Did you know each year a transformation happens in Los Angeles, CA? People from around the globe gather to attend the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the United States. From 100 million dollar blockbuster premieres to newly emerging Hollywood talent, The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) showcases a broad array of Black creative works from the world over, highlighting those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes. Nowhere else can audiences find this unique opportunity to come together through film and art to explore new worlds, meet new people and acquire new information and ideas.

PAFF is designated as an official qualifying film festival for narrative live action and animated short films for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Venerated by tens of thousands every year, PAFF screens more than 200 new films in state of the art digital projection to the delight of an audience of sophisticated movie lovers. PAFF’s audience loves PAFF and PAFF loves them. Each year PAFF becomes a pilgrimage for attendees who hail from all over the United States and the World! Known for its industry panels, special events and great parties, we invite filmmakers to take this one-of-a-kind opportunity to connect to their core audience and experience the special magic of PAFF.

Did we mention celebrities? Celeb sightings: Denzel Washington, Sidney Poitier, Danny Glover, Idris Elba, Mo’Nique, Kevin Hart, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Phylicia Rashad, Lou Gossett, Jr., Issa Rae, Taraji P. Henson, Trevor Noah, David Oyewolo, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Majid Michel, Alfre Woodard, Blair Underwood, Kerry Washington, Nate Parker, Salli Richardson, Dorian Missick, Jesse Williams, Michael Ealy, Anthony Anderson, Omotola, Jonathan Majors, Amin Johnson, Thomas Q. Jones, Angela Lewis, Tessa Thompson, Boris Kodjoe, Whoopi Goldberg, Omari Hardwick, Chadwick Boseman, Malcolm Jamal Warner, CCH Pounder, Omar Epps, Regina King, Sanaa Lathan, John Legend, Tika Sumpter, Tim Roth, Van Vicker, Gabrielle Union, Alfre Woodard, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Wesley Snipes, Meagan Good, Loretta Devine, Bill Duke, Lisa Raye, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Hill Harper, Mario Van Peebles, Eriq LaSalle, Wale Ojo, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Kerry Washington, Regina Hall, Sharon Leal, Billy Dee Williams, Terrence Howard, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Omar Benson Miller, Joy Bryant, Regina Hall, Jussie Smollett, Robert Townsend, Ja'Net Dubois, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Djimon Hounsou, Glynn Turman, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, Don Cheadle and the list goes on and on.

Jury Prizes:

Narrative Feature
Documentary (Feature, Featurette or Short)
Director - First Feature Narrative
Director - First Feature Documentary
Short Narrative (Live Action & Animation)

Audience Favorites:

Narrative Feature
Documentary Feature
Short/Featurette (Narrative or Documentary)
Webseries

Programmers' Awards:

Narrative Feature
Documentary Feature
Featurette (Narrative or Documentary)
Short (Narrative or Documentary)

Executive Awards:

Narrative Feature
Documentary Feature
Featurette (Narrative or Documentary)
Short (Narrative or Documentary)

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT TO PAFF?
• PAFF accepts films and videos made by and/or about people of African descent. (Filmmaker needn't be of African descent.) Preferably, films should depict positive or realistic images.
• Films can be of any genre -- drama, comedy, horror, adventure, animation, romance, science fiction, experimental, etc. PAFF accepts features, shorts and web series; narratives and documentaries.
• All submissions must be in English or have English subtitles.
• Films should have a copyright date of 2022, 2023 or 2024. Although films with a copyright date prior to 2022 can be accepted at the discretion of the PAFF programmers, they will not be eligible for a PAFF Award.
• Films with copyright dates prior to 2022 will not be eligible for Jury Awards.
• Film may not have streamed or screened in the Los Angeles area in 2024, prior to the beginning of PAFF.
• PAFF will accept the submissions of works in progress. However, your submission must be sufficiently complete to allow our programmers to follow the storyline and be able to make a decision. We will only accept one work-in-progress version of your film, so please make sure to make it your best shot. (If you expect your final version to be 90 minutes, a 45-minute rough cut is probably not acceptable.) Also, whenever possible, you should provide an on-screen description of missing scenes.