Pan African Film & Arts Festival 2027, Los Angeles

The Largest Black Film Festival in America Comes Back to L.A.

Every February, Los Angeles becomes the center of the Black film world. The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) isn't just another entry on the festival circuit — it's the largest Black film festival and Black History Month celebration in the United States, a two-week takeover of screening rooms, gallery walls, and red carpets that draws filmmakers, artists, and craftspeople from more than 40 countries across six continents. For 34-plus years, PAFF has been the place where the global African diaspora's film and art community gathers, premieres work, and does business, all while Angelenos and visiting travelers pack theaters from Culver City to Baldwin Hills. If you've never built a trip around it, PAFF 2027 is the year to start.

Event at a Glance

• Event: Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) — 35th Anniversary
• Location: Los Angeles, CA (Culver Theater, Culver City, and Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD are PAFF's traditional home venues)
• When: February 15–21, 2027 (confirmed on paff.org; always check paff.org closer to the date for final venue and schedule confirmations)
• Price: Single tickets from roughly $16 (general), with discounts for seniors, students, and children; matinee and multi-film pass options available
• Main Audience: Film lovers, industry professionals, art collectors, culture travelers, and Black History Month celebrants
• Travel Vibe: Red-carpet energy, art-gallery browsing, and a packed, festival-circuit pace

34+ Years of Pan-African Cinema History

PAFF was founded in 1992 by actor and activist Danny Glover, the late actress Ja'Net DuBois, and Ayuko Babu, with a mission to showcase Black narratives from across the globe and safeguard Pan-African cinematic heritage through film, visual art, and creative expression. More than three decades later, that mission has only grown in scale: PAFF is now an Oscar-qualifying festival for both animation and live-action shorts, meaning films that win here can advance toward Academy Award consideration. It has built a reputation as the essential launchpad and gathering point for Black storytellers, connecting emerging filmmakers from Los Angeles with veteran directors from Lagos, Kingston, Johannesburg, and beyond.

What Actually Happens at PAFF

PAFF's headline draw is the film program — typically well over 200 new features, documentaries, and shorts screened across roughly two weeks, sourced from filmmakers on six continents. But the festival is deliberately more than a film series. Running alongside the screenings is PAFF's signature Fine Art Show, one of the largest showcases of Pan-African visual art in the country, where painters, sculptors, and craftspeople sell and exhibit work inspired by the African diaspora. Layered on top of both is a full slate of industry panels and workshops — conversations with directors, actors, producers, and financiers about the actual business of getting Black films made and distributed — plus filmmaker Q&As, red carpet premieres, and awards presentations. Expect to move between a theater seat, a gallery aisle, and a panel discussion all in the same afternoon.

Where to Stay in Los Angeles

Because PAFF's core venues sit in Culver City and Baldwin Hills, staying on L.A.'s Westside or in the Mid-City/Crenshaw corridor keeps you closest to the action and cuts down on freeway time during a packed festival schedule. Culver City itself has a growing hotel scene within a short rideshare of the Culver Theater, while the Crenshaw/Baldwin Hills area puts you near Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD and the neighborhood's historic Black-owned businesses and eateries. Wherever you land, book early — mid-February is Black History Month in L.A., and PAFF isn't the only draw on the calendar that week.

Getting There

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the primary gateway, with extensive direct service from cities nationwide and abroad — and it's a manageable rideshare or drive from both Culver City and Baldwin Hills. If you're flying into Southern California from the East Coast or internationally, book flights well ahead of mid-February; fares tend to tighten as the festival's premiere dates approach. Once in town, a rental car or rideshare budget is worth planning for, since PAFF's venues and after-parties are spread across several L.A. neighborhoods.

Who This Festival Is For

PAFF is built for film lovers who want more than a passive watch — it rewards travelers who like Q&As, industry talk, and gallery browsing as much as the screenings themselves. It's a strong fit for aspiring filmmakers and industry professionals looking to network, art collectors hunting for diaspora work, culture travelers building a Black History Month trip around something substantive, and longtime Angelenos who treat PAFF as an annual tradition.

BTN Insider Tips

Buy festival passes, not just single tickets, if you plan to see more than a few films — with 200-plus films screening across roughly two weeks, single-ticket costs add up fast.

Budget real time for the Fine Art Show — it's easy to treat it as a side attraction and then run out of time once the film schedule takes over.

Check the schedule for panels and workshops early — the industry sessions fill up and are often the most valuable part of the trip if you work in or want to break into film.

Book flights and Westside/Crenshaw-area hotels as early as possible — mid-February is a high-demand week in L.A. thanks to Black History Month programming citywide.

Plan Your Trip

PAFF is proof that a film festival can be a full cultural experience — cinema, visual art, and industry access rolled into one L.A. week. Whether you're coming for the red carpets, the gallery walls, or the panels, build your February 2027 trip around it.

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