Highlights for The Final Weekend of The Pan African Film & Arts Festival 2023

The Highly Anticipated Finale of the The Pan African Film & Arts Festival  2023

The final weekend of the 31ST ANNUAL PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL in Los Angeles will see a number of additional special guests and events. The BLACK HISTORY MONTH SHOWCASE is the largest in L.A. County and the country and spans 12 days every February featuring a broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes of Africans and African-Americans. The film festival is held at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD.

THE PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL WEEKEND FINALE

In addition to the films, PAFF hosts 100 established and emerging fine artists and unique craftspeople from all over the world during its ARTFEST at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

The festival concludes on President’s Day February 20.

Star-studded Lineup:

Actor Terry Crews at Children's Festival

Hallmark Presents "Nashville Legacy"

Councilwoman Heather Hutt

and FX “Snowfall” Actress Angela Lewis to be Honored

FX to host Panel on the Legacy of Their Hit Series "Snowfall" 

Below are a few highlighted events, a full calendar of events can be accessed here.

ARTFEST

All Day – The PAFF ARTFEST which hosts 100 established and emerging fine artists and unique craftspeople from all over the world will run through 9 p.m. on President’s Day.

Location: Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

Our Voices, Our Images Panel

6PM – The PAFF Institute will host OUR VOICES, OUR IMAGES, a panel discussion of Black filmmakers (writers, directors, and producers) on the challenges and triumphs in making movies while being Black in Hollywood.

Panelists include: AMIN JOSEPH (“Snowfall” / FX). KWAME ALEXANDER (“The Crossover” / Disney+), JAMAL WATSON (Monkey Paw Prods), SHANA WATERMAN (Royal Ties Prods), writer, director, and producer IME N. ETUK, and NORMAN VANCE (“Saturdays” / Disney+). The panel will be moderated by ROSALIND MURPHY, Marketing & Content Strategy for Netflix and Microsoft.

The panel is free and open to the public.

Location: Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 1st Floor @ Afro City.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18

Kids in the Spotlight

10:30AM – Actor TERRY CREWS will join KIDS IN THE SPOTLIGHT (KITS) on Saturday morning at PAFF. Crews stars in “Bully” alongside Ariel Winter and introducing Rodney Jackson-Brown from KITS.

KITS is a Black-led, Los Angeles County-based organization that helps foster youth heal and grow from trauma through the power of storytelling and filmmaking. In the KITS flagship Script-to-Screen program, foster youth ages 12-22 write, cast, and star in their own short films, telling their stories their way. KITS envisions a pipeline of Black and Brown leaders in positions of decision-making power. By building the pipeline, KITS pursues the restoration of economic stability and generational wealth for Black and Brown youth.

The screening is free and open to the public. RSVP required at paff.org.

Location: Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD

Nashville Legacy

4:15PM – Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will present a FREE screening of their new romantic comedy-drama NASHVILLE LEGACY starring ANDREA LEWIS, POOCH HALL, STAN SHAW and ROZ RYAN — along with RUBEN STUDDARD, who has a cameo role.

NASHVILLE LEGACY tells the story of Naima has recently moved to Nashville, where she is getting her doctorate while interning as a curator at a Nashville museum. The tales her late grandmother shared about the old days in Music City during the 1950s provided a fascination that led music enthusiast Naima back to her grandmother’s old haunts. As she begins her work at the museum, Naima meets Damian. The two begin to get close, bonding over their love for music and their desire to leave their respective marks on the world.

Confirmed red carpet participants are ANDREA LEWIS, POOCH HALL, ROZ RYAN, STAN SHAW, TONI JUDKINS, and ERICA ASH.

The screening is free and open to the public. RSVP required at paff.org.

Location: Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD.

Behind the Music: The Influence Of Music On TV, Film + Social Media

6PM – A panel discussion on how musicians use their talents to contribute and amplify the voice of Black creators in music.

The panel is free and open to the public.

Location: Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 1st Floor @ Afro City.

Spokenword Fest

6:30PM – This year’s poet showcase will honor poets Matthew Cuban Hernandez and Alyesha Wise-Hernandez for their many contributions to the poetry community. One of the most popular spoken word events in Los Angeles, the PAFF SPOKENWORD FEST is hosted by PAUL MABON (of the Progressive commercials).

Tickets available at paff.org.

Location: Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 2nd Floor @ The Bridge, Near Macy’s.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19

Fashion Show

2PM – The PAFF FASHION SHOW is L.A.’s premier international fashion experience, highlighting the essence of African culture and aesthetics that aims to promote world-class designers and labels that push the envelope, while staying true to the traditions and inspiration of the African continent and diaspora. Join PAFF for a “tour de force” in high fashion with an Afro-touch! Free event!

Location: Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 2nd Floor @ The Bridge, Near Macy’s.

Closing Night

5:15PM – The 31st annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival’s Closing Night will feature the Los Angeles premiere of TO LIVE AND DIE AND LIVE starring AMIN JOSEPH of “Snowfall.”

In TO LIVE AND DIE AND LIVE, Muhammad (Amin Joseph), a strong, handsome Hollywood film director, makes his way through the gorgeous and alluring landscapes of a rebuilt Detroit — the glistening legacy of his newly deceased stepfather Khalid, a beloved and highly regarded building contractor. Muhammad has returned for the funeral, but his own battle with addiction, which he hides from the world, drives him to immediately fade away into the sultry, late-night, drug-saturated after-hours of Detroit and an equally intoxicating romantic relationship. As he struggles to cope, Muhammad’s family and friends look to him as a leader and provider, and he forges ahead shouldering all of their needs, claiming he’s got this, even though it’s a lot — maybe too much.

TO LIVE AND DIE LIVE is produced by FOREST WHITAKER, QASIM BASIR, AMIN JOSEPH, CORY HARDRICT, and OMARI HARDWICK.

Red carpet starts at 5:15 p.m.

Tickets available at paff.org.

Location: Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20

Filmmaker’s Award Brunch

10AM – The winners of the PAFF film competition will be announced. In addition LOS ANGELES COUNCILWOMAN HEATHER HUTT will receive the PAFF Community Service Award and actress ANGELA LEWIS of FX’s “Snowfall” will receive the PAFF Beah Richards Award.

Tickets available at paff.org.

Location: Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 2nd Floor @ The Bridge, Near Macy’s.

FX’s “Snowfall” Legacy Panel

6PM – The Legacy Panel will highlight the concept of Legacy, what it means and how to honor the legacies of the greats who have contributed so much to their generations and those that follow. Panelists will discuss the importance of continuing the legacy of John Singleton and how FX’s “Snowfall” honored his vision, as well as the importance of the contribution of other Black TV creators in FX’s slate of shows. Panelists will also speak to the legacy of Afeni Shakur, mother of Tupac Shakur who are both spotlighted in the upcoming documentary series, FX’s “Dear Mama”. Collectively, the panelists will discuss the legacy of Black creativity and the home that it has at FX.

The panel is free and open to the public to attend. RSVP at paff.org, keyword Snowfall.

Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD.