As part of their Spotlight on Caribbean Cinema, the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) presents two feature films by Félix de Rooy (Curaçao) — Ava and Gabriel: A Love Story (1990) and Desirée (1984). The films will be screened today, at 1:00pm and 4:30pm, at Cinema Village and online.
Félix de Rooy (1952) is a Curaçaoan poet, writer, dramatist, filmmaker, director, visual artist, and curator. In 1990, he won the Golden Calf (Netherlands Film Festival Award) for Ava & Gabriel. See details below.
AVA & GABRIEL (Tuesday, December 9 @ 1:00 PM)
Ava and Gabriel: A Love Story takes place in Curaçao in the late 1940s, a time when colonial norms rigidly governed the tight-knit Antillean society.
Surinamese painter Gabriel Goedbloed arrives from Holland to paint a mural of the Virgin Mary in the local church. The drama erupts when the black, Hague-educated painter faces immediate prejudice from the clergy and locals.
Tensions escalate dramatically when Gabriel chooses Ava Recordina, a black teacher engaged to the white police major Carlos Zarius, as his model for the Virgin Mary.
The subsequent controversies, hypocrisies, and intrigues—further fueled by the Dutch Governor’s wife’s interest in Gabriel—ultimately lead to the painter becoming a victim of the forces he challenged.
Directed by Felix de Rooy, 1990, 100 mins, Drama/Romance, Curaçao, Dutch with English subtitles
DESIRÉE (Tuesday, December 9 @ 5:30PM)
Set in Brooklyn, New York, Desirée by Felix de Rooy is based on a true story reported in a 1980 New York newspaper.
Haunted by a troubled childhood affected by a promiscuous mother, Desirée’s present life revolves around three destructive relationships: her racist employer, Mrs. Resnick, her insecure lover, Freddy, and the rigid religious leader, Father Siego. Rejected and psychologically falling apart, Desirée blames her pregnancy as the source of evil.
Possessed and desperate to exorcise this evil, she resolves to get rid of her daughter.
Directed by Felix de Rooy, 1984, 96 mins, Documentary, Netherlands/USA, English
To order tickets and for more information, see https://adiffnyc.eventive.org/schedule/68ed0f5d156559803bc24837?mc_cid=956ba8c90d&mc_eid=49b3dfed8b
As part of their Spotlight on Caribbean Cinema, the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) presents two feature films by Félix de Rooy (Curaçao) — Ava and Gabriel: A Love Story (1990) and Desirée (1984). The films will be screened today, at 1:00pm and 4:30pm, at Cinema Village and online. Félix de Rooy (1952) is a Curaçaoan poet,
