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PAFF in e-f-f-e-c-t!

What a day! It all started with a brunch at the Directors Guild of America on Sunset Boulevard where the Pan African Film Festival was hosting a gala for the directors of the films that were accepted (including yours truly). They had 2,500 entries and accepted 163. Of those I think around 2 dozen are in competition including ours.

Thanks to LA traffic I arrived late, but breakfast was still being served and the filmmakers were gathered at large tables. I grabbed a bagel and some coffee and found an empty chair at a table. Everyone was cool and I was seated between a brother from Namibia and another from England.

As I munched and scanned the room I saw some familiar faces from fests past and the LA black film scene. Another perusal of the room and I spotted Kasi Lemmons and her husband (a actor/director in his own right) Vondie Curtis-Hall. I made a mental note to go over and introduce myself since we’re both from “Tha D” (Detroit). After parlaying with the fellas at my table for a bit, I excused myself and walked over.

Vondie and Kasi were very nice. I’ve been a Kasi fan since “Silence of the Lambs” and LOVED her in “Fear of a Black Hat”. I introduced myself and told him my film was playing at the fest. I remembered a conversation I had with my Uncle Don last Christmas where he claimed to hang out with Vondie “back in the day”. I decided to take a chance and ask him if he knew my uncle by his legal name and adding in his old nickname “Dink” for good measure. He sparked up and smiled reflectively. “Oh yeah, what’s he up too?” I filled him in, telling him my Unc was high up in the Detroit PD. Vondie confirmed that they used to hang in his “music days” (my uncle was a serious drummer and went all over the world playing in bands). My Unc had made me promise if I ever ran into Vondie to tell him that “Blubs” had gotten himself arrested. (I’m NOT making these names up, okay?!) I passed along the message but couldn’t remember what he’d been locked up for.

Satisfied, I went back to my table and settled in for a very cool presentation. The DGA’s Jon Larson gave some opening remarks and introduced PAFF head honcho Ayuko Babu. Babu has been holding down the PAFF for 16 years! I remember going one year and being blown away by the diversity with films from all over the African diaspora from the motherland, the West Indies, Europe and all over America. It’s only gotten better in it’s old age. If you’re in LA you owe it to yourself to spend some time down at the Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 theater. Start with the AKIRA screening this Saturday at 11:15 AM

After the dynamic directing duo took the stage and gave an entertaining presentation compelling all the filmmakers assembled to strive for DGA membership and to make their films DGA signatory, the keynote speaker took the stage. It was none other than Carl Weathers, best known as Apollo Creed from the “Rocky” films (a shame they wouldn’t break him off to be in the surprisingly respectable “Rocky 6″ last year!). Mr. Weathers gave a great speech about the DGA’s role in Hollywood. It really is a great organization and I’m thankful for their past recognition of my own work. My own union, the fresh from striking WGA, hasn’t given me squat and even took my health insurance away several years ago, so there you go. I hope to one day add DGA creditentials to my resume.

After Carl Weather’s speech they passed a cordless mic around and each filmmaker got to stand and introduce their film. My table was chosen first and I think I was the fifth or sixth filmmaker to stand and do their schpeal. “Come see my film (insert title), an interracial love story about a Japanese guy and Black girl. Screening at …. (blah, blah, blah)” There were a lot of black folks (and some white folks who’d done black subject matter) with interesting material. I hope to catch some of the films this weekend.

After that I was supposed to go down to do a Q&A with some high school kids at the theater around 11:30 AM, but I didn’t get out of the DGA thing until around noon. By the time I got to the theater at 12:30 the kids were at lunch. I really wanted to hear their thoughts and criticism, too. Oh well…

Went to work at the school I teach film afterschool at then had to rush back to Crenshaw for my screening at 6:15. By the time I got my actors their tickets and we settled in, the movie was ready to roll. James couldn’t make it, but the lovely and talented Emayatzy joined me along with Cordele Taylor who plays her man in the film. The screening went really well. It was the first time that I showed the film to a majority Black audience and they laughed in all the right places. I cringed at a few nitpicky things with the projection (it was a bit dark and artifacted in a few places) but Emay and I had fun whispering about certain scenes. Seeing it on the big screen, admittedly for the fourth or fifth time, was a thrill. The sound was fantastic!

Photo credit: E. Corinealdi

Along with my film was a documentary called “As Old as My Tongue” on a singer/cultural icon from Zanzibar named Bibi Kidude who continues to perform and shock audiences in her Muslim country. It was very good and I can see why they paired me with it. It covers topics ranging from arranged marriage, cultures clashing (Arabs and Africans), and the music is funky, call and response meant to be performed around a ritualistic dance that looks like something you’d see women doing in a strip club. Except these women were fully clothed!

When the lights came up, it was time for the Q&A. No one from the second film was present, so I decided to say a few complimentary words and draw some comparisons between our films which seemed, on the surface, very different. I was joined at the mic by Emay, Cordele, Eric Kalmus and Ralph Wilson. We talked about the film. People wanted to know how I’d gotten the idea, what kind of camera I’d used, and what my future plans for it were. Autumn, a cute young lady I met via this site who came out with her sister, talked about the reality of being biracial (she’s 1/2 Black and 1/2 Japanese) and dealing with many of the things our couple endures. An older Black woman said she really enjoyed the film and wasn’t offended by any of the characters. It was great fun.

After the Q&A people left and a group came up and spoke with me. One of the first people to shake my hand looked vaguely familiar. He eventually said his name was Charles and it clicked. It was Black Cinema legend Charles Burnett! I was humbled and told him as much. The man who did “Killer of Sheep”, “To Sleep with Anger” and “My Brother’s Wedding” (not to mention “Namibia”, the festival’s opening night film) came to my screening! Recognized as a filmmaker’s filmmaker, Mr. Burnett also mentored another of my cinematic heroes Haile Gerima (”Sankofa” and my favorite, “Bush Mama”). He said he enjoyed the film and I thanked him. It really meant a lot and, in a day full of celebrity sightings, was the highlight of my day!

After milling around they cleared us out into the hallway where we mingled further. Some actors and actresses gave me their cards and we discussed the film. Before I left for the evening I had one more celebrity encounter. I ran into Keith David, another actor I’ve dreamed of working with. I pointed out my poster and we struck up a conversation. I told him I also make documentaries and would love for him to narrate one. He was very down to earth and asked when my next screening was. I told him Saturday but he had a prior engagement. I ended up giving him a DVD. He gave me his info and I’d love for him to play Daphne’s father in the film. Can you imagine an Asian guy, any guy for that matter, having to pick up Keith David’s daughter for a date? Check out his roles in “Crash”, “Barbershop” and especially “Requiem for a Dream”!

The awards brunch is Monday and I plan to attend. Neither of my producers could attend today’s DGA bash as it was ONLY for the directors of the film. I kept them in the loop throughout the day. (Glad I have a good text plan.) So it was an eventful day. I don’t anticipate a repeat for Saturday’s show since it’s an 11:20 AM slot and there’s no Q&A, but it should still be fun.

The cherry on top of my Valentine’s Day was the unveiling of the trailer for the new Indiana Jones movie (yeah, I know I’m a geek). I’ll be there on May 22nd wherever there is (and I hope “there” has IMAX). Check it out below and thanks for reading.