PAFF '08 Film Schedule

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Key 1
06:00 PM
ScoobyBros.jpg

Los Angeles Premiere

Director:

Producer: Phillip W. Stephens & Michael Phillip Edwards

Genre:

Screenwriter: Michael Phillip Edwards

Dir. of Photography: Phillip Stephens

Duration: 60min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/08/2008 - 6:00pm

Description:

Friendship, loyalty and determination is the theme of this inspirational piece about a group of young men who grew up in South Central Los Angeles and transformed their lives via brotherhood and rollerskating. First coming together over 30 years ago, the brothers still compete in rollerskating competitions. What they lack in youthful vigor and gymnastics, these middle-aged competitors make-up for in enthusiasm and their sense of fun. The viewer is treated to lots of 70s music as we watch the Brothers do there “Thang” during practice and in competition. Appearances by Kool Modee, "Kid” from "Everybody Hates Chris" and The Scooby Brothers. Q&A
Key 1
11:30 AM
When They Could Fly.jpg

Director: Piotr Kajstura

Language: English

Producer: Neil Yalkowsky

Genre: Short

Awards: Best Short and Best Overall Film, 2007 Texas Black Film Festival; Best Drama, 2007 Buffalo Niagara Film Festival

Screenwriter: Stephen P. Lindsey

Costume: Beth Hedegor

Dir. of Photography: Ted Ciesielski

Editor: Darren Ryan

Sound: David Powell

Casting: Piotr Kajstura

Set Design: Beth Hedegor

Duration: 28min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/09/2008 - 11:30am , 02/15/2008 - 1:00pm

Description:

A cinematic adaptation of a magical folktale which uses the period of American slavery as a stage to show how people can survive and overcome the most extreme experiences by the power of their own will. A group of people held as slaves on a South Carolina cotton plantation learn that people in Africa practice magic and have developed the ability to fly. The idea of transcendence is a necessity for human existence in times when there is nothing else to believe in. The protagonist holds on to this magical belief and it changes the group's shackled lives. Q&A

About the Director:

Piotr Kajstura was born and raised in the Kazimierz district of Krakow, Poland. In 1992 at age 20 he came to New York, where he gained his first filming experiences working at film studios, camera rental shops, and freelancing on several different independent film crews. His first short film, Unfortunate Coincidence, was based on Dorothy Parker’s poem of the same name and his second work, Antidepressant was a reaction to several suicides at a local college. Both films where shown in several independent screening houses throughout the New York City area. With a BA in film from The City College of New York, Piotr co-directed in 2004 a short documentary on physically disabled athletes called Catching Up, shown several times on public television in New York. In 2005, his experimental short, Saturday Night in New York City was selected and screened at the City University of New York’s Art Gala and it has been subsequently broadcasted on public television. In June 2006, a short film called 6 AM, which was produced by Piotr, won The Student Academy Award. Also during this year, Piotr earned an MFA degree in narrative film writing and directing from the film production program at the City College of New York and When They Could Fly is his thesis film.

Key 1
06:20 PM
We are all Rwandans.jpg

Los Angeles Premiere

Director: Debs Gardner-Paterson

Language: Kinyarwanda

Country: UK, Rwanda

Producer: Ayuub Kasasa Mago & Sven Pannell

Genre: Short

Screenwriter: Ayuub Kasasa Mago & Debs Gardner-Paterson

Dir. of Photography: Tim Neeves

Editor: Miikka Leskinen

Sound: Robin Pender

Duration: 25min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/09/2008 - 6:20pm , 02/11/2008 - 6:20pm

Description:

Nyange School, 18th March 1997: a day in the life of six normal students who had to make the decision of their lives. Recreated in dramatic form, this is the true story of a rebel attack in post-genocide Rwanda, filmed in the school and village where the real events took place. Q&A
Key 1
01:20 PM

Los Angeles Premiere

Director: Larry Bryant

Producer: Nabila Lester

Genre: Short

Screenwriter: Larry Bryant

Costume: Gwendolyn Beeman

Dir. of Photography: Emily Topper

Editor: Rajeev Dassani & Dion Watkins

Sound: Paul Seradarian

Casting: Simone Valentine & Robyn Marshall

Set Design: Lauie Tsou

Duration: 17min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/09/2008 - 1:20pm , 02/17/2008 - 10:00pm

Description:

After serving 20 years in prison, Clifford comes home to live with his daughter in hopes of making up for lost time. But the road to redemption will be harder than he thinks when he realizes that he has to deal with his daughter's live-in boyfriend who is the mirror image of Clifford as a young man. Q&A
Key 1
07:15 PM

Director: Marwan Hamed

Language: Arabic

Country: Egypt

Producer: Imad Adeeb

Genre: Feature

Screenwriter: Wahid Hamid

Costume: Nahed Nasrallah

Dir. of Photography: Sameh Selim

Sound: Adam Mendez & Richard Straker

Duration: 172min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/10/2008 - 7:15pm , 02/17/2008 - 11:10am

Description:

A luxury apartment building in central Cairo teems with tragicomic intrigue. Residents of the titular dwelling—built in the ’30s to house VIPs from the upper echelons of Egypt’s social stratum and now chockablock with denizens of all backgrounds and rank—careen through each other’s daily dramas. As dozens of characters and storylines intersect, we meet a panoply of Yacoubian inhabitants including a former aristocrat who longs for a vanished past, the son of the building doorman who is denied entrance into the police academy due to his social standing, a disillusioned young woman who works demeaning jobs to support her family, a flamboyantly gay newspaper editor whose sexuality is an open secret, a dashing soldier who yearns for sophistication while remaining true to his village-born wife, and a successful businessman who has risen from his roots as a shoeshine boy and aspires to political power. These and many other memorable characters, including the aristocrat’s ex-girlfriend whose beautiful rendition of "La Vie en Rose" colors the entire film with romantic longing, fatefully cross paths in a social milieu still straitjacketed by political corruption, patriarchal chauvinism, police brutality and religious hypocrisy.
Key 1
08:55 PM

Los Angeles Premiere

Director: Alexandra Lavelanet & Jaquita Ta'le

Language: English

Producer: Jaquita Ta'le

Genre: Documentary

Screenwriter: Alexandra Lavelanet & Jaquita Ta'le

Dir. of Photography: Alexandra Lavelanet & Jaquita Ta'le

Editor: Terence Nance

Duration: 39min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/10/2008 - 8:55pm , 02/18/2008 - 4:45pm

Description:

Alex and Jaq, two American hip hop artists/fans, investigate hip hop culture overseas. From the block to the boardroom, everyone's got an opinion: some think hip hop's taken a turn for the worst, others think nothing moves but the money. In this era of big business and bling, the girls ask hip hop lovers, haters and makers worldwide "Is Hip Hop dead?" Q&A

Community Collaborators: hiphopradio.net; Poetess Media
Key 1
09:05 PM

US Premiere

Director: Ishmahil Blagrove Jr

Language: Spanish

Genre: Documentary

Editor: Catherine Arend

Duration: 57min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/10/2008 - 9:05pm , 02/16/2008 - 4:15pm

Description:

A rare glimpse into the heart of Cuban society. Filmed during the most precarious period in the island's history, it reveals the aspirations and vulnerabilities of a Revolution on the brink of change. Featuring the island's leading politicians, intellectuals and dissidents who debate the future directions of their nation, prompting the question: Will the Revolution survive after Castro?
Key 1
11:30 AM
film not available

US Premiere

Director: Kal Touré

Producer: Kal Touré

Genre: Documentary

Awards: Dikalo Award for Best Documentary, 2007 Cannes Pan African Film Festival; Grand Prix Sembène Ousmane, 2007 Festival Miroirs et cinémas d’Afriques (Marseille)

Dir. of Photography: Kal Touré

Editor: Eric Chevalier, Amélie Degouis & Kal Touré

Music: Fantani Touré & Ali Farka Touré

Sound: Pascal Capitolin & Hamma Maiga

Duration: 58min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/10/2008 - 11:30am , 02/16/2008 - 2:00pm

Description:

The economic and political background of the criminalization of undocumented African workers in Europe is the subject of this eye-opening indictment of the issues of illegal immigration exposed by the testimonies of Africans who attempted to immigrate to Europe to find work. Reminiscent of slavery and strikingly similar to descriptions by illegal Mexican immigrants of the treachery of their journeys to the U.S., African men and women bear witness to tragic events and the cruel treatment they suffer during their attempts to cross into Europe through Spain via Morocco. Though many die or suffer devastating injury during their desperate journey, the economic conditions of home leave them with no alternative. As revealed by those left behind, the economic survival of family and community is often dependent on immigrants reaching Europe and finding employment so they can send money home. Adding insult to injury, we learn that the economic conditions giving rise to this mass exodus of the young and able-bodied from Africa are economic policies forced on Africa by Europeans to improve European economic conditions. Finally the atmosphere of fear increased by the possibility of being caught and deported and restarting the horrendous journey anew, discourages illegal workers from complaining of inhuman working conditions and drives down wages. Although focused on the immigration issues between Africa and Europe, it is not a far jump to transfer these same human rights issues on immigration issues between the United States and its southern neighbors.
Key 1
06:20 PM
YaaAsantewaa1.jpg

Director: Love Joel Aryeetey

Language: English/Ashanti

Country: Ghana

Producer: Love Joel Aryeetey

Genre: Documentary

Screenwriter: Love Joel Aryeetey

Dir. of Photography: William Sefa

Editor: Love Joel Aryeetey

Sound: Love Joel Aryeetey

Duration: 55min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/11/2008 - 6:20pm , 02/17/2008 - 5:00pm

Description:

Yaa Asantewaa, the grandmother who led an army to resist colonization, is a story woven into the fabric of African myths and legends. As a Queen she had foresight and conviction to fight the concept of colonization.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, after more than four centuries of contact, the European powers finally laid claim to virtually all of Africa. In November 1884, the imperial chancellor and architect of the German Empire, Otto von Bismarck, convened a conference in Berlin to settle the political partitioning of Africa. France, Germany, Britain, and Portugal were the major players in the conference, controlling most of colonial Africa at the time.

Ashanti, the land flowing with Gold and Silver, was free virtually from the colonizers. After the Berlin Conference the British Government began pressuring the Ashanti King to become part of the British protecterate. When The king refused, the British army invades Ashanti. These events culminate with the Yaa Asantewaa’s War for Independence, which began on March 28, 1900. She mobilized the Ashanti troops and for three months laid siege to the British mission at the fort of Kumasi. Q&A
Key 1
06:20 PM
We are all Rwandans.jpg

Los Angeles Premiere

Director: Debs Gardner-Paterson

Language: Kinyarwanda

Country: UK, Rwanda

Producer: Ayuub Kasasa Mago & Sven Pannell

Genre: Short

Screenwriter: Ayuub Kasasa Mago & Debs Gardner-Paterson

Dir. of Photography: Tim Neeves

Editor: Miikka Leskinen

Sound: Robin Pender

Duration: 25min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/09/2008 - 6:20pm , 02/11/2008 - 6:20pm

Description:

Nyange School, 18th March 1997: a day in the life of six normal students who had to make the decision of their lives. Recreated in dramatic form, this is the true story of a rebel attack in post-genocide Rwanda, filmed in the school and village where the real events took place. Q&A
Key 1
03:50 PM

Director: Amy Hart

Country: UK, Rwanda

Producer: Amy Hart

Genre: Documentary

Screenwriter: Amy Hart

Dir. of Photography: Steve Nealey & Jonathan Kovel

Duration: 25min.

Year: 2006

Screening Times: 02/11/2008 - 3:50pm

Description:

The magnitude of the global water crisis and the reality of living without water is revealed in the rural villages of Malawi and urban townships of South Africa. The global water crisis leaves over one billion people without water and kills 6,000 children every day. Beautiful cinematography and succinct, dramatic storytelling make this film well worth watching.
Key 1
03:00 PM

Los Angeles Premiere

Director: Danielle L. Ross

Producer: Anika C. McFall, Stephanie Cunningham

Genre: Feature

Screenwriter: Danielle L. Ross

Costume: Andrea Johnson

Dir. of Photography: Foster Corder

Editor: Danielle Ross

Sound: Mickey McMullen, Kimo Kaulani

Casting: Stephanie Cunningham

Set Design: Treasure Bailey

Duration: 82min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/14/2008 - 3:00pm , 02/17/2008 - 6:00pm

Description:

Many women possess the fear of being assaulted by a stranger. Ironically, many cases of violence, committed against women, are at the hands of someone they know…often times a Voyeur. Voyeur: In Hindsight is a dark thriller that takes an unsettling venture into the brutal attack of a woman and her struggle to regain her power. The film takes an experimental look at hindsight recollection and what we would have, could have, and should have done differently. The non-linear storyline builds suspense and allows the audience to determine their own course of action…The film they didn’t want you to see. Q&A

About the Director:

Danielle L. Ross is a multi-talented professional. Friends and colleagues have crowned Danielle the “Pr/edit/or” because she has mastered Producing, Editing, Directing, as well as Writing. Danielle’s intense passion for film making lies in creating “cross-genre” films that explore innovative styles of film making.

Key 1
01:00 PM
When They Could Fly.jpg

Director: Piotr Kajstura

Language: English

Producer: Neil Yalkowsky

Genre: Short

Awards: Best Short and Best Overall Film, 2007 Texas Black Film Festival; Best Drama, 2007 Buffalo Niagara Film Festival

Screenwriter: Stephen P. Lindsey

Costume: Beth Hedegor

Dir. of Photography: Ted Ciesielski

Editor: Darren Ryan

Sound: David Powell

Casting: Piotr Kajstura

Set Design: Beth Hedegor

Duration: 28min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/09/2008 - 11:30am , 02/15/2008 - 1:00pm

Description:

A cinematic adaptation of a magical folktale which uses the period of American slavery as a stage to show how people can survive and overcome the most extreme experiences by the power of their own will. A group of people held as slaves on a South Carolina cotton plantation learn that people in Africa practice magic and have developed the ability to fly. The idea of transcendence is a necessity for human existence in times when there is nothing else to believe in. The protagonist holds on to this magical belief and it changes the group's shackled lives. Q&A

About the Director:

Piotr Kajstura was born and raised in the Kazimierz district of Krakow, Poland. In 1992 at age 20 he came to New York, where he gained his first filming experiences working at film studios, camera rental shops, and freelancing on several different independent film crews. His first short film, Unfortunate Coincidence, was based on Dorothy Parker’s poem of the same name and his second work, Antidepressant was a reaction to several suicides at a local college. Both films where shown in several independent screening houses throughout the New York City area. With a BA in film from The City College of New York, Piotr co-directed in 2004 a short documentary on physically disabled athletes called Catching Up, shown several times on public television in New York. In 2005, his experimental short, Saturday Night in New York City was selected and screened at the City University of New York’s Art Gala and it has been subsequently broadcasted on public television. In June 2006, a short film called 6 AM, which was produced by Piotr, won The Student Academy Award. Also during this year, Piotr earned an MFA degree in narrative film writing and directing from the film production program at the City College of New York and When They Could Fly is his thesis film.

Key 1
01:00 PM

World Premiere

Director:

Producer: Isidra Person-Lynn & Gail Parker

Genre:

Screenwriter: Isidra Person-Lynn

Dir. of Photography: Harold Brown & William Byers

Editor: Explorer Studios, Inc.

Duration: 54min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/15/2008 - 1:00pm , 02/16/2008 - 11:15am

Description:

The late artist Walt Walker and his wife Jane pioneered the business of African American art in the Los Angeles area by being by being one of the first to own an art gallery which featured black images. Walker's graphic arts career included clients such as Safeway, Norms Restaurants, Western Auto and the Los Angeles Lakers. Walt and his wife frequently exhibited at Street Festivals, Venice Beach, Ray's Kitchen and PAFF. In 1999, Walker received a PAFF Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Quincy Jones. Interviewees include PAFF Executive Director Ayuko Babu, Charles Bibbs, Jesse Raudales, Russell Walker and Dee Walker. Q&A

About the Director:

Gail Parker is executive producer and co-director of Walking Tall, the Life and Wife of Walt Walker. She is President of Papillon Media Company, a multimedia company that specializes in creating and development of websites and CD/DVDs for over 8 years. Ms Parker, an experienced, skilled professional with knowledge in various areas of the new media industry has produced interactive and educational DVDs. Isidra Person-Lynn, owner of House of the Rising Sons Media, is a multimedia specialist whose credits include co-producing and co-directing the documentary Walking Tall, the Life and Wife of Walt Walker, producing numerous Internet videos (including her series titled My World Podcast), radio talk show hosting, voice-over work and various writing projects.

Key 1
03:50 PM
The World Unseen.jpg

West Coast Premiere

Director: Shamim Sarif

Language: English

Country: South Africa

Producer: Hanan Kattan

Genre: Feature

Screenwriter: Shamim Sarif

Costume: Danielle Knox

Dir. of Photography: Mike Downie

Editor: Ronelle Loots

Sound: Rajendra Kumar Hedge

Casting: Milo Skellern

Set Design: Tanya van Tonder

Duration: 105min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/16/2008 - 3:50pm , 02/18/2008 - 6:15pm

Description:

In 1950s South Africa apartheid is just beginning. Free-spirited Amina has broken all the rules of her own conventional Indian community, and the new apartheid-led government, by running a café with Jacob, her "colored" business partner. When she meets Miriam, a young traditional wife and mother, their unexpected attraction pushes Miriam to question the rules that bind her. When Amina helps Miriam's sister-in-law hide from the police, a chain of events is set in motion that changes both women forever. An engaging and beautifully executed story of self-expression, breaking of the chains of convention, individual freedom and most of all about the desire for self-fulfillment contrasted against a background of growing government repression.

Community Collaborator: JasmyneCannick.com
Key 1
04:15 PM

US Premiere

Director: Ishmahil Blagrove Jr

Language: Spanish

Genre: Documentary

Editor: Catherine Arend

Duration: 57min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/10/2008 - 9:05pm , 02/16/2008 - 4:15pm

Description:

A rare glimpse into the heart of Cuban society. Filmed during the most precarious period in the island's history, it reveals the aspirations and vulnerabilities of a Revolution on the brink of change. Featuring the island's leading politicians, intellectuals and dissidents who debate the future directions of their nation, prompting the question: Will the Revolution survive after Castro?
Key 1
09:15 PM
film not available

Director: Charles Burnett

Language: English

Country: US

Genre: Short

Duration: 13min.

Year: 1995

Screening Times: 02/16/2008 - 9:15pm , 02/18/2008 - 6:00pm

Description:

A musician spends New Year's Day trying to help his friend pay the rent. Q&A
Key 1
11:15 AM

World Premiere

Director:

Producer: Isidra Person-Lynn & Gail Parker

Genre:

Screenwriter: Isidra Person-Lynn

Dir. of Photography: Harold Brown & William Byers

Editor: Explorer Studios, Inc.

Duration: 54min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/15/2008 - 1:00pm , 02/16/2008 - 11:15am

Description:

The late artist Walt Walker and his wife Jane pioneered the business of African American art in the Los Angeles area by being by being one of the first to own an art gallery which featured black images. Walker's graphic arts career included clients such as Safeway, Norms Restaurants, Western Auto and the Los Angeles Lakers. Walt and his wife frequently exhibited at Street Festivals, Venice Beach, Ray's Kitchen and PAFF. In 1999, Walker received a PAFF Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Quincy Jones. Interviewees include PAFF Executive Director Ayuko Babu, Charles Bibbs, Jesse Raudales, Russell Walker and Dee Walker. Q&A

About the Director:

Gail Parker is executive producer and co-director of Walking Tall, the Life and Wife of Walt Walker. She is President of Papillon Media Company, a multimedia company that specializes in creating and development of websites and CD/DVDs for over 8 years. Ms Parker, an experienced, skilled professional with knowledge in various areas of the new media industry has produced interactive and educational DVDs. Isidra Person-Lynn, owner of House of the Rising Sons Media, is a multimedia specialist whose credits include co-producing and co-directing the documentary Walking Tall, the Life and Wife of Walt Walker, producing numerous Internet videos (including her series titled My World Podcast), radio talk show hosting, voice-over work and various writing projects.

Key 1
02:00 PM
film not available

US Premiere

Director: Kal Touré

Producer: Kal Touré

Genre: Documentary

Awards: Dikalo Award for Best Documentary, 2007 Cannes Pan African Film Festival; Grand Prix Sembène Ousmane, 2007 Festival Miroirs et cinémas d’Afriques (Marseille)

Dir. of Photography: Kal Touré

Editor: Eric Chevalier, Amélie Degouis & Kal Touré

Music: Fantani Touré & Ali Farka Touré

Sound: Pascal Capitolin & Hamma Maiga

Duration: 58min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/10/2008 - 11:30am , 02/16/2008 - 2:00pm

Description:

The economic and political background of the criminalization of undocumented African workers in Europe is the subject of this eye-opening indictment of the issues of illegal immigration exposed by the testimonies of Africans who attempted to immigrate to Europe to find work. Reminiscent of slavery and strikingly similar to descriptions by illegal Mexican immigrants of the treachery of their journeys to the U.S., African men and women bear witness to tragic events and the cruel treatment they suffer during their attempts to cross into Europe through Spain via Morocco. Though many die or suffer devastating injury during their desperate journey, the economic conditions of home leave them with no alternative. As revealed by those left behind, the economic survival of family and community is often dependent on immigrants reaching Europe and finding employment so they can send money home. Adding insult to injury, we learn that the economic conditions giving rise to this mass exodus of the young and able-bodied from Africa are economic policies forced on Africa by Europeans to improve European economic conditions. Finally the atmosphere of fear increased by the possibility of being caught and deported and restarting the horrendous journey anew, discourages illegal workers from complaining of inhuman working conditions and drives down wages. Although focused on the immigration issues between Africa and Europe, it is not a far jump to transfer these same human rights issues on immigration issues between the United States and its southern neighbors.
Key 1
11:10 AM

Director: Marwan Hamed

Language: Arabic

Country: Egypt

Producer: Imad Adeeb

Genre: Feature

Screenwriter: Wahid Hamid

Costume: Nahed Nasrallah

Dir. of Photography: Sameh Selim

Sound: Adam Mendez & Richard Straker

Duration: 172min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/10/2008 - 7:15pm , 02/17/2008 - 11:10am

Description:

A luxury apartment building in central Cairo teems with tragicomic intrigue. Residents of the titular dwelling—built in the ’30s to house VIPs from the upper echelons of Egypt’s social stratum and now chockablock with denizens of all backgrounds and rank—careen through each other’s daily dramas. As dozens of characters and storylines intersect, we meet a panoply of Yacoubian inhabitants including a former aristocrat who longs for a vanished past, the son of the building doorman who is denied entrance into the police academy due to his social standing, a disillusioned young woman who works demeaning jobs to support her family, a flamboyantly gay newspaper editor whose sexuality is an open secret, a dashing soldier who yearns for sophistication while remaining true to his village-born wife, and a successful businessman who has risen from his roots as a shoeshine boy and aspires to political power. These and many other memorable characters, including the aristocrat’s ex-girlfriend whose beautiful rendition of "La Vie en Rose" colors the entire film with romantic longing, fatefully cross paths in a social milieu still straitjacketed by political corruption, patriarchal chauvinism, police brutality and religious hypocrisy.
Key 1
05:00 PM
YaaAsantewaa1.jpg

Director: Love Joel Aryeetey

Language: English/Ashanti

Country: Ghana

Producer: Love Joel Aryeetey

Genre: Documentary

Screenwriter: Love Joel Aryeetey

Dir. of Photography: William Sefa

Editor: Love Joel Aryeetey

Sound: Love Joel Aryeetey

Duration: 55min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/11/2008 - 6:20pm , 02/17/2008 - 5:00pm

Description:

Yaa Asantewaa, the grandmother who led an army to resist colonization, is a story woven into the fabric of African myths and legends. As a Queen she had foresight and conviction to fight the concept of colonization.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, after more than four centuries of contact, the European powers finally laid claim to virtually all of Africa. In November 1884, the imperial chancellor and architect of the German Empire, Otto von Bismarck, convened a conference in Berlin to settle the political partitioning of Africa. France, Germany, Britain, and Portugal were the major players in the conference, controlling most of colonial Africa at the time.

Ashanti, the land flowing with Gold and Silver, was free virtually from the colonizers. After the Berlin Conference the British Government began pressuring the Ashanti King to become part of the British protecterate. When The king refused, the British army invades Ashanti. These events culminate with the Yaa Asantewaa’s War for Independence, which began on March 28, 1900. She mobilized the Ashanti troops and for three months laid siege to the British mission at the fort of Kumasi. Q&A
Key 1
06:00 PM

Los Angeles Premiere

Director: Danielle L. Ross

Producer: Anika C. McFall, Stephanie Cunningham

Genre: Feature

Screenwriter: Danielle L. Ross

Costume: Andrea Johnson

Dir. of Photography: Foster Corder

Editor: Danielle Ross

Sound: Mickey McMullen, Kimo Kaulani

Casting: Stephanie Cunningham

Set Design: Treasure Bailey

Duration: 82min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/14/2008 - 3:00pm , 02/17/2008 - 6:00pm

Description:

Many women possess the fear of being assaulted by a stranger. Ironically, many cases of violence, committed against women, are at the hands of someone they know…often times a Voyeur. Voyeur: In Hindsight is a dark thriller that takes an unsettling venture into the brutal attack of a woman and her struggle to regain her power. The film takes an experimental look at hindsight recollection and what we would have, could have, and should have done differently. The non-linear storyline builds suspense and allows the audience to determine their own course of action…The film they didn’t want you to see. Q&A

About the Director:

Danielle L. Ross is a multi-talented professional. Friends and colleagues have crowned Danielle the “Pr/edit/or” because she has mastered Producing, Editing, Directing, as well as Writing. Danielle’s intense passion for film making lies in creating “cross-genre” films that explore innovative styles of film making.

Key 1
06:15 PM
The World Unseen.jpg

West Coast Premiere

Director: Shamim Sarif

Language: English

Country: South Africa

Producer: Hanan Kattan

Genre: Feature

Screenwriter: Shamim Sarif

Costume: Danielle Knox

Dir. of Photography: Mike Downie

Editor: Ronelle Loots

Sound: Rajendra Kumar Hedge

Casting: Milo Skellern

Set Design: Tanya van Tonder

Duration: 105min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/16/2008 - 3:50pm , 02/18/2008 - 6:15pm

Description:

In 1950s South Africa apartheid is just beginning. Free-spirited Amina has broken all the rules of her own conventional Indian community, and the new apartheid-led government, by running a café with Jacob, her "colored" business partner. When she meets Miriam, a young traditional wife and mother, their unexpected attraction pushes Miriam to question the rules that bind her. When Amina helps Miriam's sister-in-law hide from the police, a chain of events is set in motion that changes both women forever. An engaging and beautifully executed story of self-expression, breaking of the chains of convention, individual freedom and most of all about the desire for self-fulfillment contrasted against a background of growing government repression.

Community Collaborator: JasmyneCannick.com
Key 1
04:45 PM

Los Angeles Premiere

Director: Alexandra Lavelanet & Jaquita Ta'le

Language: English

Producer: Jaquita Ta'le

Genre: Documentary

Screenwriter: Alexandra Lavelanet & Jaquita Ta'le

Dir. of Photography: Alexandra Lavelanet & Jaquita Ta'le

Editor: Terence Nance

Duration: 39min.

Year: 2007

Screening Times: 02/10/2008 - 8:55pm , 02/18/2008 - 4:45pm

Description:

Alex and Jaq, two American hip hop artists/fans, investigate hip hop culture overseas. From the block to the boardroom, everyone's got an opinion: some think hip hop's taken a turn for the worst, others think nothing moves but the money. In this era of big business and bling, the girls ask hip hop lovers, haters and makers worldwide "Is Hip Hop dead?" Q&A

Community Collaborators: hiphopradio.net; Poetess Media
Key 1
06:00 PM
film not available

Director: Charles Burnett

Language: English

Country: US

Genre: Short

Duration: 13min.

Year: 1995

Screening Times: 02/16/2008 - 9:15pm , 02/18/2008 - 6:00pm

Description:

A musician spends New Year's Day trying to help his friend pay the rent. Q&A