Columbia Alums Share Work at Diversity and Inclusion Film Festival
Several Columbia alums are screening films at Lincoln Center this weekend as part of this year’s Diversity and Inclusion Film Festival (DIFF). This year’s festival includes numerous industry panels, sponsored parties, and premieres for attendees.
The festival was founded in 2022 by producer and Film alum Sola Fasehun ’15, as a way to create opportunities for diverse filmmakers both in front of and behind the camera.
As a first generation American whose parents immigrated from Nigeria, Fasehun understood the industry’s disparity of opportunities from an early age. “As a person of color, I didn’t see a lot of people on TV and film who looked like me doing the things I wanted to do,” she told Forbes in an interview.
“I created DIFF to support people from all walks of life,” Fasehun said. “I believe there is room for all to thrive.”
Fasehun’s fellow Film alum Caroline Parker Boyd ’17 is Accessibility Coordinator for the festival, and Sebastian Rea serves as DIFF’s Co-Director. Mark Brystowski and Matthew Sibilia act as Associate Directors.
Fasehun and DIFF are quick to acknowledge their Columbia roots, offering a special thank you to Columbia’s Chair of Film, Associate Professor of Professional Practice Jack Lechner, for his continued support.
Screening in this year’s festival are the following Columbia-affiliated films.
Ayaan
Written and Directed by Alies Sluiter ’20
Produced by Federica Belletti ’18 and Meng Xiong ’19
When an asylum seeker on the run encounters a stranger on the beach, she must decide whether to trust him, or make the remaining 400 km journey on her own.
Children of Light
Written and Directed by Minkyu Kang ’22
Produced by Bofan Zhang ’21
In 1960s Korea, a teenage boy is detained at a violent juvenile center on a remote island, and must team with his rival to escape.
Echoes
Directed by Roku Jingwen Long ’24
Produced by Alexis Garret Stodghill ’23
In the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic, a New York City restaurant owner and a delivery woman become unlikely friends as they use social media to bond over their mutual financial crises.
Ethnic Slut
Written and Directed by Chris Blanco ’22
Produced by Kinder Labatt ’22
An insecure Cuban man trades on his ethnicity to go on a date with a progressive white couple harboring an ethnic fetish.
Foreign Sounds
Written and Directed by Eric 'Asha' Shahinian ’16
Produced by Sola Fasehun ’15
A young couple’s relationship is tested when the overheard sounds of their neighbors’ domestic dispute creates a rift that threatens their own domestic bliss.
Grandma Bruce
Written, Directed, and Co-Produced by Brooke Stern Sebold ’12
A comedy following a “queerdo” whose car comes to life with the spirit of their judgmental Jewish grandmother.
Heritage
Produced by Sola Fasehun ’15
When a life-changing secret is revealed, a young man calls upon his Andean Ancestors for guidance.
Mr. Bold
Written and Directed by Aiman Mimiko ’22
Produced by Kaelo Iyizoba ’23
In a bid to connect with his older brother, a young Nigerian boy desecrates his school's Mosque.
My Independence Day
Written and Directed by Constanza B. Majluf ’21
Co-Written by Lucia Aleñar ’21
Co-Produced by Cecilia Otero ’22
In 1988 Chile, a young girl dreams of winning her school’s Independence Day contest, while her teenage brother joins a protest against the reigning dictator.
Old Nail
Written and Directed by Byungseon Kong ’24
In an old New York apartment, a woman discovers that the nail holding up a picture frame keeps mysteriously protruding.
Palm Sunday
Written and Directed by Wes Andre Goodrich ’23
Produced by Patrick Nichols ’22
A southern gothic drama set in 1970s Raleigh about a black Caribbean immigrant attempting to assimilate into an all-white church.
We the Children
Directed by Jamal Joseph ’13 and Mike De Caro ’12
A documentary that asks the children of Harlem what they think of the country’s presidential elections.
The festival runs from November 8 through 10, 2024. Tickets are available here. DIFF’s next event will be at Sundance in January 2025.