Ledisi, Snowfall, Tabitha Brown, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Tina Knowles Lawson & More Kick Off First Week of PAFF
The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) continues its 13-day run in Los Angeles through May 1.
Second week will see cast of ‘South Central’ reunited on 30th Anniversary of 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest and a Tribute to John Singleton on the Two-Year Anniversary of His Death
Thousands flock to Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza for PAFF’s renowned Black fine arts exhibit
LOS ANGELES, California – Ledisi, the cast of the FX acclaimed drama “Snowfall,” Tyler the Creator, Academy Award-winning actor and activist Danny Glover, actress Tabitha Brown, actress and director Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles Lawson and more helped kick off the first week of the largest Black film festival in America!
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The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) continues its 13-day run in Los Angeles through May 1.
PAFF’s renowned Artfest made its triumphant return to the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza after a two-year absence due to the pandemic.
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The PAFF Artfest features over 100 established and emerging fine artists and quality craftspeople from all over the world. With an artistic aesthetic rooted in Africa and its Diaspora, featured artists present their creative works using oil on canvas, watercolor and pastels, acrylic paper, glass, ceramics, metal, cloth, plastic, wax, wire, leather, and stone.
In addition to fine art and one-of-a-kind crafts, the Artfest also features the best in designer and traditional fashions, jewelry, home decor, fashion accessories, and so much more!
Representing the perfect mix of both art and culture, the PAFF Artfest brings out over 100K+ visitors from all over Los Angeles, across the country, and worldwide. It is an experience in and of itself.
On the two-year anniversary of acclaimed director John Singleton’s death, PAFF will premiere the winning films from the John Singleton Short Film Competition as its Centerpiece (April 28). Singleton’s family and friends are expected to attend.
On the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest, the cast of the acclaimed film South Central will gather for a special screening to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Actor Glenn Plummer, Christian Coleman, Byron Keith Minns, and Carl Lumbly are set to appear along with writer Donald Bakeer. A Q&A will follow the screening (April 29).
An encore screening of PAFF’s Opening Night film Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story starring Ledisi and Columbus short will take place on April 29 at 5:15 p.m.
Dick Barnett, who led Tennessee State to three straight NAIA national championships followed by leading the Cleveland Pipers to the ABL title in 1962 and winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973, will attend the world premiere of a documentary film about his basketball career. The Dream Whisperer will screen at PAFF on April 30. Barnett played in five NBA Finals altogether – three with the Knicks, two more with the Los Angeles Lakers. Barnett will attend the screening and participate in a Q&A afterward.
PAFF’s Closing Night film will feature the first two episodes of TV One Original Film Stalker. (May 1).
Stalker follows well-known Hollywood actress Tanya Moore, who is stalked by a mysterious figure and hides out in her hometown. She later becomes involved with two men, and tries to determine if one is behind what is happening to her.
The film stars Meta Golding as Tanya, Christian Keyes as Damon and Tationna Boiser as Shelly who will all be in attendance.
PAFF30 is taking place in-person through May 1, 2022, at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15 and XD and the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The Festival will showcase nearly 200 films, as well as a slew of accompanying filmmaker Q&As and audience engagement opportunities. In addition, PAFF’s renowned Black art show will take place at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
For additional information about PAFF visit paff.org.
Festival Sponsors and Partners
PAFF is sponsored in part by the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell through the Department of Arts and Culture, LA Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, LA Councilmember Curren Price, LA Councilmember Herb Wesson, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, LA Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund with the California Community Foundation, and the LA County COVID-19 Arts Relief Fund administered by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.
The 30th Pan African Film & Arts Festival’s sponsors include Major Festival Sponsors: Stocker Street Creative, FX Networks, and Glassdoor.
Additional sponsors include: ALLBLK, University of Southern California (USC), Procter & Gamble (P&G), Showtime, Paramount+, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA), Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), Union Bank, Sony Pictures Entertainment, STARZ, Unilever (Dove), Kaiser Permanente, Bank of America, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Los Angeles Lakers, Directors Guild of America, Motion Pictures Association, West Basin Municipal Water District, SAGindie, Water Replenishment District, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Theater, Film & Television, 100 Black Men of Los Angeles, IKEA, Cinemark, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Warner Media, TV One.
About the Pan African Film Festival
Established in 1992 by Hollywood veterans Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon), the late Ja’Net DuBois (“Good Times”), and Ayuko Babu (Executive Director), the Pan African Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has remained dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression. PAFF is one of the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the U.S. and attracts local, national, and international audiences. In addition, it is an Oscar qualifying festival for animation and live-action films, and one of the largest Black History Month events in America.
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