Gregory Everett’s Documentary 41st and Central to Screen Virtually

LATE FILMMAKER’S DOCUMENTARY
ON THE LAPD AND BLACK PANTHER PARTY
TO SCREEN AT THE PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL  

Gregory Everett’s Documentary 41st and Central to Screen Virtually Feb. 20, 2021

41st and Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers

LOS ANGELES – The​ Pan African Film Festival​ announced today that ​41st and Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers will screen globally as a part of the Festival’s pre-festival kickoff. The screening will be a fundraiser for writer and director Gregory Everett’s family after he tragically passed away from complications of COVID-19 on January 24. Sponsored in part by The Cochran Firm California, the screening will take place virtually on February 20 at 5 p.m. P.T. followed by a Q&A with special guests. For tickets and more information, please visit www.paff.org. The 29th Pan African Film Festival will take place virtually from February 28 – March 14.

41st & Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers, winner of the 2010 Pan African Film Festival’s Audience Favorite Documentary, features exclusive interviews from Black Panther party leaders Geronimo Ji JaggaElaine Brown, and Kathleen Cleaver, retired Los Angeles City Councilmember and former L.A.P.D. Police Chief Bernard Parks. The film was the first part of a documentary series by filmmaker Gregory Everett following 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 U.S. Organization, and the events that shaped the complicated and often contradictory legacy of the L.A. chapter.

41st and Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers

Using exclusive interviews with former Black Panther Party members along with archival footage detailing the history of racism in Los Angeles, including the Watt’s Uprising, 41st & Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers, has been called the most in-depth study ever of the murders of L.A. Chapter founder Alprentice “Bunchy” Carter and John Huggins at U.C.L.A. The documentary includes first-hand accounts of the Party’s formation as told by the original surviving members and eyewitness accounts of the murders at U.C.L.A. Also featured in the film are former Black Panther members Ericka Huggins, Roland & Ronald Freeman, Wayne Pharr, Jeffrey Everett, Long John Washington, US Organization member Wesley Kabaila, U.C.L.A. Professor Scot Brown, and Bernie Morris, oldest brother of Bunchy Carter.

41st and Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers

The son of a Black Panther, Everett learned film and video through the Barnsdale Park Foundation, the Ebony Showcase, and Los Angeles City College. He launched a music career with the emergence of rap, establishing Ultra Wave Promotions (now Ultra Wave Media), and eventually directed over 30 music videos. Everett was also an accomplished editor, producer, and writer.

The Festival’s Odududwa Olatunji said, “Greg was a man of great talent. In addition to being one of the early ambassadors of hip hop, he was a noted filmmaker. His presence will be felt throughout L.A. as his work lives on.”

The Pan African Film Festival is America’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival and largest Black History Month event. Each year, it 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.

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.