Pan-African Film Fest brings global Black stories, Texas premieres, and sacred community

The Pan-African Film Festival is returning to Austin, bringing an exciting lineup of films, Texas premieres, and filmmaker conversations to AFS Cinema.

Maury Sullivan and Rakeda Ervin of the Austin Film Society joined We Are Austin to preview the festival, which they say offers audiences the chance to experience powerful black stories from around the world.

A Festival With Deep Roots

The Pan-African Film Festival is the largest and longest-running black film festival in the United States, founded more than 30 years ago by Ayuko Babu, Ja’Net DuBois and Danny Glover.

“This is the fourth year that the Pan-African Film Festival has come to Austin,” Sullivan said. “They’re curating this presentation specifically for Austin audiences.”

Austin Film Society says the festival aligns perfectly with its mission to showcase great films and support filmmakers.

“At the AFS Cinema, we give local audiences access to premier-level cinema that many times mainstream theaters aren’t showing,” Ervin said.

What Audiences Can Expect

This year’s festival includes:

• Six global screenings
• Ten Texas premieres
• Eight filmmakers in attendance
• Q&As and panel discussions after select screenings

Ervin says the goal is not just to watch films, but to create space for conversation and connection.

“Beyond the opportunity to see these films that represent the diversity of black stories is also to be able to see and be in spaces with independent filmmakers and visiting directors,” she said.

Opening Night and Featured Films

The festival opens with Ganga: The One Who Wages War, an executive-produced film by Angelina Jolie that tells the true story of a Nobel Prize-winning doctor who performed life-saving surgeries in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Other highlights include:

• Black Is Beautiful, about photographer Kwame Brathwaite and the movement that helped define a cultural era
• Play It Loud, a film with an Austin connection that explores how Jamaican music influenced Toronto’s sound
• A Conversation About AI and Black Cinema

One of the festival’s most anticipated events is a free community panel exploring artificial intelligence and its impact on black cinema.

The discussion will bring together filmmakers, technology experts and cultural voices to examine how AI is changing storytelling, training algorithms and shaping ownership in the film industry.

“We’re bringing together a panel of filmmakers, experts in tech and culture,” Ervin said. “Audience members can ask their questions.”

The event will also include a mixer with food and plenty of opportunity to keep the conversation going.

A Festival for Everyone

The festival runs at AFS Cinema, which organizers say offers an easy, comfortable place to spend a summer weekend.

“People can expect to have a great time, see great films and connect with so many great filmmakers in the community,” Sullivan said.

Festival passes are available for $63, or attendees can purchase tickets individually at the door. AFS members receive a discounted rate.

With documentaries, features, shorts, music films and animation all on the schedule, organizers say there really is something for everyone.

For tickets, schedules and more information, visit AustinFilmSociety.org.