By Cynthia Gibson
Contributing Writer
LOS ANGELES — “Chevalier,” the story of the illegitimate son of an French plantation owner and his enslaved African mistress, who defied racial norms of 17th century Paris to become one of the most accomplished men in Europe during his lifetime, will open the 31st Pan African Film Festival Feb. 9 at the Directors’ Guild of America.
The theme of this year’s festival is “2023 PAFF Reimagined” to inspire and appeal to a new generation of filmmakers and movie-goers.
“Imagination can often be a hidden power that could be the one thing that we need to bring out our greatest successes,” festival spokesperson J’Tasha St.Cyr said.
Former NFL running back turned actor Thomas Q. Jones (“P-Valley,” “Corsicana”) is the celebrity host for this year’s festival, which will continue through Feb. 20 at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills Crenshaw XD. In conjunction with the festival, ArtFest, a showcase of African art and crafts from around the world, will be on display inside the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
Hollywood veterans Danny Glover (“The Color Purple,” “Lethal Weapon”), the late Ja’Net DuBois (“Good Times”), and Ayuko Babu established the film festival in 1992 as a repository for the African diaspora arts community to showcase stories and preserve the cinematic creativity of the Pan African culture.
The first festival was held six months after the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest sparked by the police beating of Rodney King.
“At that time and even more so now, we just felt we needed to tell our own story and spread it among Black people and the best way was through film,” said Babu, who serves as executive director of the festival. “We felt we needed to involve ourselves in that whole struggle of who controls our image and how to get those images to influence young filmmakers.”
Three decades later, the festival continues to share the stories of the African diaspora with films from 40 countries, in 19 languages, including 50 world and 22 North American premieres.
As with many of the festival’s feature films, “Chevalier” sheds new light on a historical figure. It was inspired by the true story of French composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a celebrated violinist, composer and master swordsman who played a key role in the French Revolution.
He was friends with the Prince of Wales, tutored Marie Antoinette in piano and became known as the “Black Mozart” for his unique musical compositions.
“Chevalier” writer Stefani Robinson, was first inspired by Chevalier as a teenager and remembers being astonished by how epic his life was — from being born on a slave plantation to befriending the queen. Determined to bring his story to the big screen, she saw a chance to revive the legend of someone who broke the frame and then paid the price of being left out of the picture. She was frustrated that people didn’t know his story.
“Bologne is a spectacular example of someone denied his due,” Robinson said. “He went from being a towering celebrity and influencer to evaporating from the pages of history books for centuries.”
The film’s director Stephen Williams (“Watchmen,” “Lost,” “The Walking Dead”) said he tried to zero in on the pressure Bologne must have felt, a pressure he knows well, the mindset that you must be 10 times better than your peers, and above reproach, just to be valued.
“You see Joseph start out believing that if he can just excel at everything he does, he’ll be accepted into aristocratic society,” Williams said. “But what he discovers is that social acceptance is not what counts. It is self-acceptance that is most important in a life journey.”
Actor Kelvin Harrison (“Luce,” “Cyrano,” “Waves”), who plays Bologne, studied violin for seven hours daily to embody the title role. He said Chevalier felt incredibly modern, especially the way he moves so fluidly between the worlds of music, sport, and ultimately the fight for justice.
“I felt I could understand him as a Black artist,” Harrison said. “His path reflects how we all struggle to find the spaces where we can be seen and heard.
“This story asks big questions about art and equality and why so many Black artists have been erased, but it’s also a beautiful celebration of Chevalier’s life.”
In addition to the opening night feature of “Chevalier,” the festival features more than 150 short and feature length films.
“Strange Love,” the festival’s centerpiece gala screening on Feb. 15, is a comedy about a young couple Deshawn (rapper-turned comedian Kountry Wayne) and Megan (Marquitta Goings, Woke) whose dream home is haunted. Following the couple’s split, Deshawn meets and falls for the attractive ghost played by Shirlene King (“Little Women,” “Atlanta”).
Other signature programs include, PAFF Institute, Student Fest, Children’s Fest, Senior Connections, Spoken word Fest, LOL Comedy, John Singleton Short Film Competition and the awards brunch.
The PAFF Institute serves as a platform to amplify the voices of industry professionals, community influencers, sports figures, cultural icons, thought leaders and disruptors who seek to educate, inspire and empower those who desire personal and professional elevation.
The John Singleton embRACE L.A. Short Film Competition returns for its second year. Inspired by the late Los Angeles-born filmmaker, the competition is the result of a partnership between the city of Los Angeles and the film festival to honor Singleton’s cinematic legacy while simultaneously celebrating his unapologetic approach to filmmaking.
The inaugural competition invited filmmakers to submit their live-action short narrative scripts. Three winners were awarded $20,000 each for the production and completion of a live-action narrative short film.
For more than two decades, the PAFF Student Fest has hosted students and their teachers from the Los Angeles Unified School District and other surrounding school districts and cities who attend free programs showcasing films dealing with issues important to youth, such as coming of age, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ+, women’s empowerment, cultural and racial respect, self-esteem and mental health, and gang and drug prevention.
Before and after the screenings, speakers working in areas related to the subject matter of the films conduct positive and interactive discussions with the students.
For more information on the 31st Pan African Film Festival and a digital copy of the film guide, visit paff.org.
