The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) returns to Chicago for its 2026 film festival—its 23rd year—featuring a diverse lineup of 14 films, including several Chicago premieres, spanning documentaries, narratives and short films. The festival is scheduled from Friday, June 5, to Sunday, June 7, at Facets Film Forum, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave.
This festival is presented in collaboration with FACETS and the DuSable Heritage Association, and it is always a good ticket.
“We are thrilled to bring ADIFF back to Chicago and to partner once again with FACETS, a cornerstone of the city’s film culture, alongside the DuSable Heritage Association. We are also pleased to welcome Tyler Michael Balentine, Host and Producer of ‘The Thursday Script’ on Que4 Radio, as a new partner this year,” said ADIFF Co-Founder and Co-Director Dr. Reinaldo Barroso-Spech. “This year’s films speak through music, family and identity, offering powerful stories that resonate across communities.”
A few films of note are: “The Last Meal,” directed by Maryse Legagneur and set in Haiti, telling the story about the trajectory of a young man who resented Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier’s reign and his subsequent imprisonment. Now, he is slowly dying from stomach cancer and is reunited with an estranged daughter.
After 20 years of silence, a dying Reynold asks Vanessa to share his final meals. As she prepares the traditional Haitian dishes of his youth, the familiar flavors unlock painful, buried memories of his life and suffering under “Baby Doc’s” dictatorship.
Set against this backdrop of shared history, “The Last Meal” is a poignant tale of reconciliation, exploring the power of food, cultural memory and confronting the past to heal fractured family bonds within the Haitian experience.
A beautifully crafted film about legacy, healing, and the stories we carry in our bodies and kitchens, “The Last Meal” will leave you gob smacked in its authenticity about the workings of the Fort Dimanche Prison during that time.
On Saturday, June 6, this film is included in a Haitian Evening: Film Screening & Reception at 6:30 p.m., Screening at 7:30 p.m. Chicago Premiere, Screening and Reception in collaboration with DuSable Heritage Association. Followed by a Q&A with veteran actor Mireille Metellus.
The young, unhoused family in “Outdoor School,” which is also a Chicago Premiere, is just trying to keep its head above water. The mother has a full-time job but is beset with obstacle after obstacle, after she takes her teen son and younger daughter out of the toxic home she shares with her abusive hubby.
Based on a remarkable true story, “Outdoor School” is a feature film following 12-year-old Vin, a boy striving to keep up appearances at school despite secretly being homeless, sleeping in Portland’s parks with his little sister and mother.
Forced to mature quickly, Vin struggles to reconcile his vigilance with the innocence of childhood until his sixth-grade class attends the week-long camping trip. There, amidst the forest and the mentorship of caring adults, Vin finally finds a sense of belonging and community, experiencing for the first time what it feels like to simply be a kid.
And with this freedom, Vin later finds the courage to protect his mom in their new family home. In the Chicago Premiere of “Can You Stand the Rain,” which to me hearkens images of “The Big Chill,” nine old school buddies have an interesting and sometimes chaotic reunion.
They reunite after their childhood anchor dies, forcing them to face buried dreams, tensions and regrets while discovering their true selves.
The deceased has sort of breathed a dream into the remaining 5th-grade classmates, who must go through some things in order to get through the weekend. This is a great choice for the fest’s opening day slate.
Opening Day: “Audre Lorde: A Litany for Survival, restored version. There will be an opening reception at 7 p.m., and the 8 p.m. screening of “Daughters,” followed by “Can You Stand the Rain.”
Saturday, June 6, will be a Black Music & International Perspectives program, featuring a dedicated “Black Music Program” alongside international narratives.
“Finding Odera,” a Chicago premiere exploring the Nigerian Diaspora in Toronto. “St. Louis Blues” (1958), a classic starring Nat King Cole and Eartha Kitt. “Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me” and “The Disappearance of Miss Scott” are also included.
Sunday, June 7, History & Closing Night: “Empire” set in the Danish West Indies in 1848. “Malês, a Chicago premiere about the 1835 Malê Revolt in Brazil. “Sugar Island,” a Chicago premiere followed by a Q&A with director Johanné Gómez Terrero and reception.
There are many more titles. Purchase tickets and explore the full Chicago lineup at ADIFF Chicago 2026 | FACETS.
ADIFF was founded in 1993 and based in Harlem, the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) is a minority-led nonprofit bringing global Black experiences to the forefront through cinema that engages history, culture and contemporary life.