The Pan African Film & Arts Festival celebrated its 18th year in Los Angeles last week (February 10-17th). You should definitely check out the full playlist over at PAFF.org, but I have to let you know
that for all of my homies, homeszes, and homie-ettes that suspected 'Black Loooooove' was not in-style during Snowmageddon and the S.A.D. season, we just haven't been scouring the right market! A nice chunk of the narrative features from PAFF centered around melaninized folks with a thing for each other--AND they came from more'n a few countries about The Continent. Howyalikeusnow? But here are my top three drools from the Festival...
Bike
that for all of my homies, homeszes, and homie-ettes that suspected 'Black Loooooove' was not in-style during Snowmageddon and the S.A.D. season, we just haven't been scouring the right market! A nice chunk of the narrative features from PAFF centered around melaninized folks with a thing for each other--AND they came from more'n a few countries about The Continent. Howyalikeusnow? But here are my top three drools from the Festival...
Bike
Vanz Chapman
LOGLINE
This is a coming of age story about 16-year-old Jason "whose desire for freedom and independence center on getting a motorbike to traipse around" Bermuda.
getWOKE APPEAL
This one goes out to the hometeam: Vanz Chapman walked the halls of Howard University.LEARN MORE
Blood Done Sign My Name
Jeb Stuart
LOGLINE
based on the book by historian, Timothy B. Tyson
getWOKE APPEAL
Here's a real-life 'crash,' if you will. This snapshot in history comes from Oxford, NC in 1970. Tyson's playmate is the one who casually intimates that his father and some friends "shot 'em a Negro." The young brother they're referring to is Henry Marrow: 23-year-old Vietnam vet--and cousin to here and now firestarter, Benjamin Chavis. It only takes one straw to catapult you into a lifetime of resistance--what will yours look like?
LEARN MORE
http://www.paff.org/2010/01/blood-done-sign-my-name/
("some would say Civil Rights Movement is over..." *GRRRRRR...)
Really excited about this sister's work--Kanuri Wahiu--director of From A Whisper. You may have seen her in an 8 minute throwaway about the African continent per CNN (grrr, guys, grrr...) as a great location for (Anglo-centric) storytelling--but it's important that you hear her discuss the possibilities for carving out an East African cinema that is actually and totally East African.
Jeb Stuart
LOGLINE
based on the book by historian, Timothy B. Tyson
getWOKE APPEAL
Here's a real-life 'crash,' if you will. This snapshot in history comes from Oxford, NC in 1970. Tyson's playmate is the one who casually intimates that his father and some friends "shot 'em a Negro." The young brother they're referring to is Henry Marrow: 23-year-old Vietnam vet--and cousin to here and now firestarter, Benjamin Chavis. It only takes one straw to catapult you into a lifetime of resistance--what will yours look like?
LEARN MORE
http://www.paff.org/2010/01/blood-done-sign-my-name/
("some would say Civil Rights Movement is over..." *GRRRRRR...)
Really excited about this sister's work--Kanuri Wahiu--director of From A Whisper. You may have seen her in an 8 minute throwaway about the African continent per CNN (grrr, guys, grrr...) as a great location for (Anglo-centric) storytelling--but it's important that you hear her discuss the possibilities for carving out an East African cinema that is actually and totally East African.
From A Whisper (2008)
Kanuri Wahiu
LOGLINE
Winner of Best Narrative Feature prize at 2010 PAFF, the film centers on a Kenyan family wrapped up in the bombing of the American Embassy in 1998 by 'Islamist terrorists'. Abu is a Muslim intelligence officer investigating the bombing, but he has a very "complex and deep friendship with one of the terrorists."
getWOKEAPPEAL
I want to see this movie just on the strength of the interview Wahiu did with this German site, but that aside...consider your former President's 'War On Terror'; his 'Axis of Evil' and other nonsensicalities (just made it up--Google it tomorrow). Then hold that up to the war crimes no one is allowed to call out domestically, yet the expansion of Empire that continues regardless of what color resides in the White House.
Kanuri Wahiu
LOGLINE
Winner of Best Narrative Feature prize at 2010 PAFF, the film centers on a Kenyan family wrapped up in the bombing of the American Embassy in 1998 by 'Islamist terrorists'. Abu is a Muslim intelligence officer investigating the bombing, but he has a very "complex and deep friendship with one of the terrorists."
getWOKEAPPEAL
I want to see this movie just on the strength of the interview Wahiu did with this German site, but that aside...consider your former President's 'War On Terror'; his 'Axis of Evil' and other nonsensicalities (just made it up--Google it tomorrow). Then hold that up to the war crimes no one is allowed to call out domestically, yet the expansion of Empire that continues regardless of what color resides in the White House.
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