In 1972, Aretha Franklin, the undisputed Queen of Soul, brought producer Jerry Wexler, her backup singers, the Reverend James Cleveland, and the legendary Atlantic Records rhythm section to The New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, California, to record a gospel music double-album before an enthusiastic live audience. The album, âAmazing Graceâ, went on to become the top-selling gospel record of all time, Aretha Franklinâs most successful album, and one of her most beloved works. Few realized that the sessions that produced the album âAmazing Graceâ which are certainly among one of the most exciting musical events ever to take place in a church, had also been filmed.
But, due to technical problems and conflicts over rights, the electrifying events had not been seen; until now!
The Pan African Film & Arts Festival announced that it will celebrate its 27th Annual Opening Night with a screening of Aretha Franklinâs cherished Amazing Grace concert documentary at the Directors Guild of America. The festival, which presents an impressive slate of over 170 new Black films from the US and around the world and exhibits more than 100 fine artists and unique craftspeople, starts on Thursday, February 7 through Monday, February 18 at the Cinemark Rave 15 Theatres (3650 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd) and the adjacent Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles, California.
Aretha Franklinâs spine-tingling and uplifting Amazing Grace, produced by Alan Elliott, was originally directed by Sydney Pollack in 1972 at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California. The film, a rare gem in the crown of the late musical genius, has not been seen before now due to technical and rights issues.
âItâs such a blessing to open the festival this year with Amazing Grace,â expressed PAFF Co-Founder and Actor Danny Glover. âAretha Franklin is a rare treasure. To be graced with this film is an honor and a testament to the perseverance and long-standing prominence of the festivalâs impact.â
Over the past 26 years, The Pan African Film & Arts Festival has sought to increase cultural awareness and bridge diverse communities from the African diaspora by providing a creative safe space for the development and expression of the Black narrative through film, poetry, art and music. This year, PAFF will âamPAFFifyâ amplify and ignite the Pan- African experience through next generation storytelling.
â27 years ago, we made a political, cultural, social and intellectual decision to get involved in film festivals as it became clear that a platform to showcase Black films was needed,â shared Ayuko Babu, Executive Director and Co-Founder of PAFF. âItâs been a privilege to be a platform for many filmmakers and talent to share their unique stories through the lens of their own experiences, visions and creative artistry. The on-going challenge is… whoâs story gets told on the small screen and big screen? The Pan African Film Festival is a way of showing distributors the stories that matter to people of color.â
PAFFâs legacy is evidenced by the success of storytellers and talent whoâve contributed works to the festival such as Will Packer, Kevin Hart, Jamie Foxx, Ryan Coogler, Berry Jenkins, Taraji P. Henson, Ava Duvernay, and countless others.
The programâs platform exists proudly as a conduit for the careers of thousands of talented actors, directors, producers and executives; many of which have gone on to win the industryâs top honors including the Golden Globes, Emmyâs and
Oscars. As an official Oscar-qualifying festival, many of PAFFâs short and live-action films will be up for consideration for an Academy Award.
To further âamPAFFifyâ PAFFâs proud history, the organization recently launched an â#IAMPAFFâ Meme Generator, designed to allow festival supporters to share their own stories on social media. Festival supporters can join in the fun by creating a meme to tell their story at paff.org/iampaff.
This yearâs program features a robust schedule including the Filmmakers Brunch, ARTFest, PAFF Institute Panels, StudentFest, LOL Comedy Series, Childrenâs Fest, SpokenWord Fest, Seniorsâ Connection and much more. Individual screening tickets and all festival passes can be purchased at paff.org/tickets. Group sales discounts are also available.
For more information, visit the PAFF website at paff.org or call 310-337-4737.