The 17th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) which kicked off on February 5, seems to be having some hiccups due to the organizers' decision to move the film venue to Culver Plaza Theater from its original schedule at the Magic Johnson Theaters in Baldwin Hill-Crenshaw Plaza Mall on the Crenshaw thoroughfare of "Black Township" in Los Angeles. Of course, we learned Magic Johnson Theaters was sold but patrons and vendors are complaining for a variety of reasons.I did take a tour of the cultural faire, the marketplace, yesterday afternoon which had its normal schedule at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Mall. I had gone there before the showing of "Skin" starring Sophie Okonedo, premiering at the Culver Plaza Theater with much expectations of the mysterious South African girl who was born black by white parents. There's a whole lot to talk about the set, Sophie, the cast and the movie itself.
Anyways, while at the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza Mall, and walking through the booths of the vendors who had expected to kick off the year on a good start, the conclusion of most vendors did not augur well with the scheme of things notably going back to the festivals rosy years. "The move to Culver City where the films are being shown killed the festival," a vendor who sold African attires and accesories told me on the condition of anonymity. However, it was very obvious this year's marketplace at the Mall was very slow and moving the film venue added to the festival's slow turnout. Maybe, if both marketplace and the films had been at the same location, the turnout would have been different, perhaps, better according to one of the vendors I spoke with, even though Magic sold his theater to AMC Cinemas which 'jacked up" the rent.
Nonetheless, we'll see how it plays out before the closing ceremony on the 16th, and hopefully this year's event would probably be the deciding factor on how to organize future events.
