The Pan African Film Festival is the largest film festival in the United States dedicated to the exhibition of Black films. Each year PAFF exhibits more than 150 films made in the U.S., Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Latin America and Canada. In 2015, 40,000+ people from both the Industry and the public attended PAFF. The 24th Annual PAFF will take place in Los Angeles from February 4 until the 15, 2016.
WHO AND WHAT IS ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT TO PAFF?
PAFF accepts films and videos made by and/or about people of African descent. Filmmakers needn’t be of African descent. Films should preferably depict positive or realistic images. Films can be any genre — drama, comedy, horror, adventure, animation, romance, science fiction, experimental, etc.
PAFF accepts features and shorts; narratives and documentaries. All submissions must be in English or have English subtitles. PAFF will accept submissions of works in progress. However, your submission must be complete enough for us to follow the storyline and be able to make a decision. If you expect your final version to be 90 minutes, a 45-minute rough cut is probably not acceptable. Also, whenever possible, you should provide an on-screen description of missing scenes. The final version of your film is expected to be ready no later than December 24, 2015.
DOES PAFF HAVE A FILM COMPETITION?
Yes. PAFF Official Competition categories are: Best Narrative Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary, Best Director-First Feature, Audience Favorite Narrative Feature and Audience Favorite Documentary. With the exception of Audience Favorites, an independent jury panel made up of industry professionals judges all films in Official Competition. Films in Official Competition must be copyrighted no earlier than 2014. In addition to Official Competition Awards, there are a number of programmer’s and festival special prizes.
HOW DO I SUBMIT MY FILM TO PAFF?
All film submission applications and submission payments must be completed online using PAFF’s online application at http://submit.paff.org .
Each film submitted must have a separate application with a separate application fee paid. You may send your film to PAFF either through an online link or by DVD. A vimeo online link is preferred.
Online Registration – You must first register to submit to PAFF. Click on the “Submit to PAFF” button or go to http://submit.paff.org. You will be prompted to create an account. After registering, you will be able fill out the online application form. It must be filled out completely. When you have completed the application, you must pay the submission fee and hit the “Submit Your Film” button. You will be notified that your submission is complete.
To submit your film by online link (vimeo platform preferred):
On the online application, make sure to fill out the requested video link information and provide a valid password. Video link passwords must remain active until February 16, 2016. If you change the password to your link, before February 16, you must send a new valid password by email to [email protected].
To send a physical copy of your film — DVD (NTSC or PAL) or BluRay (any region) — mail it to: The Pan African Film Festival Attn: Programming 6820 La Tijera Blvd, Ste. 200 Los Angeles CA 90045-1931. For more information, please visit http://www.paff.org/
