The Center for Black Diaspora at DePaul University will continue its film and colloquium series, “Reel Images and Cinematic Representations of the Black Diaspora,” Jan. 20 with a film screening and lecture by noted filmmaker Haile Gerima from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., Room 120B.

Gerima’s work in progress, a film about the Maroons – descendants of escaped slaves who set up free territories in Guyana and the Caribbean – will be screened at 6 p.m., followed by a presentation from the filmmaker and a question-and-answer period.

Gerima, a professor of film and communication at Howard University, has directed several highly acclaimed films, including “Sankofa,” “Adwa – An African Victory,” “Ashes and Embers,” “Sterling Brown,” “Wilmington 10” and “Bush Mama.”

Euzhan Palcy, recipient of the 2001 Cannes Film Sojourner Truth Award, will continue the series Feb.11 with a screening of her 1989 film “A Dry White Season” about the atrocities of apartheid in South Africa. The film will be screened at 6 p.m. in the Student Center, Room 120B, followed by a presentation by the director and screenwriter, and a question-and-answer session.

Palcy is also a professor of film and communication at Howard University. Her impressive filmography includes “The Killing Yard,” “Ruby Ridges,” “Aime Cesaire: A Voice for History,” “Simeon” “Sugar Cane Alley” and “The Devil’s Workshop.” The filmmaker is currently in preproduction of a documentary about Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L’Overture.

Two additional film screenings are scheduled for February: On the 17th, “Faat Kine,” by Senegalese filmmaker Ousman Sembene, will be shown, with a discussion afterward, from 6 p.m.to 9 p.m. in the Student Center, Room 120B. The film examines the interplay of gender, economics and power in contemporary Senegal. Francesca Royster, associate professor of English, will lead the discussion after the film.

On the 24th, “Aboliçao,” a Brazilian film by Sozimo Bulbul, will be screened. The award-winning film presents a candid look at the experiences of Black Brazilians from all walks of life in contemporary Brazilian society. A discussion led by Michael Hanchard, professor of political science at Northwestern University, will follow. Hanchard is the author of several books on the power structure and political history of Brazil.

Filmmaker Manthia Diawara, a university professor and director of the Africana Studies Program at New York University, will present the premiere of his film “Conakry Lives,” March 10 in the Student Center, Room 120B. The film will be screened at 6 p.m., and a lecture and discussion will follow the showing of the film. Diawara will sign copies of his latest book, “We Won’t Budge,” a memoir of personal exile and Diawara’s early years in his native Mali.

All of the film screenings and lectures in “Reel Images and Cinematic Representations of the Black Diaspora” are free and open to the public. The year-long series continues through May 24. For a complete series schedule or more information, visit the Center for Black Diaspora’s Web site at: http://condor.depaul.edu/~diaspora/html/community/film.html/.