After the summer 2020 uprisings — gathering people of all races stirred deeply by the May 25 murder of George Floyd at the hands of police — this society experienced the hope that greater awareness and empathy towards Black people worldwide finally manifested. Fast forward seven months, amid Black History Month, the Pan African Film Festival evinces this manifestation in the breadth of poignant, creative narratives and documentaries, showcasing Black universal stories.
PAFF has the distinction of being the largest Black History Month event in the United States. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 29th annual PAFF will run Feb. 28 to March 14 online and on-demand only.
Between PAFF’s virtual component this year and its collaboration with other festivals from around the world, the festival will host an audience that is truly worldwide. RLN has highlighted PAFF’s award winning films including, Best Narrative Feature, Documentary and First Feature – Director competitions. We also highlighted honorable mentions featuring historic pieces, local stories and a threshold of wilderness for your entertainment edification.
Honorable Mentions
41st And Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers
Director Gregory Everett
The first part in a documentary series from filmmaker Gregory Everett follows the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense from its glorious Black Power beginnings through to its tragic demise. The film explores the Black Panther ethos, its conflict with the L.A.P.D. and the US Organization, as well as the events that shaped the complicated and often contradictory legacy of the LA chapter.
Cycles
Director Jonathan Barenbalm
Doc short. Two young Black men, Rell and EJ, are motorcycle stunt riders from Compton and Watts, California. At its core it’s an intimate story about two unlikely friends and the prevalent cycle that incarceration plays within their lives.
That’s Wild
Directed by Michiel Thomas
The award-winning feature documentary That’s Wild tells the inspiring journey of three underserved teenage boys from Atlanta. When they sign up for the after-school program, Wilderness Works, they quickly begin to unpack the negative pressures that dominate their day-to-day lives. A backpacking trip in the Colorado wilderness takes the teenagers through rapid rivers, high-altitudes and 12,000 ft snow capped peaks.
Director’s note: The average American spends 93% of their time inside, resulting in a wide range of increasing mental and physical problems. As the U.S. becomes more diverse, some demographic and socioeconomic groups are still underrepresented in outdoor recreation and education. That’s Wild is a bold statement meant to inspire a new generation of all races to travel out into the natural world, adventuring and discovering the mental and physical benefits that the outdoors offer.
Best Narrative Feature Competition
Both features below are noted for their beautiful cinematography.
Poppie Nongena (South Africa)
Director: Christiaan Olwagen
Consisting of an all-South African creative team and cast, this legacy film intended to honor and bring tribute to the Elsa Joubert story that touched many people across the world. Poppie Nongena is an Afrikaans/Xhosa South African, whose life revolves around her family and finding stability in a period of immense upheaval in South Africa when African women were forced — by arrests, fines and forced removal — to leave their homes and resettle in remote areas designated as Black homelands. When her husband becomes too ill to maintain work, Poppie is deemed by the law to be an “illegal” resident in her own country.
The focus of the film is not Apartheid, colonialism, capitalism or oppression. It’s a character study told from the personal viewpoint and daily life of a Black South African woman.
The Milkmaid (Nigeria)
Director: Desmond Ovbiagele
Aisha, a Fulani milkmaid, is searching for her younger sister, Zainab after a forced separation. Dire personal circumstances force her to approach the extremists who were responsible for their predicament in the first instance, but she is determined to find her despite the compromises she must make to do so.
The film juxtaposes the color and elegance of rural Hausa/Fulani culture against a graphic portrayal of conflict victims and the implications of the resulting psychological trauma.
Best Documentary Competition
City On the Hill (US)
Director: Xavier Underwood.
A perceptive film examining the realities of gentrification in San Francisco, home to the highest housing costs in the country and the third largest homeless population in the U.S. at more than 28,000 people. Tech giant Google has pledged $1 billion to build more housing in the Bay Area. This exploration of a current day urban landscape exposes the residual effects of the tech boom, what made San Francisco into the great city it is, and what can be done to save its increasingly displaced population, interviewing civil rights leaders, politicians, Bay-Area natives and small business owners.
Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra (Australia)
Director: Wayne Blair, Nel Minchin. This beautifully executed film evidences why Bangarra Dance Theater developed from a little-known Indigenous dance group into one the nation’s most powerful cultural institutions. Historically important, Firestarter explores the loss and reclaiming of culture, intergenerational trauma and the extraordinary power of art as a messenger for social change and healing. Firestarter tells the story of how three young Aboriginal brothers turned the newly born dance group into one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies.
Best First Feature – Director Competition
African America (South Africa, US)
Director: Muzi Mthembu. Upon discovering her acceptance into Juilliard, Nompumelelo, a cynical South African, embezzles funds from her workplace and abandons her fiancé to live out her Broadway dream in New York City, only to discover that the U.S. is not as welcoming as she had dreamed. But there, in a twist, she learns about true love, true happiness, and true citizenship.
Feature Documentaries:
Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story (US)
Director: Royal Kennedy Rodgers, Kathy McCampbell Vance
Nicknamed “Architect to the Stars,” African-American architect Paul R. Williams’ life could be a Hollywood story. Orphaned at the age of four, Williams grew up to build mansions for movie stars and millionaires in Southern California. From the early 1920s until his retirement 50 years later, Williams was one of the most successful architects in the country. His name is associated with architectural icons like the Beverly Hills Hotel, the original MCA Headquarters Building and LAX Airport. Last summer USC and the Getty Research Institute announced their joint acquisition of Williams’ archive, for the first time, allowing public access to the breadth of the architect’s work.
The Letter (Kenya)
Director: Maia Lekow, Christopher King. A 94-year-old grandmother with a fearless spirit must overcome dangerous accusations of witchcraft that are coming from within her own family. Her grandson Karisa travels home from the city to investigate, where he finds a frenzied mixture of consumerism and Christianity is turning hundreds of families against their elders, branding them as witches as a means to steal their ancestral land. The understated power of women and resilience of family and community shines above all else. Kenya’s submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar 2021.
Details: www.paff.org