29th Pan African Film Festival Announces Selections

LOS ANGELES – The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) announced today film nominations in its prestigious juried competition. The Pan African Film Festival is America’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival. Each year, the PAFF screens more than 200 films made by and/or about people of African descent from around the world. PAFF holds the distinction of being the largest Black History Month event in the country. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has designated PAFF as an official qualifying film festival for live-action and animation short films.  The 29th Pan African Film Festival will take place virtually from February 28 – March 14.

This year, the competitions will include over 65 World premiere titles and over 29 US premieres.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 29th Pan African Film Festival will run February 28 – March 14 on-line and on-demand only. The virtual component allows this year’s Festival to reach a global audience. More information can be found at www.paff.org.

Best Narrative Feature Competition 

Back of the Moon

Back of the Moon (South Africa)

Director: Angus Gibson

Caged Birds (US)

Director: Fredrick Leach

Poppie Nongena (South Africa)

Director: Christiaan Olwagen

Red Pill (US) 

RED PILL

Director: Tonya Pinkins

The Fisherman’s Diary (Cameroon)

Director: Enah Johnscott

The Ghost and the House of Truth (Nigeria)

Director: Akin Omotoso

The Milkmaid (Nigeria) 

The Milkmaid (Nigeria)

Director: Desmond Ovbiagele

 

Best Documentary Competition

City On the Hill (US)

Director: Xavier Underwood

Disruptor Conductor (Canada, US)

Director: Sharon Lewis

Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra (Australia) 

Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra

Director: Wayne Blair, Nel Minchin

Fresh Guide To Florence with Fab 5 Freddy (Italy, US, UK)

Director: David Shulman

Lake Women (Rwanda, Germany)

Director: Deve Shema

Raymond Lewis: L.A. Legend (US)

Director: Ryan Matthew Polomski, Dean Prator

Through the Night (US) 

Uprooted – The Journey of Jazz Dance (Canada, France, UK, US)

Director: Loira Limbal

Uprooted – The Journey of Jazz Dance (Canada, France, UK, US)

Director: Khadifa Wong

 

Best First Feature – Director Competition

Narratives 

African America (South Africa, US)

African America (South Africa, US)

Director: Muzi Mthembu

Caged Birds (US)

Director: Fredrick Leach

Executive Order (Brazil) 

Executive Order (Brazil)

Director: Lázaro Ramos

Love Like Winter (US)

Director: Artel Great

Shaina (Zimbabwe, South Africa)

Director: Beautie Masvaure Alt

 

Documentaries

Finding Sally (Ethiopia, Canada)

Finding Sally (Ethiopia, Canada) 

Director: Tamara Dawit

Hollywood’s Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story (US)

Director: Royal Kennedy Rodgers, Kathy McCampbell Vance

Softie (Kenya, US)

Director: Sam Soko

The Letter (Kenya) 

The Letter

Director: Maia Lekow, Christopher King

The Patterson: Another Bronx Tale (US)

Director: Bahati Adrien Best

Who is Gatsby Randolph (US)

Director: Kobie Randolph

 

Best Short Narrative (Animation or Live Action)

#WeAreDyingHere (South Africa) 

#WeAreDyingHere (South Africa)

Director: Shane Vermooten

Antivirus (Greece)

Director: Anastasia Sima

Guillermina (Cuba)

Director: Aida Esther Bueno Sarduy

Junebug (US)

Director: Winter Dunn

Junior (US)

Director: Jehnovah Carlisle

London Arabia (UK)

Director: Daniel Jewel

Nazen (US) 

PURE

Director: Shemar Yanick Jonas

Pure (US)

Director: Natalie Jasmine Harris

Sër Bi (Les Tissus Blancs) (Senegal, France)

Director: Moly Kane

SMELL OF SUMMER

Smell of Summer (US) 

Director: Kris Wilson

The Cypher (US)

Director: Letia Solomon

The McHenry Trial – Don’t Judge a Kid by Their Hoodie (US)

Director: Ken Sagoes

The Power Of Hope (US)

Director: Kalia Love Jones

Till Death Do Us Part

Till Death Do Us Part (Póki śmierć nas nie rozłączy ) (Uganda, Poland)

Director: Dolores Vunda

Tuk-tuk (Egypt)

Director: Mohamed Kheidr

Two Single Beds (UK) 

Director: William Stefan Smith