The Sidis: The African Diaspora in India – The Rhythm of Dammam

The 33rd African Diaspora International Film Festival–NY 2025 is proud to present The Sidis: The African Diaspora in India, a special program featured in the context of the festival’s Centerpiece.

Located in Karnataka, in southwest India, the Sidis are the direct descendants of African captives brought to India by Portuguese traders centuries ago.

The evening showcases two films exploring this little-known page of Indian history.

• All the World’s a Stage, a documentary about the SIDI GOMA performance group and their musical and ritual traditions.
• The Rhythm of Dammam, the first narrative feature about the Siddi community, who have lived in the region of Karnataka for generations. Filmed in the Siddi Bhasha language, a derived form of Konkani, the film follows 12-year-old Jayaram Siddi, whose visions of his late grandfather connect personal memory to the long history of this community.

Visually stunning and enhanced by the real representation of the culture and its people, The Rhythm of Dammam is one of the most accomplished works of Jayan Cherian, an Indian filmmaker based in New York whose thought-provoking films have been showcased in many important world events. He is also the director of Papilio Buddha and Ka Bodyscapes.

The Sidis: The African Diaspora in India will be presented at Cinema Village on Friday, December 5, 2025, starting at 5:30PM followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Jayan Cherian and a reception.

The Rhythm of Dammam is represented worldwide by ArtMattan Films.

ABOUT ADIFF
Founded in Harlem in 1993, ADIFF is a minority-led, non-profit arts organization dedicated to promoting cultural understanding through films representing the human experience of people of color across Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the United States, and beyond.

FESTIVAL SUPPORTERS
The 33rd Annual New York ADIFF is made possible with support from ArtMattan Films, NYSCA, The Harlem Community Development Corporation, The New York City Council for the Arts, West Harlem Development Corporation, UMEZ, the Office of Community Affairs at Teachers College, Columbia University, the Netherlands Consulate General, the Québec Government Office in New York, and the George Clement Bond Center for African Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

PRESS CONTACT

Nina Hay

African Diaspora International Film Festival

Cell: 1-347-233-1053

Email: info@nyadiff.org