July 31–August 3, 2025
AFS welcomes Los Angeles’ famed Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) for its third annual Austin series, presenting a selection of the most acclaimed films from PAFF’s February festival. Established in 1992 by Hollywood veterans Danny Glover, the late Ja’Net DuBois (Good Times), and Ayuko Babu (Executive Director), the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has remained dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression. As the critically acclaimed largest Black film and arts festival and Black History Month activation in the United States, PAFF has become the quintessential global celebration of Pan-African cultures and an international beacon for the African diaspora film and arts communities.
PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL PASSES
Purchase a PAFF pass for tickets to all six PAFF screenings, taking place Thursday, July 31–Saturday, August 2, and receive 25% off the full ticket purchase price. AFS Members receive additional discounts on passes and individual tickets. The PAFF pass includes one ticket to each film screening and the opening-night reception.
2025 PAFF Lineup
MOVE YA BODY: THE BIRTH OF HOUSE
Thursday, July 31 | 7 PM
Out of the underground dance clubs on the South Side of Chicago, a group of friends turn a new sound into a global movement.
PAFF pass holders and MOVE YA BODY: THE BIRTH OF HOUSE ticket holders are invited to an opening-night reception in the AFS Cinema lobby after the film.
BORN IN THE STRUGGLE w/ DYING TO VOTE
Friday, August 1 | 6 PM
BORN IN THE STRUGGLE delves into the lives of children born to 1960s and ’70s Black Power activists, including Ras J. Baraka, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Fred Hampton Jr. Through personal accounts, the documentary explores how their parents’ revolutionary commitments shaped their childhoods and inspired their own activism. Against a backdrop of shifting cultural landscapes, it examines their challenges, resilience, and the role of hip-hop in naming and proclaiming the Black experience for a new generation.
Screening with DYING TO VOTE, Emmy-winning filmmaker Loki Mulholland’s searing exploration of democracy’s cornerstone for change: the right to vote.
THE MAN DIED
Friday, August 1 | 8:30 PM
When an idealistic writer is jailed by the military after his mediation to stop a civil war is misconstrued as support for the rebels, his ideals are put to the ultimate test as he battles for his sanity and his life.
BLACK IMMIGRANTS: TELLING OUR STORIES & VISIONING THE FUTURE
Saturday, August 2 | 12:30 PM
Film screening and powerful discussion exploring the needs, challenges, and aspirations of Black immigrants. This event will also examine the deep connections between Black displacement, migration, and the systemic forces of racial capitalism and global anti-Blackness driving these issues. Featuring the short films: BOAT PEOPLE, CARTES, and MEXICO IS HELL FOR BLACK MIGRANTS.
Sponsored by BAJI (Black Alliance for Just Immigration)
LEGACY: THE DE-COLONIZED HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA
Saturday, August 2 | 3:30 PM
Apartheid was dismantled in 1994, yet three decades later, South Africa still remains the most unequal country in the world. The roots of this inequality are revealed in this insightful exploration into South Africa, exposing why they persist today. A perspective-shifting documentary that features, in unprecedented access, the grandson of the “Architect of Apartheid,” who takes an honest look into his ancestry, exposing not only the systemic strings that apartheid still holds over South Africa but also the psychological strings.
SUN RA: DO THE IMPOSSIBLE
Saturday, August 2 | 7:30 PM
A kaleidoscopic portrait of the visionary jazz musician, composer, and poet known as Sun Ra and the musical, historical, and philosophical currents that shaped him.
Panel: The Power of Story: Impacting Change Through Film
Sunday, August 3 | 4 PM | Austin Public
Join us for an inspiring conversation with filmmakers, writers, and change makers who use storytelling as a tool to spark dialogue and shift perspectives. Discover how film and impactful stories can entertain, empower, and ignite change.
This panel is free and open to the public, but you must register in advance. Admission is not included in the PAFF pass.
This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department and a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.
