The Pan African Film Festival ( PAFF) is a non-profit corporation that was established in 1992, as platform to promote cultural, racial tolerance and understanding through exhibition of film, art and creative expression. Each year PAFF showcases quality films from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, South Pacific and Canada. The goal of PAFF is to provide a broad spectrum of creative work by blacks, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to dispel negative stereotypes. A key belief of PAFF is that ‘ film and art can lead to better understanding and foster communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serve as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.
These are the films about Africa that were showcased at the Pan African Film Festival held in Los Angles, CA on February 7th through 18th:

BEST DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
BROTHERS IN ARMS – U S Premiere ( South Africa/ Director: Jack Lewis) Honorable Mentioned – PAFF Vision Award

This is a film about two countries; South Africa and Cuba, and the life of two families separated by 40 years of exile. It tells the fascinating story of Ronald Herboldt, an ordinary man whose sense of justice and decency led to his making contributions to Cuba and the liberation of Southern Africa. At merely 21 years of age in 1958, a climatic time of the Cuban Revolution, Ronald was working on the {Constantia}, a cargo ship from his home town of Salt River, in Cape Town. They docked in Cuba to load sugar when members of the Castro’s Rebel Army boarded the ship for a routine check for arms and witnessed the mistreatment of the non-whites on the ship. They encouraged young Ronald to join forces with them and fight for the liberation of Cuba from the dictatorship of Batista. He was effectively in exile from his native South Africa, remained in Cuba, got married and raised a family. When Angola requested the help of Cuba against the South African invasion in 1975 and again in 1987, Ronald volunteer for duty in Angola and his knowledge of Afrikaans provided invaluable assistance to the intelligence of the Cuban military.

The retreat of SA at ‘ Cuito Cuanavale, ultimately lead to the fall of PW Botha and independence of Namibia, the rise of FW de Klerk and the end of Apartheid. During his life in Cuba, Ronald did not forget or give up the dream to return to his family and beloved country, which was now a liberated South Africa. This documentary follows Herbolt on his journey to reunite with is family in Cape Town, tells of his life in Cuba, the role he played in Angola. Herbolt is the only African to participate in the Cuban Revolution.
http://www.idol.co.za

IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA - LA Premiere ( US /Director: Daniel Junge ) Winner of PAFF Award – Audience Favorite: Short Documentary

This film is one that is close to my heart. After a 14 year senseless civil war, Liberia is a nation that is more than ready for a change…a positive change. The election and inauguration of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was not only a historic moment in Liberia, but for the whole of Africa. She has earned a place in history as the first female elected president of an African Nation. This documentary takes us behind the scenes of her first year as head of state, and the tremendous responsibility placed in her capable hands. Her cabinet is populated by strong women, thus the title of the film “ Iron Ladies of Liberia”. These women together tackle the major issues facing the war-torn country such as bureaucracy, black markets, corruption, and whopping a $4 billion debt. In this inspiring documentary, we meet “Iron Ladies”. Beatrice Muhan Sieh, National Chief of Police, who survived an assassination attempt, who worked as an educator in NJ for 10 years maintaining order and orchestrating a complete overhaul of an ‘institution that is known more for its corruption and repressive tactic’, than providing a public service.

Dr. Antoinette Sayeh, Minister of Finance, battles a humongous $4+ billion debt. Other “iron ladies’ documented in this film are Francis Johnson-Morris, Minister of Justice, Olubanke King Akerele, Minister of Commerce, and Vabah Kazalu Gayflor, Minister of Gender. The question asked, how would the world be different if women were in the seat of power? The illustration of “Iron Ladies of Liberia” says they already are! What lies ahead for this Havard-educated economist and grandmother of eight? Well this documentary is “ a joyous, inspirational testimony of the political power of women’s leadership and diplomacy” All I can say is “you go Old Ma”!

RETURN TO GORÉE - Premiere (Senegal/Switzerland/Luxembourg /Director: Pierre-Yves Borgeaud)
Winner of PAFF Award - Best Documentary Competition

We all know what Goree is: The island in Senegal which symbolizes the slave trade in Africa. This film is a documentary featuring the Senegalise musician Youssou N’Dour and his epic journey following the trail of the enslaved Africans and the jazz music they invented along the way. This special musical movie challenges N’Dour to bring a jazz repertoire back to Africa and sing those very tunes in Goree, which still stands today, as a commemoration to its victims. N’Dour, guided by blind pianist Moncel Genoud, along with other exceptional artists such as musician and writer Imamu Barak and drummer Idris Muhammed, among others, will travel across the United States to Europe; from Atlanta to New Orleans, New York to Bordeaux and then Luxembourg, creating through concerts and debates, music which is said to transcend cultural division. The final chapter to this journey will be a concert performed on Goree.
Learn more here.

IN THE BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION ARE:

SANKARA: THE UPRIGHT MAN - Premier ( France/ Director: Robin Shuffield) Honorable Mention – Winner of PAFF Best Short Documentary Competition

Africa definitely needs more leaders like the late Thomas Sankara, who became President of Burkina Fasa at the young age of 34. We need leaders of integrity, vision and zeal for their people and their country. Sankara: The Upright Man is a documentary that should be included in the archive of African Studies. It examines the life and leadership of Sankara as he worked diligently to free his people and country from neo-colonial rule and dependency on the western world. After becoming president in 1983, he immediately changed the name of his country from French Colonial ‘ Upper Volta’ to Burkina Faso, “Land of Upright Men”. The film gives us a detailed account of his short four year rule, during which he devised a revolutionary program for ‘African Self-Reliance as a defiant alternative to the neo-liberal development strategies imposed on Africa by the West, both then and today’. Sankara is known as the only leader who introduced the most ambitious program for social and economic change ever attempted on the African Continent. While this film highlights his achievements, it also points out his flaws. On October 15, 1987, Sankara was assassinated by armed men who are believed to have been ordered, or led, by his closest friend and most trusted comrade Balaise Compaore, who is now the current president. To write a short review of this film is to do it injustice. I would encourae every African, and non-Africans interested in African Studies to check out the film. For more information on this documentary please click here

VICTIMS OF OUR RICHES (VICTIMES DE NOS RICHESSES)(Mali/France/D irector: Kal Touré)
Honorable Mention – Winner of the PAFF Vision Award

A film about undocumented African workers in Europe. This film gives Africans living in the US, an insight of what the immigration issues are when it comes to not having your ‘papers’ but need to work to meet and maintain basic needs. Similar to what the Mexicans go through to get to the US in search of work, the documentary exposes the tragic events and cruel treatment that Africans suffer while trying to get into Europe through Spain via Morocco. As with the Mexicans, dire economic conditions at home seems to leave people with little alternative but to try to make it on the ‘other side’, for the mere survival of the families that are left behind. With the risk of losing their lives, terrible injuries and other forms of sufferings, those Africans who manage to make it into Europe, become the sole source of economic survival for their families and in some cases, an entire community. In the film, the families are a testament to what most of us are very familiar with; The Money Grams, and the Western Unions that have become a necessary item on the list in our monthly expenditures. The irony revealed in the film is that the very immigrant Africans in Europe are learning that the same economic conditions leading them to Europe are the results of ‘policies forced on Africa by Europeans to improve their [European] economic conditions! Of course, the fear of being caught working without ‘papers’ drive people to accept any kind of working conditions, compensation not equivalent to the kind of work they do, thereby driving down the wages. This same situation is happening right here in the US. The question for us Africans, is when are we going to make residing or traveling to the Western world a luxury and not a need????

WE ARE ALL RWANDANS ( Rwanda/UK /Director: Debs Gardner-Paterson) Honorable Mention: Winner of PAFF Best Narrative Short Competition
The makers of this short film (six regular students) describe it as a “drama about childhood heroism in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.” A recreation of actual events, based on the rebel attack on Nyange School in Rwanda 1997. Filmed in actual location and village where the events took place.

BEST FEATURE COMPETITION
EZRA (Nigeria/France/Austria/Director: Newton I. Aduaka)
Honorable Mentioned - Winner of PAFF Best Feature Competition
The story of a former child soldier from Sierra Leone is retold from the view point of Ezra and his sister, in a version of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Moving back and forth from past to present, it also allows viewers of the film to be their own judges. The Frederick Douglas Institute of African and African American Studies describes the film as being the first “to give an African perspective on the disturbing phenomenon of abducting child soldiers’’ into the recent civil wars that have raged through the African continent. As expected, brain washed Ezra has little recollection and no remorse for the murderous act he committed during the war. He is now an angry and hardened ex-soldier, rationalizing his behavior as part of the struggle against corruption and injustice.

NAMIBIA : THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION ( Namibia/US /Director: Charles Burnett) Winner o f the PAFF Vision Award
A depiction of the struggle of the people of Namibia for their independence that was won with the help of Cuban military volunteers in Angola, as referenced in another PAFF documentary { BROTHERS IN ARMS}. According some reviews, this film does not quite accomplish what is should have, despite the star power of Danny Glover who played Father Elias, ( a man of the cloth whom young Nujoma befriends) , and Carl Lumbly (who plays Nujoma). It is long, as it should be I guess, if you are going to depict decades of history in the format of a movie, 2hrs and 41mins, and is mostly in foreign languages (Afrikaans, Oshiwambo, OtjiHerero and German). For the most part this is supposed to be a historical account of the independence of Namibia, chronicling the rise of Samuel Nujoma The defeat of the South African army at the battle of Cuito Cuanavale, which sparks the struggle for liberation for all of SA. Sam Nujoma is elected as the first president of Namibia and although faced with several obstacles of racism, he forms the SWAPO political movement that eventually leads to the independence of Namibia, ultimately forcing the white supremacist SA government to free Mandela.

Other films showcased at the Pan African Film Festival were:

THE WORLD UNSEEN ( South Africa /Director: Shamim Sarif)

In 1950s South Africa, the beginning of apartheid, Amina, a free spirited woman, defies the rules of her conventional Indian community and partners with Jacob, a black man to open a café.

BOLD AS LOVE ( US/ Director: Joshua Gee Alafia)

A film that defines the fine line between the power of creation and destruction. Mbube, a South African saxophonist, Thandeka an au pair, are childhood friends living in New York. Mbube is hooked on heroin. She ( Thandeka) returns from attending a funeral in South Africa with an herbal potion to help him quit his ‘bad habits’. Her boss makes passes at her and she quits her job. Now out of work she needs somewhere to lives so she moves in with her “friend”. They are forced to face the love that is at the core of their friendship.

THE KNIFE GRINDER’S TALE Premiere ( US/Kenya/ Director: R. L. Hooker)

Based on the short story by award-winning Kenyan author Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor. Ogwang, a countryside knife grinder, has lost his son to an angry city mob. Not knowing the place his son lost his life, Ogwang sets out on a journey to bridge the distance between love and death in the face of violence.

DESIRES OF THE HEART (DESIRS DU COUER) Los Angeles Premiere (Togo /Director: Obanikoua Messa)

John and Carole are high school sweethearts. But Carole has been seduced by a wealthy older man. Little does she know that her relationship with her new suitor will alter both her and John’s life forever. A contemporary African story of love and betrayal with near tragic results.

For a complete list of Films at the 16th annual PAFF go to their website.