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Move over Academy Awards, because South LA will host an award show and film festival with just as much glitz, glamor, and prestige.

The official logo of the Pan African Film and Arts Festival

The Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) is set to kick off its 20th anniversary with star-studded festivities, beginning on Thursday, February 9. RAVE Cinemas at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza will show 158 films from all over the world, including from South Africa, to Rwanda, to Brazil, to Ghana, to Jamaica, to name a few.

The Los Angeles premiere of the film “Think Like A Man” will be the first event of the Festival. The film is based on the New York Times best-selling book by Steve Harvey and the film’s stars are expected to attend the premiere at the ArcLight Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles.

Check out the movie trailer for “Think Like A Man.”



The PAFF is scheduled to end on February 20.

At the close of the festival, prizes will be award for Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Best Narrative Short, Best Narrative Feature, and Best First Feature Film, as well as audience favorite awards. PAFF has selected 170 films representing 30 countries as well as 106 feature length films (narrative and documentaries) and 64 short films to contend for the awards.

Watch this fascinating exclusive interview with Nigerian actor-turned-producer, Hakeem Kae-Kazim (HOTEL RWANDA, “24”).

Besides a star-studded award show and movie premieres, PAFF will also incorporate dozens of programs such as a spoken word event, a student fest, children’s festival, and artist’s fest. There will also be intensive panels and workshops focusing on acting, film producing, writing, and movie marketing, distribution, and finance.

PAFF was established in 1992 by award-winning actors Danny Glover and Ja’Net DuBois and executive director Ayuko Babu. PAFF is America’s largest and most prestigious Black film and arts festival and is dedicated to promoting culture and racial tolerance through film, art, and creative expression.

Parking is free, but ticket prices differ for movie tickets, children’s festival, panels, and all other festival activities. Tickets can be purchased at RAVE Cinemas’s box office or online. Head over to PAFF’s official website to find out the entire film guide for the festival.

Interview video courtesy of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’s website.