Pan African Film Festival

The festival was founded in 1992 by actors Danny Glover, Ja'net Dubois, and executive director Ayuko Babu. Babu had no ties to Hollywood and was working as a financial consultant before he contributed to finding the film festival. Glover and actress Whoopi Goldberg co-hosted the festival in 1992. One of the main goals was to expose others to African films because many of the films were not being screened and going unnoticed. Babu states, "A showcase festival, maybe two of them. First, try one in Hollywood. That would get the attention of the movie crowd and would stimulate international interest. Then, try Washington that would draw in the political community." In 2013, the film festival attracted approximately , and the arts festival attracted around 75,000. == Films ==

Tsotsi (2005) Directed by Gavin Hood, the film shows what life is like in South Africa as a youth. The themes revolved around violence, redemption, and humanity. Dry (2014) Directed by Stephanie Okereke, which is about child marriage and is inspired by a true story. Okereke first learned about child marriage going on in Nigeria when she attended college. She wanted to bring this issue to the media to bring awareness. It got so much attention that Gambia's government banned child marriage. == Notable directors and actors ==

• Joseph Gaï Ramaka • Omari Hardwick • Nicole Beharie • Stephanie Okereke • Gavin Hood ==See also==