro-Latino, Caribbean, migration, and cultural identity experiences across the Americas. We believe these programs may resonate with your community and constituents. One of the festival highlights is...
Now streaming nationwide through Sunday as part of the African Diaspora International Film Festival’s Mother’s Day Virtual Series: Cape Verde, My Love (Cabo Verde, Nha Cretcheu), a landmark film by Cape Verdean filmmaker Ana Ramos Lisboa. Praia, Cape Verde. Laura, Flavia and Bela are childhood friends. Each leads her own life and they sometimes meet to dance, dine and have fun. But one day the calm rivers of their lives break their banks and become wild torrents: Ricardo, Flavia's husband,...
When a person leaves a country, dialogue has already begun—whether spoken or not. As part of this month’s Transcultural Dialogues series at Teachers College, Columbia University, we highlight Glorious Exit as our DVD of the week. Glorious Exit reflects the core of the Transcultural Dialogues series: the multiple conversations that emerge when individuals move between cultures, and the ways these encounters reshape identity, belonging, and connection. Jarreth Merz, a Swiss-Nigerian actor...