The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) announced today it will broadcast its 29th annual Tribute Award Honors Show virtually throughout the world through its partnership with Facebook streaming Live exclusively on the PAFF Facebook page Thu., July 22 7:00 PM-9:00 PM PT. Watch the livestream on PAFF's Facebook page here. The PAFF Awards Show is presented by Warner Bros. Pictures’ Space Jam: A New Legacy available in theaters JULY 16th and on HBO Max.
For nearly 30 years, PAFF has showcased films from all parts of the world, representing such countries as Angola, Nigeria, Jamaica, New Zealand, Rwanda, Canada, Mozambique, Egypt, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Brazil, Kenya, Fiji, Mexico, the U.K., South Africa, England, Japan, France and of course, the United States. With the pulse on the international film market, PAFF has opened the minds of its audiences, and transported them to far-away places and back home again.
“Over the years, filmmakers the world over have become more sophisticated in telling their stories,” says Asantewa Olatunji, the director of programming for PAFF. “In our ever-shrinking world, it is so important to understand the experiences and points of views of diverse peoples and cultures.”
This year's awards show will feature the following honors and talent:
JURY AWARDS
BEST SHORT NARRATIVE
presented by Shola Adewusi
(BOB ♥ ABISHOLA, WB TV & CBS)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
presented by Vernee Watson
(BOB ♥ ABISHOLA, WB TV & CBS)
BEST 1ST FEATURE
presented by Tory Kittles
(The Equalizer, NBCUniversal & CBS)
BEST 1ST DOCUMENTARY
presented by Thomas Q. Jones
(Johnson, Bounce TV)
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
presented by Folake Olowofoyeku
(BOB ♥ ABISHOLA, WB TV & CBS)
YOUTH VISIONARY AWARD
Awarded to young filmmakers and content creators whose work shows a promising young start from their storytelling to their content creating styles.
YOUTH VISIONARY AWARD is a new award this year.
BEAH RICHARDS AWARD
Awarded to up-and-coming female actors whose body of work thus far exemplifies a positive and uplifting Black image and experience. Past winners of the BEAH RICHARDS AWARD include Tessa Thompson and Regina King.
CANADA LEE AWARD
Awarded to up-and-coming male actors whose body of work thus far exemplifies a positive and uplifting Black image and experience. Past winners of the CANADA LEE AWARD include Idris Elba, David Oyelowo and Nate Parker.
DJELI AWARD
Awarded to writers, directors, producers, actors, musicians, and promoters. In Pan African cultures, a DJELI is a storyteller, a historian, one who carries the culture and maintains the history. DJELI is a new award.
JA’NET DUBOIS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Awarded to actors whose body of work and achievements exemplify Black excellence. Past winners of the JA’NET DUBOIS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD include Alfre Woodard, Forest Whitaker, and Phylicia Rashad.
This year, PAFF competitions included over 65 World premiere titles and over 29 US premieres.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 29th Pan African Film Festival Tribute Award Honors Show will be held virtually on-line and on-demand exclusively via Facebook Live. The virtual component allows PAFF to reach a global audience. More information can be found at www.paff.org.
The 30th PAFF will take place February 8-21, 2022.
ABOUT THE PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL
Looking forward to its 30th Anniversary, the Pan African Film 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 the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, the South Pacific, Latin America, Europe and Canada and increasingly Asia. In conjunction with its simultaneous Art Showcase, PAFF holds the distinction of being the largest Black History Month event in the US.
PAFF was founded in 1992 by award-winning actor Danny Glover (“The Color Purple,” “Lethal Weapon”), the beloved 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 African Affairs. PAFF is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through the exhibit of films, art, and other creative expressions.
The goal of PAFF is to present and showcase the broad range of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive and images, help to destroy negative stereotypes, and depict an expanded, realistic vision of the Black experience. PAFF believes film and art can lead to better understandings and foster communications between people of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serves as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our time.
For more information, please visit www.paff.org or email info@paff.org.