Pan African Film Festival Opens with 15 Features and Film Shorts

mariella44 via flickr.com

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The Pan African Film Festival kicks off this Thursday. It’s a series associated with the National Black Arts Festival and opens at the Southwest Arts Center.

It’s the festival’s 12th year in Atlanta and will showcase 15 features and film shorts from around the world.

Audiences can expect international documentaries and narrative features from North America, Europe, and Africa.

The 25th Anniversary curator for the National Black Arts Festival, Leatrice

Ellzy, feels this festival can have a lasting impact on viewers.

“So every film that people come and sit down. When they sit down in their seat, they are going to be taken on a journey and taken into a slice of life from some place in the African diaspora.”

Some films are already receiving critical acclaim such as Mama Africa.

It’s a documentary about Miriam Makeba, the award-winning singer who introduced South African music to the world.

The Pan African Film Festival runs from July 18th through the 20th, and the National Black Arts Festival hosts other events until September.