latakoo-produced Documentary John Johnson Reporting to Open the African Diaspora International Film Festival at Columbia

The world premiere of the latakoo-produced documentary John Johnson Reporting will open the 34th African Diaspora International Film Festival on Saturday, November 28, at Teachers College, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Brian Calfano, latakoo’s director of film partnerships and the filmmaker behind Al Primo & His Eyewitness News Revolution, directed it, and Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg narrates. The film tells the story of John Johnson, a pioneering Black journalist who broke racial barriers and helped transform TV news. A multiple Emmy Award winner, Johnson was the only person to anchor at all three of New York’s legacy owned-and-operated network flagship stations: WABC, WCBS and WNBC.

Born in Harlem, Johnson began his career making documentaries for ABC News, then spent years in front of the camera at WABC-TV, where he launched the station’s Target 7 investigative unit. He covered the Kuwait oil fires, John Lennon’s murder and the O.J. Simpson trial. Interviews with colleagues and relatives round out the portrait, along with his memoir, Only Son, which captures a loving but challenging family life and reveals how powerful forgiveness can be.

For latakoo, opening ADIFF is a milestone. Our co-founders, President Jade Kurian and CEO Paul Adrian, produced the documentary, and our platform carried it from the first shoot to the final cut. The crew used latakoo to upload, transfer, store and share camera files, interviews and edits throughout production.

Independent filmmakers are working in challenging environments on tight budgets. We want to give filmmakers access to the same powerful technology that major broadcasters use.

“Independent filmmakers are working in challenging environments on tight budgets, yet they’re dealing with enormous amounts of video and the growing expense of hard drives and storage,” said Kurian. “We want to give filmmakers access to the same powerful technology that major broadcasters use, with a secure place to store and revisit their footage long after production ends. Technology that’s not keeping up with their needs shouldn’t limit great storytelling.”

Opening night begins with a reception at 7 p.m., followed by the screening at 8 p.m. in the Chapel and a panel discussion with John and the filmmakers at 9 p.m. John and his wife, Ann Yih Johnson, will attend in person. Tickets cost $30 for the premiere or $75 for the reception and premiere, and students save $10 when they buy in advance with promo code SAVE$10. ADIFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so purchases are tax-deductible. Teachers College address: 525 W. 120th Street. Reserve a seat at nyadiff2026.eventive.org.

Diarah N’Daw-Spech and Reinaldo Barroso-Spech founded the African Diaspora International Film Festival in 1993, and ArtMattan Productions presents it. This year’s edition runs through December 13 in New York and online, showcasing cinema about the experiences of people of African descent worldwide, with special emphasis on African American independent filmmaking. Its 2026 program also features Sam Pollard’s The Lorraine and Karen Hayes’s A Better Way: James Lawson, Architect of Nonviolence, with the New York premiere of Montmartre closing the event.

Bluebird Productions and We Choose Media present John Johnson Reporting. Credits include Ann Yih Johnson, writer and executive producer; Reece Rexroad, editor; India Lark Adrian, associate producer; and Rolando Pujol, creative consultant.

We’re grateful to Diarah N’Daw-Spech and the ADIFF team for choosing the film as their opening-night selection, and to John and Ann for trusting us with John’s story.

latakoo is proud to stand with independent filmmakers, not only as a technology partner but as a producer and collaborator. We hope to see you on November 28 as John’s story reaches the big screen.