FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:

Name:  Candace Ledbetter
Title: Publicity Director
Phone: 770-709-1509
Email Address:   Candace@paff.org
Website: www.paff.org
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
View on Instagram
@PAFFNow | #PAFFNow

26th ANNUAL PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL RELEASES 2018  SLATE OF MARQUEE FILMS, SPOTLIGHT SCREENINGS, OSCAR CONSIDERATIONS AND MORE!

Application deadline for press credentials extended until 
Friday, January 26!
 
(LOS ANGELES, CA) January 24, 2018: It's that time of year again! The 26th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) will take place  Thursday, February 8 through Monday, February 19 at the Cinemark Rave 15 Theatres/Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza  (3650 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd)  in Los Angeles, California. Jam-packed with an impressive slate of must-see/must-do events, the 2018 PAFF experience promises to be the festival's most exciting year yet!

"The Pan African Film and Arts Festival has been recognized as one of the largest celebrations of Black culture and Black films," mentions  Ayuko Babu , PAFF Executive Director. "For 26 years, we have presented diverse and inclusive programming that features the creative work of leading disruptors in film and entertainment. The 2018 PAFF experience aims to step outside the 'business as usual' film festival norms and move the needle forward by amplifying the game-changing voices of influential, ethnic, millennial and LGBTQIA storytellers."

With pride, PAFF shares reign as one of two international film and art festivals that screen a large selection of new Black films and exhibit fine art and unique crafts from around the world. This year's confirmed lineup showcases over 170 films from over 40 countries within five continents and in 26 languages! What's more, as an official Oscar-qualifying festival for shorts and live-action films, PAFF will hold special screenings for several works that are up for consideration for the 90th Annual Academy Awards ®.
CHECK OUT THESE EXCITING HIGHLIGHTS OF THE
2018 PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL 
as of 01/24/18

From must-see opening and closing night features, to a red carpet celebration of an industry icon, and the exclusive screening of 2018's most anticipated film, the 26th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival is an event you don't want to miss! Take a peek at our brief snapshot of marquee screening experiences that you can expect:

MARQUEE FILMS
OPENING NIGHT
Love Jacked (US)
Directed By: Alfons Adetuyi
Date: Thursday, February 8
Time: 6PM Red Carpet | 7PM Screening
A warm family comedy centered around Maya, a headstrong 28-year-old with artistic ambitions and her father Ed, who wants a dutiful daughter to run the family store. Ed is shocked when Maya, asserting her independence, decides to travel to Africa for inspiration and returns with a fiancé. Stars Amber Stevens-West, Shamier Anderson, Lyriq Bent, Keith David, Mike Epps, Marla Gibbs, Angela Gibbs, Demetrius Grosse and Nicole Lyn. Cast members will be present.

CENTERPIECE **PRIVATE RED CARPET SCREENING**
Date: Wednesday, February 14
PAFF will host a private screening of 2018's most anticipated film for PAFF founders, sponsors, partners, friends and esteemed influencers. Stay tuned to www.PAFF.org for more details!

CLOSING NIGHT
Traffik (US)
Directed By: Deon Taylor
Date: Sunday, February 18
Time:  5:45PM Red Carpet | 6:45PM Screening
Journalist Brea and her boyfriend John are off for a romantic weekend in the mountains. On their way up the coast they stop in a small town and are accosted by a group of men on motorcycles. Barely avoiding a fight, Brea and John continue on their trip, unaware that they have inadvertently come into possession of a cell phone--a cell phone that the bikers are desperate to retrieve. Now, alone in the mountains in an isolated rental home, Brea and John must defend themselves against the bikers who will stop at nothing to get the phone, destroy the evidence it holds and kill anyone who would tell their secrets. Stars Paula Patton, Omar Epps and Laz Alonso. Cast members will be present.


SPOTLIGHT SCREENINGS
Behind the Movement  (US) - Presented by TVOne
Directed By: Aric Avelino
Date: Friday, February 9
Time:  7PM Red Carpet | 8PM Screening

King of the Stage: The Woodie King, Jr. Story  (US) - World Premiere
Directed By: Juney Smith
Date: Saturday, February 10
Time:  6PM Red Carpet | 7:15PM Screening | 9PM Lifetime Achievement Presentation

Nothing Like Thanksgiving (US)
Directed By: Mark Harris
Date: Saturday, February 17
Time: 7:15PM Red Carpet | 8PM Screening


UP FOR OSCAR CONSIDERATION
Félicité (Senegal) - Oscar Short List
Directed By: Alain Gomis
Screening Dates & Times: 
Friday, February 9 @ 8:50PM
Saturday, February 17 @ 9PM

The Train of Salt and Sugar  (Mozambique) - LA Premiere
Directed By:  Licínio Azevedo
Screening Dates & Times: 
Wednesday, February 14 @ 7:30PM 
Saturday, February 17 @ 8PM

The Wound (Inxeba) (South Africa) - Oscar Short List
Directed By: John Trengrove
Screening Dates & Times: 
Saturday, February 10 @ 7:05PM 
Tuesday, February 13 @ 6PM
Monday, February 19 @ 9PM

Woodpeckers (Dominican Republic) 
Directed By:  José Maria Cabral
Screening Dates & Times:
Saturday, February 10 @ 8:40PM
Friday, February 16 @ 1:25PM

*Dates and times are subject to change. Please stay tuned to www.PAFF.org for an exhaustive list of screening events and experiences!

** DEADLINE EXTENDED **
APPLICATIONS FOR PRESS CREDENTIALS NOW DUE JANUARY 26

There's still time! Submit your application for press credentials today! Simply download the 2018 application here: http://bit.ly/PAFFPressApp  and  submit it to  Candace@PAFF.org The deadline for completed applications is Friday, January 26, 2018

For general information, sponsorships, group sales, or to volunteer, call 310-337-4737, or email: info@PAFF.org

###

ABOUT THE PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL
Established in 1992, the Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) - a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization - has remained dedicated to showcasing a broad spectrum of Black creative works; particularly, those that reinforce positive images and help to advance cultures, races and lifestyles. PAFF also serves as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our time and aides in the promotion of cultural understanding between peoples of African descent.

Now in its 26th year, the 12-day PAFF experience will feature  75+ fine artists and  170+ new films from over 40 countries within five continents and in 26 languages. This annual  exhibition of film, art, culture and creative expression is the largest Black film festival and the largest Black History Month celebration in the U.S. PAFF attracts  a diverse global audience hailing from the  United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, South America and the South Pacific, which translates into over  90K art fest attendees, 40K film enthusiasts and 5000 students, annually. 

The 26th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival is directed by Hollywood veterans Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Proud Mary), Ja'Net DuBois (Good Times) and  Ayuko Babu (Executive Director), and will take place Thursday, February 8 - Monday, February 19 at the Cinemark Rave 15 Theatres/Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza (3650 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd) in Los Angeles, California.   For more details and ticket information, visit www.PAFF.org.

FOLLOW PAFF ONLINE
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
View on Instagram

FOLLOW CNBETTER MEDIA