21st Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival Filmmaker’s Award Brunch

18-year Sierra Madre resident, Djibril N’Doye, Fine Artist, was presented with the Featured Artist Award at the 21st Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival Filmmaker’s Award Brunch on Monday, February 18, 2013 at the “pop up” PAFF Filmmakers Lounge, located in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
The festival handed out jury, audience and special prizes during the awards brunch held on Presidents Day, the final day of the 12-day festival.
In his acceptance speech, Djibril said, “The Pan African Film & Arts Festival is where board members, directors, filmmakers, writers, festival staff, volunteers, and fine artists from all over the world come to share the same history, an African heritage, and get to know each other, and that really makes us feel like family. To me, we are a family. There is a very strong, spiritual connection which makes me feel like I am in Africa.”
He also said he is looking forward to share the honor of his award with his daughters Fatou and Salya in Senegal, and with his hometown of Bargny, who take great pride in his accomplishments, especially the youth who do a lot to uphold his legacy there. The “Diplome d’Honneur” award for service and value the youth organization called ‘Association Promo – Family’ recently presented to him was accepted on his behalf by Salya while Djibril was away exhibiting in Arizona.
The PAFF Awards Brunch took place in the Lounge which Djibril remarked on how thematically well-decorated it was done by the Artfest Director/Curator, Allohn Agbenya. The walls had large hand-woven tapestries and wood carved African masks.
After receiving his award, Djibril expressed how on behalf of his family, particularly his wife, Mary, and on behalf of his country and Africa, he was very grateful to Babu, Executive Director of PAFF, and Asantewa, Director of Programming, all the technical staff and volunteers, and Allohn the art curator, for choosing Djibril as the Featured Artist for a second time, the first having been in 2006.
The PAFF was widely publicized in Senegal by the newspapers, both print and online, and Djibril provided festival information to the Ambassador at the Senegal Embassy in Washington, D.C., H.E. Mr. Cheikh Niang, Ambasador, to the President of Senegal, Mr. Macky Sall, and to the Minister of Culture, Mr. Youssou N’Dour, as well as to the governor of Dakar, Mr. Cheikh Ahmet Tidiane N’Doye.
Established in 1992, The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of cultural and racial tolerance and understanding through the exhibition of film, art and creative expression.
It is PAFF’s goal to present and showcase the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes. We believe film and art can lead to better understanding and foster communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serve as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.
Each year, PAFF presents over One Hundred Fifty (150) quality films from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada, all showcasing the diversity and complexity of people of African descent.
One of America’s largest fine art shows featuring prominent and emerging Black artists and fine crafts people, including local, national and international poets, musicians and storytellers.
For further information, please contact the Pan African Film & Arts Festival, 310-337-4737, info@paff.org, or www.paff.org. Djibril N’Doye, djibrilartist@gmail.com, or www.djibrilndoye.com.

-Courtesy Photo

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