{"id":78540,"date":"2017-02-10T14:08:55","date_gmt":"2017-02-10T14:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2017\/02\/10\/2017-pan-african-film-festival-begins-feb-9-20\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T02:33:00","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T02:33:00","slug":"2017-pan-african-film-festival-begins-feb-9-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/2017-pan-african-film-festival-begins-feb-9-20\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2017 Pan African Film Festival Begins Feb. 9-20"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2017 Pan African Film Festival 25th Year Anniversary Begins Feb. 9-20<\/strong>Posted by Wilson Morales<\/p>\n

Februay 10, 2017<\/p>\n

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Last night was the start of The Pan African Film Festival<\/strong> (PAFF)’s 25 Anniversary aka PAFF 25 with Ncredible Entertainment’s KING OF THE DANCEHALL<\/strong>, written and directed by Nick Cannon<\/strong>, serving as the Opening Night Film. The festival runs from Feb. 9 through Feb. 20 at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza\u2019s Rave Cinemas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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KING OF THE DANCEHALL is the feature film directorial debut of actor, producer and consummate entertainer, Nick Cannon who also stars in this high-energy musical about a young man from Brooklyn who gets caught up in the vibrant Kingston music scene during a visit to Jamaica. When Tarzan (Cannon) hatches a scheme to cover the costs of medical care for his sick mother, he has to decamp from his native New York to Kingston, Jamaica. Once on the Caribbean island, he solicits the help of his fast-talking cousin and makes quick headway in the world of weed. But there’s another, much tougher scene that he’s not prepared for: the dancehall. In addition to Cannon, the film stars, Academy Award nominee, Whoopi Goldberg, Academy Award winner, Louis Gossett Jr. and Grammy Award nominee, Busta Rhymes. KING OF THE DANCEHALL will debut exclusively on YouTube Red later this year.<\/p>\n

The Centerpiece of the festival will be TV ONE’s MEDIA<\/strong>, a new original film from Radio One founder Cathy Hughes<\/strong> and Susan Banks<\/strong>. The film will revolve around a wealthy and powerful family battling the competitive challenges of keeping their status and position in the communications industry, and is scheduled to premiere in February 2017. The Centerpiece will screen Wednesday February 15 at 8pm.<\/p>\n

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The cast includes Penny Johnson Jerald, Brian White, Gary Dourdan, Stephen Bishop, Pooch Hall, Chrystee Pharris, Blue Kimble, Finesse Mitchell, Denise Boutte, Jimmy Gonzales, Stelio Savante, Jillian Reeves de Ortiz, Jasmine Kaur<\/strong> and Dane Kirby<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Penny Johnson Jerald (Castle, 24) stars as Jackie, the founder of Jones Universal Media Properties, aka JUMP, the world\u2019s premier urban media conglomerate. A family tragedy forces her son, prominent lead city attorney and prosecutor Michael Jones (Brian White, Stomp the Yard), to abandon his political aspirations and take over the company just as a ruthless rival challenges JUMP\u2019s longtime domination of this lucrative industry.<\/p>\n