10 Must See Films Premiering At The Pan African Film Festival
There is an incomparable film festival taking place in Los Angeles that you don’t want to miss. It’s the Pan African Film and Arts Festival, settled in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. 2019 marks the 27th year of the festival being a celebration of Black culture across the diaspora and a pillar of pride for every year it’s been active. February may be a short month but it is jam-packed with so many activities and events to take part in, especially when celebrating Black History Month. The Pan African Film Festival, of course, hosts films as well as panels with directors and thriving creatives, an arts festival of unique, Afro-inspired creations. It began on Feb. 7th and will continue until Feb. 18th, so you will definitely want to plan your visit before it’s gone and catch a glimpse of the 173+ films they have to offer.
The beauty of the festival is that it always showcases a wide variety of films from emerging writers and directors to the more established. This is just an example of how rich Black culture is with so many filmmakers using one medium to tell completely different stories. It’s not surprising to see foreign language films, period films, science fiction films, comedies and anything else you can think of. After experiencing a screening or two, you’ll find more than a few gems to add to your list of favorite shorts and feature-length films.
Films to Catch
The Pan African Film Festival has an extensive website, sharing a list of the films that will be screening until the 18th. I’ve combed through their list, watched countless trailers, and have narrowed down which of the movies seem to strike, packing a visual and narrative punch. These are the films that seem compelling, thought-provoking. I’m definitely excited to see so many female-centric storylines, often helmed by amazing women behind the camera.
1. The Burial of Kojo
This feature film, created by Blitz Bazawule, looks like a magical realist daydream hailing from Ghana. From the trailer alone it already looks like a cinematic wonder. The colors explode from the frames and the angles are so beautifully shot. I’m interested to see where this story goes as it is told through a young girl’s dreams of her father and uncles deep rivalry.
2. Little Woods
Tessa Tompson stars in director Nia DaCosta’s first feature film. Tompson plays one of two sisters in the modern day Western. The story focuses on what these women have to do to survive, which means working outside of the law. Although a trailer isn’t teased on the festival’s site, it’s easy to see the draw of this film. I’m interested to know what circumstances push these sisters to work outside the law. I want to see how their relationship is challenged and explored. Little Woods is actually the centerpiece of the festival screening on Wednesday evening at the mid-point of the whole occasion.
3. Fig Tree
Ethiopian-Israeli director, Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian, tells a story about the intersection of religion, love, and war. It’s her first feature film, following a Jewish girl named Mina in love with a Christian boy while wartime conditions have impacted both of their daily lives. It’s a perspective we definitely haven’t heard or seen before, I’m more than intrigued to watch especially coming from the mind of a female director and the voice of a strong leading young lady. The soundtrack sounds lovely, sharing just how moving the storyline will be.
4. Fatuma
This feature film is a story from Tanzania about a rural farmer who has given everything to work the land and keep her family intact. Her husband has plans of his own, hoping to marry off their young daughter. This seems like another empowering story that will definitely show the plight women endure, yet it seems to highlight a mother’s unbreakable love. Fatuma is the second film by Jordan Riber, a Zimbabwean filmmaker.
5. The Trespasser (Onye Nmefie)
The Trespasser is a short film bringing African folklore to the modern day. I love such stories that adapt myths and old traditional stories into the present. It seems to incorporate magic realism and sight horror elements fittingly with the more practical aspects of a story about a young man needing to face his demons. The Trespasser comes from the young mind William Boyd who is a 23-year-old Nigerian-British writer and director. He has won multiple awards in both the UK and America.
6. Where Hands Touch
I’m definitely intrigued by this film. Not only does it star Amandla Stenberg, but it’s also about a group of people that are rarely spoken about or thought of when thinking of Nazi Germany. There were Black people that lived during that time period. During all the dogma and violence, there were Black people that endured the Nazi regime. I’m interested to learn more about this experience, even if the story has to be about teenage forbidden romance.
7. The Infamous Future
For the social justice advocates, The Infamous Future seems like a wonderful triumphant film. It’s a short documentary about a school in New York that’s about breaking up the school to prison pipeline for Black and Brown boys. We’re always bombarded by statistics and bad news, yet this documentary seems to be a glimmer of a positive community initiative. It marks the type of stories we need to hear more of. I think no matter what it’ll be worth watching.
8. An Act of Terror
This short film looks absolutely chilling as it focuses on Virginia Christan, a 16-year-old girl accused of murder in the Jim Crow South. If that doesn’t hook you in already maybe the fact that it’s already won numerous awards will. It’s won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short and has been selected as an official selection in an array of other film festivals. It’s no wonder as the cinematography looks beautiful. I’m interested to see how this true story is pieced together and told to us. It’ll be a heartwrenching short but it seems like one well worth watching. It was created by Ashley Brim, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker.
An Act of Terror — Trailer from Ashley Brim on Vimeo.
9. The Girl From The Other Side ( Intombi Yangale)
Afrofuturism and fantasy are strong at this film fest, and The Girl From The Other Side (Intombi Yangale) is no exception. Award-winning director, Thishiwe Ziqubu shares an enthralling South African fantasy film. It’s about an ethereal being, Zen, wanting to experience life on Earth as a human. A tale of romance and complications ensues as Zen meets and man named Kwame.
10. Solace
Spearheaded by another dynamic female director, Tchaiko Omawale, Solace seems like the coming-of-age, adolescent angsty story that Black girls aren’t generally afforded. For that, I have my eye on Solace. It’s about 17-year-old Sole who goes to live with her estranged grandmother after her fathers passing. Dealing with the pressure put upon her by her overbearing grandmother, the young girl begins binge eating and plotting a way to be free with the local “weird” kids. Solace feels like the experimentation and deep exploration focused film that I’m ready to dive into.
The films will often run two or more days so in case you can’t make one of the screenings you can definitely plan to see another. As this isn’t an exhaustive list because I assure you there are many more films that’ll entice you to keep exploring what the largest Black Film festival in the U.S is sharing this year. They’ll make you laugh, cry, think, and ultimately feel proud to be Black. Please visit the Pan African Film Festival site for a list of more films and the official schedule.
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Best,
Kai 
