New Films From Nigeria, Chad, Morocco, South Africa,
Zimbabwe, Congo, Mali, and Rwanda to Be Featured

Los Angeles, CA - January 8, 2007 - GOING INTO EXILE, a South African documentary by filmmaker Peter Se-Puma tells the story of one of the most memorable photos of the 20th Century, the body of young Hector Peterson being carried after the Soweto Uprising. Unknown to many, the first to die in that history-altering event was Hastings Ndhlovu, brother of current Los Angeles South African Consul General Jeanette Ndhlovu. In the film, she and her two sisters discuss how his death and the ensuing government harassment affected their family well as the physical and emotional strains of their decisions to go into exile. GOING INTO EXILE is among the films from Africa featured in the 15th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) at the AMC Magic Johnson Theatres being held February 8-19. PAFF is the largest festival of African and African American films in the United States showcasing over 100 films as well as a world-class art exhibition showcasing work from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada to illustrate the diversity and complexity of people of African descent.
The Sierra Leone film MAN DEM NOR GLADY’O (THE PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY) presents a a graphic view of Sierra Leone and exposes how the mineral wealth of this poor West African country has been exploited by foreigners and corrupt politicians.
Nigeria’s THE NARROW PATH by filmmaker Tunde Kelani tells the story of a young woman chooses between suitors. But a haunting experience, family expectations, and culture turn her wedding night into a nightmare.
In the Congolese film PIÈCES D’IDENTITÉS the former king of Bakongo goes to Belgium in search of his daughter. His daughter, the princess, has a job as a nightclub dancer. With a view of Europe from the African perspective, identity, disillusionment and separation are the themes of this sobering detective comedy.
Rag and Tag were inseparable until Social Services sends Rag away. A decade later Tag is finishing law school but is having difficulty finding a firm willing to hire him. Meanwhile, Rag returns to London and finds his old friend. Their lives have changed, but their friendship is more intense, complex and confusing in the Nigerian film RAG TAG by filmmaker Adaora Nwandu.
In the Moroccan film ZAÏNA: RIDER OF THE ATLAS, an 11-year-old girl meets her real father for the first time after her mother’s death. Fleeing from her obsessed stepfather, whom she believes caused her mother’s death, the girl and her father travel to Marrakech where her father, a horseman, plans to participate in the most prestigious horse-race of North Africa. Pursued by her stepfather, the girl and her father slowly begin to create a bond that will get them through the hardships that lay both ahead and behind them. A beautifully told adventure film of love and determination that will cause the entire family to cheer!
Also from Morocco, DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES) is a powerful award- winning film which unveils the little known World War II story of African infantrymen in the liberation of Italy and France. Algeria’s official submission to the 2006 Academy Awards.
Mali shines with BAMAKO produced by and featuring Danny Glover. In the courtyard, a trial against the World Bank and the IMF has been taken up by African spokesmen. Amidst the testimonies exploring the policies that create economic havoc for Africa, life goes on.

Additional festival highlights include the Opening Night Gala featuring Ambassador Andrew Young’s RWANDA RISING, Night of Tribute, Centerpiece and Closing Night film screenings and parties. The PAFF also holds special activities for children in its 2-day Children’s Fest, a multiple day StudentFest for middle and high-school students, Spokenword Festivals and panels for emerging and experienced filmmakers.
The 15th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF), will take place Thursday, February 8 through Monday, February 19 at the Magic Johnson AMC Theatres and the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles, California. Highlights of the 2007 festival include the star-studded red carpet Opening Night Gala to be held in Hollywood at the Director’s Guild of America on February 8 hosted by acclaimed actor and filmmaker Forest Whitaker. Known for showcasing new films first, past festival features have included box office and award-winning hits: Ray, Lackawanna Blues, Love Jones, Redemption, Love & Basketball, Crazy As Hell, Kingdom Come, The Brothers, Gridlock’d, and last year’s Academy Award® winner for Best Foreign Film, Tsotsi.
Each year the PAFF presents over one hundred (100) quality films from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada, all showcasing the diversity and complexity of people of African descent.
PAFF will also present one of America’s largest fine art shows featuring prominent and emerging Black artists and fine craftspeople. This year’s featured artist is the world acclaimed Charles Bibbs. Other events include the PAFF StudentFest, Children’s Festival, and Spokenword Festival.
The PAFF attracts an audience of over 40,000 people to the films and over 150,000 attendees to the arts show. The PAFF is recognized throughout the world as America’s premiere Black film festival. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.paff.org or call (323) 295-1706.
The Pan African Film and Arts Festival was founded in 1992 as a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of cultural and racial tolerance and understanding through the exhibition of film, art and creative expression. It is the PAFF’s goal to present and showcase a broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes. The PAFF believes 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.
The 2007 PAFF is sponsored in part by: AMC Theatres, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Union Bank of California, Target, South African Airways, Our Weekly Newspaper, The Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and Courvoisier.