I was actually supposed to moderate a PAFF Insitute panel this weekend, at the Pan African Film Festival, which opens tonight; alas, the entire Northeast is being threatened with a blizzard, scheduled to hit our shores later tonight/early tomorrow morning, and will last through much of the weekend, causing the cancelation of some 1,600 flights thus far, and counting – mine included.

So, it's highly unlikely that I'll make it out west over the next 24 to 48 hours, which is upsetting!

I was looking forward to not only screening films at the festival (many that I haven't seen already), but also participating in my panel and covering others. 

I should note that Shadow & Act is this year's PAFF Institute media sponsor/presenter, so it's even more frustrating that I can't be there.

But, thankfully there are 3 S&A writers in the LA area (Jasmin, Nijla, and Masha) who will be providing us with some coverage or both the films and the panels, so all is not lost!

For those of you who will be attending the festival, or who will be in the LA area this weekend (whether you plan to attend the festival or not), I highlighted 10 films for you to add to your to-see list (if you missed that post, read it HERE); in this post, I'm drawing your attention to the PAFF Institute's strong, eclectic panels offerings for you to peruse and hopefully add to your festival itinerary. 

The PAFF Institute's theme this year is "The Business of Entertainment" and the entire lineup of panels, which can be found within the image at the bottom of this post, includes: A Conversation With…Powerful Black Women in Entertainment, with panelists Salli Richardson-Whitfield, producer Debra Martin Chase, producer and festival director of the LAFF Stephanie Allain Bray, IssaRae, Kym Whitley, with Bill Duke moderating; Django Unchained: A Discussion on Slavery & the 150 th Year Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, with panelists Ayuko Babu (PAFF Founder), Dr. Gerald Horne (Univ of Houston), Ed Rampell (Historian), Prof. Aminah Bakeer (Cal State LA), with Dr. Melina Abdullah (Cal State LA) moderating; and also A Conversation With…Hollywood Power Couple DeVon Franklin (Sr. Vice President of Production, Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group) & Meagan Good.

There's much more. 

Each panel is just $10.50, and takes place at Rave Cinema at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 4020 Marlton Avenue, LA, CA 90008.

All panels will be held inside the Rave Theaters unless otherwise noted.

It should be a a decent weekend in LA, with temperatures close to 60 degress, unlike the snowy, icy storm that's heading our way, here on the east coast; a perfect weekend for cinema of the African Diaspora, as well as conversations about cinema of the African Diaspora. Take advantage!

For more information, visit PAFF.org. 

See the full list of panels below: