The Pan African Film Festival Announces Call for Submiions

The call for submissions is open for the 23 Annual Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), February 12 - 22, 2015. Through the years, our guiding principle of Pan-Africanism' as a movement remains to unify and provide a platform for the meaningful stories of all people of African descent worldwide - African American, Caribbean, European, Latin American, South Pacific, and Aboriginal said Asantewa Olatunji, the director of programming for PAFF.

PAFF broadens the horizon of the film market and opens the minds of its audiences. In recent years, the reception to Django Unchained, The Help, and 12 Years a Slave by both Black and crossover filmgoers were culturally explosive, huge box office wins and proved to Hollywood and the world that films about the Black experience were not only relevant, but also profitable.

Any film from anywhere with a synopsis from Africa and the Diaspora is eligible, said Ayuko Babu, executive director and a founder of PAFF. The perspective must be realistic and reflect the Black experience. Our time is now, our stories are prime, and support of authenticity is vital, said Babu.

ELIGIBILITY:

PAFF accepts submissions for films and videos made by and/or about people of African descent. Filmmaker(s) need not be of African or African American descent. Films should preferably depict positive and realistic images and can be of any genre -- drama, comedy, horror, adventure, animation, romance, science fiction, experimental, etc. Features and shorts both narrative and documentary may be submitted. The film festival will accept a single submission of a work in progress; however, the final version of the film must be completed no later than December 1, 2014.

Submissions must be made online through the PAFF website, www.paff.org. Click onto the Submit to PAFF 2015 button.

SUBMISSION:

Regular Submission:

Aug. 19 - Oct. 19

Features $45 | Shorts $30

Late Submission:

Oct. 20 - Nov. 19

Features $75 | Shorts $55

For complete details on rules, restrictions, fees, deadlines, and online application, visit www.paff.org. Official selections begin December 3, 2014 with roll-out notification; final announcement will be posted to the website no later than January 5, 2015.

COMPETITION:

The PAFF competition categories are:

Best Narrative Feature

Best Narrative Short

Best Documentary

Best Director

First Feature

Audience Favorite Awards for Narrative Feature

Audience Favorite Awards for Favorite Documentary

Films in competition must be copyrighted no earlier than 2014. With the exception of Audience Favorite Awards, all films are judged by industry professionals, selected by PAFF. In addition to competition awards, other programming and festival special prizes will be awarded.

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