Black Lives Matter Centered at Pan African Film Festival
with Selection of Nate Parker’s AMERICAN SKIN as Centerpiece
AMERICAN SKIN tells the story of a Black teenager shot to death by a white LAPD officer during a traffic stop in an affluent neighborhood
LOS ANGELES – The Pan African Film Festival today announced that Nate Parker’s American Skin (Vertical Entertainment) has been selected as the Centerpiece for the 29th edition of the Festival. The Centerpiece screening will be held virtually this year on Sunday, March 7 at 6 p.m. PT. A Q&A with the cast will follow the screening. The Pan African Film Festival is taking place globally online and on-demand through March 14.
Lincoln Jefferson is a Marine veteran who has served two combat tours in Iraq. Now stateside, he works as a custodian in a prestigious California high school- a job he secured only to ensure enrollment in the school to his 14-year old son KJ, following his divorce. One night, Lincoln and his son are stopped by police and an altercation leads to the fatal shooting of Lincoln’s unarmed son. Lincoln, hopeful the system will provide a trial, is dismayed to lear the officer responsible for pulling the trigger will go uncharged and will return to active duty without an indictment. Disillusioned by the fact he was denied a fair trial for the death of his only son, Lincoln desperately takes the matter into his own hands in a series of events he hopes will finally lead to justice for his son.
The film’s stellar ensemble cast includes Nate Parker, Omari Hardwick, Beau Knapp, Theo Rossi, Shane Paul McGhie, Milauna Jackson, AnnaLynne McCord, and Vanessa Bell Calloway.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 29th Pan African Film Festival will run through March 14 on-line and on-demand only. The virtual component allows this year’s Festival to reach a global audience.