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Last Updated: Feb 28th, 2008 - 18:20:11 |
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| Actress Kimberly Elise walks the red carpet. |
The 16th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival is in full swing in Los Angeles until February 18. Filled with several new features, the festival is furthering its pursuit to showcase the diverse landscape of Black cinema.
This year, the festival is providing an ample selection of films from the lesbian, gay, trans-gendered and bi-sexual communities, which signals its dedication to exploring contentious topics such a sexuality in Black communities internationally.
In addition, for the first time, the “Night of Tribute” will be broadcast nationally on The Africa Channel. During the ceremony, actress Della Reese will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Africa Channel and the festival will jointly celebrate the achievements of the late filmmaker, Ousmane Sembene, with the Creative Award. In addition to celebrating individuals in film industry, awards will be given to several exceptional films.
Two of the eight films competing for best documentary film, “Youssour N’Dour: Return to Goree” and “Iron Ladies of Liberia,” received honors at The African Diaspora Film Festival in New York. Several theatrical releases, including, “Bling: A Planet Rock,” “A Winter’s Tale” and “Honeydrippers” will also be screened. Aside from these films, a children’s film festival, free of charge, is held for the two Saturday mornings of the festival duration. The organizers of the festival have recognized importance of exposing young audiences to more substantive Black images and exposing them to Pan-Africanism.
The mammoth task of excavating the meaning behind Pan-Africanism results in a sense of coherency and elegance in this festival. While commemorating the work of Ousmane Sembene in her SeeingBlack.com essay "Sembène: Angel at My Table," Del R. Hornbuckle candidly expresses her concern over the under-appreciation of the cinematic movements particular to African contexts. Hornbuckle was specifically reflecting on a film festival that was not geared to solely exposing films from Africa and the Diaspora, yet her concern can be applied to any film festival based in the West.
Thankfully, the Pan-African Film Festival shows its sophisticated approach in terms of its selection of African films, without losing focus on the achievements found in Black American cinema. It’s an ambitious task but the festival organizers are showing that they aren’t daunted by it.
For more information and a complete listing of film screenings, go to www.paff.org.
© Copyright 2006 SeeingBlack.com
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