The 30th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) is taking place from April 19 through May 1, 2022. PAFF presents films that showcase the diversity and complexity of people of African descent. The DGA has served as a sponsor of the festival for more than a decade.
On April 22, filmmakers with projects in this year’s PAFF attended a virtual gathering hosted by the DGA. The online event had over 100 attendees and began with a photo montage of past PAFF brunches sponsored by the Guild. DGA Field Representative Jennifer Peat facilitated the event and was on hand to answer questions.
Following a welcome from PAFF Executive Director Ayuko Babu, DGA African American Steering Committee Co-Chair and Western Directors Council Member Gina Prince-Bythewood, who has previously had films at the festival, spoke about the work of creation, staying true to your path as a filmmaker and the mission of the AASC before introducing the day’s guest speaker, DGA Third Vice President Barry Jenkins. Jenkins, who has also previously had films at the festival, spoke about the advantages of Guild membership and his leadership role. He engaged in a Q&A where he fielded questions from the attending PAFF filmmakers about the Craft and encouraged them to “always be creating.”
The day’s final speaker was DGA Director-member Danny Glover, one of the co-founders of the festival who was honored this year with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes. Glover remarked on the energy of the Filmmakers and his enthusiasm for all of their projects.
After the speakers, each attendee was invited to take a moment to introduce themselves, tell attendees where they were located, the name of their film and when it is screening at the Festival.
About the Festival
Dedicated to promoting racial tolerance through the exhibition of film, art and creative expression, PAFF presents films and the works of fine artists and craft persons to showcase the diversity and complexity of people of African descent from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, South America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada. The DGA has served as a sponsor of the festival for more than a decade. For more information about PAFF visit their website at http://www.paff.org.