17TH ANNUAL PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FILM COMPETITION WINNERS
2009 FESTIVAL FEATURED FILMS FROM 42 COUNTRIES
“Skin” Starring Sophie Okonedo the True Story of White Woman Born Looking Black During Apartheid in South Africa Favorite Among Jury and Audiences
The 17th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) announced the winners of its annual film competition in Los Angeles, California on February 16, 2009. A favorite among PAFF jurors and audiences was the South Africa/UK film “Skin” starring Sophie Okonedo. Based on a true story, a genetic abnormality caused Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo), born of white parents in apartheid South Africa, to look like a black person. Tormented and unaccepted by white society though classified as white, she falls in love with a Black man and moves to a township, alienating her parents. The real Sandra Laing flew to Los Angeles from South Africa to attend the screening of “Skin” at the PAFF. Other top honors went to the US film “Prince of Broadway” for Best Narrative Feature, France’s “Cuba: An African Odyssey” for Best Documentary Feature, and the Bahamas’ “Rain” for Best Director-First Feature.
Jury Prizes were awarded in the following categories: Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Best Narrative Short, Best Narrative Feature, and Best Director-First Feature. In addition to the Jury Prizes, the PAFF audience cast ballots for their favorite documentary and narrative films, as well as the PAFF Director’s Award and Programmer’s Award. Film nominations are selected by a jury of industry professionals, with the exception of the audience favorite awards, which are based on the results of ballots cast by festival filmgoers. Screenings for the 2009 PAFF Jury of all films receiving nominations took place February 5-16, 2009 at the Culver Plaza Theatres. The 2009 PAFF Awards were announced on Monday, February 16 at the annual PAFF Filmmaker Awards Brunch at the Culver Hotel in Culver City.
“With over thirty world and U.S. premieres, this year’s lineup is a remarkable representation of the African cinematic landscape from the United States and across the globe,” commented Sharifa Johka, PAFF senior programming consultant. “Los Angeles has a large international population and I am so excited to bring this diverse and exciting program to this community.”
17th Annual PAFF Jury Awards
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
“Prince of Broadway” US
Honorable Mention
“Happy Sad” Trinidad/TobagoBEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Cuba, An African Odyssey” France
Honorable Mention
“The End of Poverty?” USBEST NARRATIVE SHORT
“Kwame” US
Honorable Mention
“Warrior Queen” GhanaBEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
“Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre” US
Honorable Mention
“Faubourg Treme’:
The Untold Story of Black New Orleans” USBEST FIRST FEATURE – DIRECTOR
“Rain” BahamasJURY FAVORITE
“Skin” US
17th Annual PAFF Audience Favorite Awards
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
“Skin” USBEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Nubian Spirit: The African Legacy of the Nile Valley” Sudan/UK
17th Annual PAFF Film Festival Director Awards
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
“Sugar” USBEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Milking the Rhino” US
17th Annual PAFF Programmer’s Awards
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Standing N Truth” USBEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
“Run Baby Run” Ghana
