Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin’s ‘Amazing Grace’ Celebrated by Bobby Brown, Danny Glover at Largest Black Film Festival in America

The 27th Annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) kicked off Black History Month on February 7th at the Director’s Guild of America by honoring the legacy of Aretha Franklin with a red-carpet screening of the film, Amazing Grace. The event attracted 600+ attendees including appearances by Bobby Brown, Danny Glover, Loni Love, Loretta Devine, Nate Parker, Ray Parker Jr., Councilman Curren D. Price Jr., PAFF Co-Founder Ja’Net Dubois, and legendary actress Cloris Leachman.

Opening remarks were led by PAFF Co-Founders Ayuko Babu and Danny Glover, as well as LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. The 87-minute screening was met with audible excitement and praise from the audience. The film chronicles the production of the critically acclaimed “Amazing Grace,” which was one of the top-selling gospel albums of all time, recorded in 1972 by the undisputed Queen of Soul. Audiences will get a rare and raw look at the privately recorded sessions of Aretha Franklin, held in the historic New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, CA.

The evening closed out with a Q&A session moderated by Anita Bennett of the African American Film

Critics Association, featuring Producer Alan Elliott and Co-Producer Tirrell Whittley, followed by a reception.

The Pan African Film Festival celebrates its long-standing legacy as the largest Black film festival in America with a slate of over 190 new black films, a series of free panels, and an exhibition of over 100 fine artists and unique crafts. The festival continues through Monday, February 18 and the full schedule and tickets can be purchased online at paff.org.