For February 2023, the 31st Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) is looking for volunteers. From February 9–February 20, 2023, the festival will be back in Los Angeles at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills and XD and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza with live films and festivities.
Image courtesy of the Pan African Film & Arts Festival
The Pan African Film & Arts Festival was established in 1992 by Hollywood veterans Danny glover (the Color Purple, Lethal Weapon), the late Ja’Net DuBois (“Good Times”), and Ayuko Babu (Executive Director). Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that has remained dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression. PAFF is one of the largest and most prestigious Black film festivals in the United States and attracts locals, national, and international audiences. In addition, it is an Oscar-qualifying festival for animation and live-action films, and one of the largest Black History Month events in America.
This annual festival attracts the attentions of thousands of film and art enthusiasts attend PAFF including some of today’s top actors, directors, producers, and executives who have made name in the industry.
On opening night, “Chevalier” will be screened. The film is inspired by the incredible story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. The illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr. in a tour de force performance) rises to improbable heights in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer and fencer, complete with an ill-fated love affair and a falling out with Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) herself and her court.
According to an article on the guardian, PAFF states its goal is to promote “cultural understanding among peoples of African descent” through exhibiting art and film. It hosts a film festival and an arts festival in Los Angeles in February of each year.
What You Get:
Volunteers enjoy the benefits of free and unlimited access to all films, panels, and events, based on availability. Oftentimes, volunteers have the opportunity to network and meet amazing people in the filmmaking industry–including celebrities!
Applications are being accepted now online at paff.org, and potential volunteers are encouraged to get their applications in quickly.
PAFF requests volunteers to assist with in-person roles at the largest Black film festival in the country. These roles include ticketing, film trafficking, ushers, the red carpet, and more!
Orientation Program:
Volunteer orientation will take place at 10 a.m. in the Community Room at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza on Sat. Jan. 21, Sat. Jan. 28, and Sat. Feb. 4.
To learn more about PAFF, please visit https://www.paff.org.
Image courtesy of The Pan African Film and Arts Festival
About PAFF
In 1992, The Pan African Film & Arts Festival was established to become the international beacon for the Diaspora arts community to showcase “our stories” and preserve the cinematic creativity of Pan-African Culture.
Thirty-one years have passed since that soulful spark of invention. Today, the fire of ingenuity is rekindled to serve an emerging generation.
As the critically acclaimed largest Black film and arts festival and Black History Month activation in the United States, PAFF features filmmakers, artists, and unique craftspeople from over 40 countries and six continents to Los Angeles annually, to showcase their pivotal work and talent. PAFF has become the quintessential global celebration of Pan-African cultures.
Every year PAFF continues to showcase over 200 new high-quality Black films from the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, the South Pacific, Canada, and increasingly, Asia.
PAFF hosts some of the most vibrant red carpets filled with Hollywood A-listers and the who’s who in the art world. It presents inspiring and informative panels and workshops –– featuring top industry professionals — and showcases rare cinematic gems followed by filmmaker Q & As. PAFF is more than entertainment, it is an Oscar-qualifying festival for animation and live-action films.
