PAFF Announces the World Premiere of “Remember Me” The Mahalia Jackson Story As Opening Night Selection

LOS ANGELES –  The 30th Pan African Film and Arts Festival will kick off its in-person return and 13-day run with the world premiere of REMEMBER ME, The Mahalia Jackson Story as its opening night selection on April 19 in Los Angeles.

Starring GRAMMY® winning singer Ledisi and Columbus Short, REMEMBER ME is a poignant look into the life and rise of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson (Ledisi). Set in New Orleans, Louisiana, this provocative story explores the tumultuous relationship Mahalia shared with her mother’s sister “Aunt Duke” (Janet Hubert) legally named “Mahala” who was Mahalia’s namesake, after her mother Charity unexpectedly passes away. REMEMBER ME is a journey into Mahalia’s pursuit to go beyond the early childhood trauma she faced and detail how although her early childhood trauma shook her, it did not break her.  Mahalia was not only an iconic gospel singer breaking racial and gender barriers she was also a Civil rights activist who understood the power of her position in the movement. REMEMBER ME explores Mahalia’s unbreakable relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Columbus Short) and her integral role in the Civil rights movement. REMEMBER ME brings Mahalia’s fight for freedom into the spotlight while highlighting Mahalia’s own personal search for love.

REMEMBER ME was directed by Denise Dowse and written by Ericka  Nicole Malone. The film’s cast includes Ledisi, Columbus Short, Janet Hubert, Vanessa A. Williams, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Keith David, Corbin Bleu,  Keith Robinson.

Director Denise Dowe, actors Ledisi, Columbus Short, Vanessa A. Williams, and Wendy Raquel Robinson are scheduled to be in attendance on Opening Night. The Festival will announce details around additional Opening Night special guests in the coming weeks.

Tickets to Opening Night at Directors Guild of America are $125 per person. The evening includes the 7:00 PM screening of the film in the DGA Theater, as well as a post-film reception with a hosted bar.

The 30th Pan African Film & Arts Festival Opening Night is sponsored by Stocker Street Creative.

PAFF30 will take place in-person April 19 – May 1, 2022, at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills 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.

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, and Warner Media.

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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