Martin Scorsese to Introduce MEAN STREETS and GOODFELLAS at 2021 TCM Classic Film Festival

2021 TCMFF Logo
Martin Scorsese pic

Martin Scorsese's introduction is a part of the Masters of Filmmaking Section.

the introduction for Goodfellas on HBO Max  is available from May 6th.
View HBO Max Lineup

Introduction for Mean Streets on TCM is May 6th at 11:15 p.m. ET
View Turner Classic Movies Schedule

Goodfellas (1990)
Directed by Martin Scorsese 
Shown: Joe Pesci (as Tommy DeVito), Ray Liotta (as Henry Hill)
Goodfellas (1990) Directed by Martin Scorsese Shown: Joe Pesci (as Tommy DeVito), Ray Liotta (as Henry Hill)

2021 TCM Classic Film Festival

Thursday, May 6th through Sunday, May 9th at two virtual venues: the TCM network and the Classics Curated by TCM Hub on HBO Max.

For more information, please visit http://filmfestival.tcm.com

View Trailer Below!

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting the entire spectrum of film history. TCM features the insights from Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz along with hosts Alicia Malone, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart and Eddie Muller, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination.

With more than two decades as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials, along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar® and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through events such as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, the TCM Big Screen Classics series in partnership with Fathom Events, as well as through the TCM Classic Film Tour in New York City and Los Angeles.

In addition, TCM produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, and hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app. Fans can also enjoy a TCM curated classics experience on HBO Max.

About HBO Max

HBO Max® is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer platform,
offering best in class quality entertainment. HBO Max features
the greatest array of storytelling for all audiences from the iconic
brands of HBO, Warner Bros., DC, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner
Classic Movies and much more. The streaming platform initially launched
in the United States in May 2020. This year, it will expand into Latin America and the HBO-branded streaming services in Europe (the Nordics, Spain, Central Europe, the Baltics and Portugal) will be upgraded to HBO Max.

Kathie Lee Gifford Receives Hollywood Star

Kathie Lee Gifford Walk of Fame Star. Photo: Yevette  Renee

Four-time Emmy winner, Kathie Lee Gifford
received the 2,695th Star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame during a virtual ceremony on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Kathie Lee Gifford's star is
in the Television category.

Gifford's first individual star is located at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard, just five stars from her 15-year co-
host on "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee" Rgis Philbin.

Helping Rana Chadban, President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, with Gifford's star dedication were
Dolly Parton, Craig Ferguson, and her former co-host and Emmy winner, Hoda Kotb.

An actress, playwriter, producer, singer and songwriter, Kathie Lee Gifford 45-year career includes roles on television and stage, in film and as a five-time New York Times bestseller.

CHARLES BURNETT and the L.A. REBELLION at the 2021 TCM Classic Film Festival

TCM Film Festival

See it on HBO MAX available from May 6th!

THE L.A. REBELLION

This late 1960s-early 1990s independent film movement was founded by Black film students at UCLA, including Charles Burnett, Julie Dash and Billy Woodberry and features influences by African cinema and Italian neo-realism.

Includes the films: Bless Their Little Hearts (1983), Daughters of the Dust (1991) and To Sleep with Anger (1990).

Panel Discussion
TCM Host Jacqueline Stewart, Billy Woodberry and Charles Burnett discuss The L.A. Rebellion.

Charles Burnett. Photo: TCM Classic Film Festival 2021.

CHARLES BURNETT

Charles Burnett is a writer-director whose work has received extensive honors. Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, his family soon moved to the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. Burnett studied creative writing at UCLA before entering the University’s graduate film program. His thesis project, Killer of Sheep (1977), won accolades at film festivals and a critical devotion; in 1990, it was among the first titles named to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.

European financing allowed Burnett to shoot his second feature, My Brother’s Wedding (1983), but a rushed debut prevented the filmmaker from completing his final cut until 2007.

In 1988, Burnett was awarded the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur (“genius grant”) Fellowship and shortly thereafter Burnett became the first African American recipient of the National Society of Film Critics’ best screenplay award, for To Sleep with Anger (1990).

Burnett made the highly acclaimed “Nightjohn” in 1996 for the Disney Channel; his subsequent television works include “Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding” (1998), “Selma, Lord, Selma” (1999), an episode of the seven-part series “Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues” (2003) and “Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property” (2003), which was shown on the PBS series “Independent Lens.”

Burnett has been awarded grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the J. P. Getty Foundation. In 2011, the Museum of Modern Art showcased his work with a month-long retrospective.

BILLY WOODBERRY

Born in Dallas in 1950, Billy Woodberry is one of the founders of the L.A. Rebellion film movement. His first feature film Bless Their Little Hearts (1983) is a pioneer and essential work of this movement, influenced by Italian neo-realism and the work of Third Cinema filmmakers. The film was awarded with an OCIC and Interfilm awards at the Berlin International Film Festival and was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2013. His latest feature film And when I die, I won’t stay dead (2015) about the beat poet Bob Kaufman was the opening film of MoMA’s Doc Fortnight in 2016.

Woodberry has appeared in Charles Burnett’s “When It Rains” (1995) and provided narration for Thom Andersen’s Red HOLLYWOOD” (1996) and James Benning’s “Four Corners”(1998).

His work has been screened at Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Harvard Film Archive, Camera Austria Symposium, Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou.

He received his MFA degree from UCLA in 1982 where he also taught at the School of Theater, Film and Television. Since 1989 Billy Woodberry is a faculty member of the School of Film/Video and the School of Art at the California Institute of the Arts.

2021 TCM Classic Film Festival

Thursday, May 6th through Sunday, May 9th at two virtual venues: the TCM network and the Classics Curated by TCM Hub on HBO Max.

View HBO Max Lineup

View Turner Classic Movies Schedule

View Linear Schedule

For more information, please visit http://filmfestival.tcm.com

2021 TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL TRAILER:

 

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting the entire spectrum of film history. TCM features the insights from Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz along with hosts Alicia Malone, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart and Eddie Muller, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination. With more than two decades as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials, along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar® and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through events such as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, the TCM Big Screen Classics series in partnership with Fathom Events, as well as through the TCM Classic Film Tour in New York City and Los Angeles. In addition, TCM produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, and hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app. Fans can also enjoy a TCM curated classics experience on HBO Max.

About HBO Max

HBO Max® is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer platform, offering best in class quality entertainment. HBO Max features the greatest array of storytelling for all audiences from the iconic brands of HBO, Warner Bros., DC, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and much more. The streaming platform initially launched in the United States in May 2020. This year, it will expand into Latin America and the HBO-branded streaming services in Europe (the Nordics, Spain, Central Europe, the Baltics and Portugal) will be upgraded to HBO Max.

CHANTAL AKERMAN at the 2021 TCM Classic Film Festival

2021 TCMFF Logo

On the Turner Classic Movie Channel

View Linear Schedule 

Monday, May 10th
4:15 am ET

NEWS FROM HOME

News From Home. Photo: TCM Classic Film Festival
News From Home. Photo: TCM Classic Film Festival

Directed by and Starring: Chantal Akerman
Year: 1977
Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes

A female film director explores New York City while enduring demanding letters from her mother.

6:13 am ET

LA CHAMBRE

 

LA CHAMBRE. Photo: 2021 TCM Classic Film Festival
LA CHAMBRE. Photo: 2021 TCM Classic Film Festival

Director and Starring: Chantal Akerman
Year: 1972
Runtime: 11 minutes
TV-G

TCM Premiere
Short film where a panoramic scan of a room reveals the filmmaker partaking in various tasks in one room.

CHANTAL AKERMAN

One of the most significant independent filmmakers of her era, Chantal Akerman possessed a pronounced visual and narrative style, influenced by structuralism and minimalism, which offers astute insights into women's role in modern culture. Akerman's interest in film was sparked at the age of 15 by a viewing of Jean-Luc Godard's "Pierrot le Fou" (1965), prompting her to enroll in the Belgian film school, INSAS. After about two years' study she quit school, eager to begin making films rather than sitting in a classroom. Akerman saved money from clerical and waitressing jobs to make several short films which received minimal recognition. It was not until she moved to New York in 1971 that Akerman began to develop her distinctive visual style and to deal with those themes which dominated her work.

In America she became acquainted with the films of the avant-garde, specifically those of Michael Snow and Stan Brakhage. Her first two features, "Hotel Monterey" (1972) and "Je Tu Il Elle" (1974), with their studiously static camerawork and minimal dialogue, were early indications of the visual style which came to full flowering in "Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles" (1975). The reception of this 200-minute, minimally plotted film was mixed. It was criticized by many as a boring and meaningless minimalist exercise; Akerman's defenders, however, were awed by her visual aesthetic and use of real time to emphasize the routine of her protagonist's world.

Thanks to the film's exposure, Akerman was able to secure financial backing from the Gaumont company and from German TV for the striking "Les Rendezvous d'Anna" (1978). Her first semi-commercial effort, it featured popular French actors Aurore Clement and Jean-Pierre Cassel in a story of a female director trekking across Europe to promote her latest film. Again, static camerawork and minimal dialogue created a sense of alienation which mirrored the emptiness and insincerity of the protagonist's encounters. After failing to raise $25 million for an adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer's 1969 novel "The Manor," Akerman returned to independent production with "All Night Long" (1982), an insightful drama contrasting romantic illusions with harsh realities. Akerman's "Golden Eighties" (1986) was a satire of musicals set completely within the confines of a Brussels shopping mall. Here too her concern was with idealized notions of romance; unlike her earlier works, however, the central story is complemented by several subplots and the film's pacing is a little more sprightly, although Akerman's signature static camera provides a unique perspective on the structured world of the shopping mall.

In 1988 Akerman returned to New York to film "American Stories/Food, Family and Philosophy," an exploration of her Jewish heritage through a series of stories told by immigrants. In the '90s, Akerman moved into more commercial filmmaking as the independent film boom allowed more idiosyncratic cinematic approaches into the mainstream. The drama "Night and Day" (1991) attracted widespread critical attention, and was followed by "A Couch in New York" (1996), Akerman's most accessible film to date, starring William Hurt, Juliette Binoche, and Richard Jenkins.

For the rest of her career, Akerman split her attention between experimental films, documentaries, and narrative features like "The Captive" (2000) and "Tomorrow We Move" (2004), both of which were co-written by Dutch novelist and theorist Eric de Kuyper. An adaptation of the Joseph Conrad novel "Almayer's Folly" (2010) received widespread critical acclaim. Akerman's final film, "No Home Movie" (2015), was a documentary about her mother, Natalia (who died in 2014), and her inability to speak about her experiences at Auschwitz. Chantal Akerman committed suicide on or about October 5, 2015, in Paris. She was 65 years old.

2021 TCM Classic Film Festival

Thursday, May 6th through Sunday, May 9th at two virtual venues: the TCM network and the Classics Curated by TCM Hub on HBO Max.

View Turner Classic Movies Schedule
View HBO Max Lineup

For more information, please visit http://filmfestival.tcm.com

2021 TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVALTRAILER:

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting the entire spectrum of film history. TCM features the insights from Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz along with hosts Alicia Malone, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart and Eddie Muller, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination. With more than two decades as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials, along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar® and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through events such as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, the TCM Big Screen Classics series in partnership with Fathom Events, as well as through the TCM Classic Film Tour in New York City and Los Angeles. In addition, TCM produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, and hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app. Fans can also enjoy a TCM curated classics experience on HBO Max.

It’s Back! World Famous TCL Chinese Theatre Reopens After One Year of COVID 19

Filmmakers Gareth Edwards, Jordan vogt-Roberts, Michael Dougherty, and Joshua Grode, CEO of Legendary Entertainment

After one-long year of closure due to the Coronavirus, the TCL Chinese Theatre has reopened in true Hollywood
fashion with a ribbon cutting ceremony today.

On hand to participate in the ribbon cutting was Adam Wingard, director of the new film 'GODZILLA vs. KONG, along with him were previous GODZILLA vs. KONG directors, Garth Edwards, Jordan
Vogt-Roberts, Michael Dougherty and Legendary Entertainment CEO, Joshua Grode.

In celebration of its reopening, the theater offered $5.00 tickets for John David Washington's 'TENENT.

godzilla v kong

The iconic theatre will host their first premiere with 'GODZILLA vs. KONG' on Wednesday,
March 31, 2021. In addition to the reopening and premiere, 1000 tickets were donated to the City of Los Angeles for the benefit of low-income families in the City.

The California Red tier guidelines for movie theaters indoor reopening is a 25% capacity with reserved seating only, where each group is seated with at least 6 feet of distance in all directions between any other groups.

Angela Davis, Lee Daniels, Genius: Aretha, Queen Latifah, Nika King, and More Featured During Second Week of the Pan African Film Festival

Special screenings, conversations, panels, and events

paff logo

LOS ANGELES - America’s largest Black film festival, the​ Pan African Film Festival​,  continues this week.  Below are highlights of this week’s programming.

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. More information and tickets can be found at www.paff.org.

phtoto PAFF press release 3.9.21

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

CBS has partnered with PAFF to premiere episodes from The Equalizer (Mar. 9, 6 p.m. PT), The Neighborhood (Mar. 12, 6 p.m. PT), and Bob❤️Abishola (Mar. 12, 6 p.m. PT) along with exclusive Q&As with the cast of each show.

National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha starring Cynthia Erivo (HarrietThe Color Purple) will premiere during the PAFF on Mar. 11 at 6 p.m. PT.

Closing Night (Mar. 14, 6p.m. PT) will spotlight Lázaro Ramos’ directorial debut Executive Order.  The film is set in a dystopian near future in Brazil where an authoritarian government orders all citizens of African descent to move to Africa – creating chaos, protests, and an underground resistance movement that inspires the nation. Director Lázaro Ramos’ and members of the cast will participate in a Q&A following the screening. Mar. 14, 6 p.m. PT.

Trade tells the story of two men, one a streetwise hustler, the other a strait-laced lawyer, who meet and form a relationship that brings to light who they really are. As their relationship deepens and their lives intertwine, the complexity and dangers of  living their truths reveal themselves in ultimately tragic ways. Hosted by Better Brothers Los Angeles and In the Meantime Men’s Group, following the screening, there will be a discussion about the lives of transgender people and how to support and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Mar. 12, 6 p.m. PT.

PAFF press release

CLIPS AND CONVERSATIONS

A special conversation with director Lee Daniels and the cast of The United States Vs. Billie HolidayMar.10, 6 p.m. PT.

phtoto PAFF press release 3.9.21 2

PANELS

Unless otherwise stated, panels are on-demand at paff.org.

Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? - A powerful group of change-makers across multiple generations come together to discuss today’s Black Lives Matter Movement in the context of the struggle for Black Liberation.  Panelists include activist and professor Angela Y. Davis, historian and scholar Dr. Gerald Horne, Black Lives Matter activist Dr. Melina Abdullah, and political strategist and journalist Jasmyne A. Cannick. The conversation is moderated by Pan African Film Festival co-founder Ayuko Babu.

Facebook Presents ‘We the Culture’ - PAFF and Facebook will host a roundtable discussion with filmmakers and digital creators from Facebook's We The Culture Program--a creative community fueled and curated by Black creators, dedicated to celebrating and championing Black culture and broader conversations important to the Black community. Panelists include: Dr. Mehret MandefroLacey Schwartz DelgadoWesley Armstrong, and James BlandMar. 12, 4 p.m. PT on Facebook.com/paffnow.

Showtime Presents ‘Inside THE CHI Writers' Room’ - Get an inside look into The Chi's Writers Room. Features panelists Justin Hillian, Showrunner, Writer, and Executive Producer, Jewel Coronel, Writer and Co-Executive Producer, Resheida Brady, Writer and Supervising Producer, and James Rogers III, Writer and Executive Story Editor.

The Intersectionality of Women of Color in Film & TV - Women of Color Unite (WOCU) hosts a discussion on the highs and lows of the intersection of Women of Color in film, the Women of Color run media and entertainment organizations that support them and the infrastructure that tries to erase them. Panelists include: Cheryl L. BedfordNikki BaileyTatiana LeeFanshen CoxDiana Elizabeth JordanTwinkie Byrd, and Tonya Pinkins.

Other panels include: How to Get Your Kids Into Show BizFix it in PostCan't Stop, Won't Stop: Black Women Transforming the Industry, and By Any Means Necessary: Making Movies on Micro to No Budget.

 

phtoto PAFF press release 3.9.21 3

SPECIAL EVENTS

Spoken Word - Hosted by poets Paul Mabon and LaLa Deville, PAFF will once again present its popular poetry slam featuring the best wordsmiths in Los Angeles. Premieres Wed. Mar. 10, 6 p.m. PT and then available on-demand.

LOL! Comedy Jam - PAFF’s annual comedy show featuring comics from around the world.  Hosted by Nika King (Euphoria), this year’s featured comics include Jazmyn W (Tik Tok content creator), Marcus Smith (You Know Maacus), Zainab Johnson (100 Humans), Jonnae Johnson (Tru TV), and David Lucas (Freshest Fat Boy). Premieres Wed. Mar. 10, 6 p.m. PT and then available on-demand.

Children’s Fest - Free age-appropriate screenings for children 4 to 12.  Feature films include  Nigeria’s Lady Buckit and the Motley Mopsters and various Disney animation features. Sponsored by Union Bank. Mar. 13-14, 11 a.m. PT.

The 29th Pan African Film Festival Announces Competition Selections

Global Black Film Festival to Feature Over 65 World Premiere Titles

paff logo

For Immediate Release: February 5, 2021

Media Contact: press@paff.org

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 (South Africa)
Director: Angus Gibson

Caged Birds (US)
Director: Fredrick Leach

Poppie Nongena (South Africa)
Director: Christiaan Olwagen

Red Pill (US)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Director: Muzi Mthembu

Caged Birds (US)
Director: Fredrick Leach

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)
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)
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)
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)
Director: Shemar Yanick Jonas

Pure (US)
Director: Natalie Jasmine Harris

Sër Bi (Les Tissus Blancs) (Senegal, France)
Director: Moly Kane

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 (Póki śmierć nas nie rozłączy ) (Uganda, Poland)
Director: Dolores Vunda

Tuk-tuk (Egypt)
Director: Mohamed Kheidr

Two Single Beds (UK)
Director: William Stefan Smith

Festival Sponsors and Partners

The 29th Pan African Film Festival’s sponsors include the City of Los Angeles; the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs; the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson (8th District); Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price (9th District); Los Angeles City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas (10th District); California State Assemblyman Mike A. Gipson, 64th District; Commissioner Willard H. Murray, Jr., Water Replenishment District; U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass, 37th District; U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, 43rd District; Union Bank;  Brotherhood Crusade, Groundwurk; FilmLA; Sony Pictures Entertainment; Mervyn M. Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute; Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences; Los Angeles Sentinel; The Wave; KPFK; Black Cultural Events; Immigrant Magazine; KJLH; Our Weekly; okayafrica; L.A. Focus; Envoi, Miss Everything Entertainment, Girl In Charge Public Relations and Empowerment Justice Strategies.

The Pan African Film & Arts Festival is supported, in part, by a grant provided by: The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences; LA Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund with the California Community Foundation; and the LA County COVID-19 Arts Relief Fund administered by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.

About the Pan African Film Festival

Gearing up for its 29th anniversary, the Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) is America's largest and most prestigious Black film festival. 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.

PAFF is a non-profit corporation, founded in 1992 by award-winning actor Danny Glover (“The Color Purple,” “Lethal Weapon” movie franchise), Emmy Award-winning actress Ja’Net DuBois (best known for her role as Willona in the TV series, “Good Times”) and executive director, Ayuko Babu, an international legal, cultural and political consultant who specializes in Pan African Affairs.  PAFF is dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through the exhibit of films, art, and creative expression.

The goal of PAFF is to present and showcase the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images, help to destroy negative stereotypes and depict an expanded vision of the Black experience. PAFF believes film and art can lead to better understanding and foster communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races, ethnicities, and lifestyles in an entertaining way while at the same time, serving as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.

# # #

 

HOLLYWOOD’S First Day of 2021 in Pictures

Hollywood and Its Response to the Murder of George Floyd and Social Justice

TCL Grauman's Chinese Theatre Boarded Up After George Floyd Protests
TCL Grauman's Chinese Theatre Boarded Up. Photo: Yevette Renee

The Hollywood industry is responding to the murder of George Floyd and social injustice with commitments to civil and social justice organizations.

Some of the entertainment companies putting their money where their mouth is, are:

Universal Music Group commits $25 million Change Fund to advance social justice and racial equality with the new Task Force for Meaningful change (TFMC)

Comcast has a new 3-year $100 million to support social justice. $75 million for cash grants and $25 million in media across Comcast, NBC Universal, and Sky. The organizations to receive the cash grants are Community Justice Action Fund, Equal Justice Initiatives, the National Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored and the National Action Network.

Sony Music gives $100 million for social justice and anti-racism.

Michael Jordan and Jordan Brands commits $100 million over 10-years to support organizations that focus on racial equality, social justice and access to education. This is in addition to Nike’s four-year, 440 million to address racial inequality around the country and the Jordan Wings Program.

Target and the Target Foundation gives $10 million to support social justice and community rebuilding and recovery. They are also giving essential items like medicine, diapers, etc.

Kanye West gives $2 million to the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. West has also set-up a 529 plan for the college education of Floyd’s daughter Gianna.