LOS ANGELES, CA - The PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL (PAFF) has announced that actor, director, and author LaVar Burton (Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Reading Rainbow), actress Ja'Net Dubois (Good Times), and Akeelah and the Bee actress Alexandra Rose Reiger will participate in PAFF's celebrity read-in at its annual CHILDREN'S FEST.
PAFF's CHILDREN'S FEST is a free program that takes place each Saturday morning during the festival for children and their parents.
Families are invited to free age appropriate screenings followed by storytelling, interactive activities, and refreshments.
The PAFF CHILDREN'S FEST will take place Saturday, February 9 and Saturday, February 16 at 10 a.m. at the AMC Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 Theaters located at 4020 Marlton Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90008. For more information, please call (323) 295-1706 or visit www.PAFF.org.
Other CHILDREN'S FEST participants this year include: recording artist Onaje Murray; storytellers Michael McCarty and Reading Rainbow; clowns, balloons, and face painting provided by Clown of Hearts, Miss Whacky Tacky, and Rosie the Clown; arts and crafts with Dorothy Taylor Bolden and the Institute of Fine Braidery.
The 16th Annual PAFF CHILDREN'S FEST is sponsored in part by Target with support from community collaborators the Los Angeles City & County Libraries, Los Angeles City Zoo, and South Central Prevention Coalition. Rosalyn Butler serves as the coordinator for the PAFF CHILDREN'S FEST.
Known for showcasing new films first and recognized as America's premiere black film festival, past PAFF features have included box office and award-winning hits: Ray, Lackawanna Blues, Redemption, Crazy As Hell, Kingdom Come, The Brothers, Gridlock'd, Days of Glory, and the 2006 Academy Award® winner for Best Foreign Film, Tsotsi. The film festival will take place in Los Angeles February 7-18, 2008 and is expected to draw over 40,000 attendees during its twelve-day run. Another 200,000 will attend the art show and other events. For more information, please visit www.PAFF.org.
About The Pan African Film and Arts Festival
The Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) 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 PAFFs 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.
2008 Pan African Film & Arts Festival Sponsors
The 2008 Pan African Film and Arts Festival sponsors help to sustain PAFF annually. This year's Festival sponsors include grants from the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission as well as support from the Namibia Film Commission, Pan Afrikan Centre of Namibia, Directors Guild of America, African Ancestry, The Africa Channel, South African Consulate L.A., Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, AMC Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 Theaters, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Target, 8th District Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks, 10th District Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson, 9th District Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry, Union Bank of California, Wells Fargo Bank, Starbucks & Urban Coffee Opportunities, Macy's West, Comerica, Water Replenishment District of Southern California, South African Airways, African Starr Rum, Adam's Travel, Four Points by Sheraton, Budget Car Rental, California State University, Northridge, French Consulate L.A., TV5 Monde, eHealthRecords, Black Business Association, The African Diaspora Foundation, Hip-Hop Association, Red Tea Rooibos, Our Weekly Newspaper, KPFK 90.7 FM, the Electronic Urban Report, The Immigrant Magazine, African Vibes Magazine, Save the Date Media Group, LLC, Google, Black Girls Rule, LaHitz Media, Sparkletts, Queen Aminah's Clothing, PXP, and Artists Interactive.
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publicity@paff.org