PRESS RELEASE
34th ANNUAL PAN AFRICAN
FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL (PAFF)
RETURNS TO LOS ANGELES
FEBRUARY 7–22, 2026
A Black History Month Celebration
of Global Black Storytelling
LOS ANGELES — The 34th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF), the nation’s largest and longest-running global Black film and arts festival, returns to Los Angeles February 7–22, 2026, celebrating global Black stories through film, art, and culture.
The 2026 festival theme, PAFF Soul, centers the emotional, spiritual, and cultural core of Black storytelling—honoring narratives that speak to identity, resilience, memory, love, struggle, and liberation. PAFF Soul reflects the festival’s enduring commitment to work that moves audiences beyond spectacle and into meaning, truth, and connection.
PAFF’s film festival program will feature a robust slate of screenings that includes 27 World Premieres, 22 U.S. Premieres, 41 West Coast Premieres, and 18 Los Angeles Premieres. Over 150 films will be presented at The Culver Theater and Cinemark Baldwin Hills Crenshaw XD, reinforcing PAFF’s role as a leading platform for discovery, distribution, and global Black storytelling.
In addition to the film festival, PAFF’s beloved ArtFest will take place February 7–16, 2026, at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. This multi-day experience brings together a vibrant, curated marketplace of visual artists, makers, designers, and artisans from across the African diaspora. From home goods and wearable art to handcrafted jewelry and body care rooted in tradition, ArtFest is where culture meets everyday living. Alongside fashion showcases and interactive cultural programming, ArtFest offers direct access to artists while creating real economic opportunity, cultural exchange, and a space for community to gather, connect, and be seen.
PAFF will also present a robust lineup of free and accessible community programming, including free panels spotlighting the business, craft, and future of filmmaking with industry leaders, a free children’s festival, complimentary screenings for seniors, a comedy show, a curated spoken word performance, book signings, and a wide range of culturally relevant events designed to engage audiences of all ages. Together, these offerings reflect PAFF’s commitment to community, creativity, and celebrating the breadth of Black culture beyond the screen.
For more than three decades, PAFF has remained a vital platform for emerging and established filmmakers and artists from across the African diaspora, offering audiences bold storytelling and a cultural celebration that reflect the complexity and brilliance of Black life worldwide.
For tickets, schedules, and festival updates, visit paff.org.
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