KING OF THE DANCEHALL To Screen As Opening Night Film At The Pan African Film Festival 25th Year Anniversary, February 9

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) announced today that Ncredible Entertainment's KING OF THE DANCEHALL, written and directed by Nick Cannon, will screen as the Opening Night Film at PAFF 25. The film will screen Thursday, February 9 at 8pm at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) headquarters at 7920 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California.

KING OF THE DANCEHALL is the feature film directorial debut of actor, producer and consummate entertainer, Nick Cannon who also stars in this high-energy musical about a young man from Brooklyn who gets caught up in the vibrant Kingston music scene during a visit to Jamaica. When Tarzan (Cannon) hatches a scheme to cover the costs of medical care for his sick mother, he has to decamp from his native New York to Kingston, Jamaica. Once on the Caribbean island, he solicits the help of his fast-talking cousin and makes quick headway in the world of weed. But there's another, much tougher scene that he's not prepared for: the dancehall. In addition to Cannon, the film stars, Academy Award nominee, Whoopi Goldberg, Academy Award winner, Louis Gossett Jr. and Grammy Award nominee, Busta Rhymes. KING OF THE DANCEHALL will debut exclusively on YouTube Red later this year.

KING OF THE DANCEHALL joins this year's selection of PAFF 25 Galas, which include TV ONE's MEDIA, (Centerpiece) and THE PREACHER'S SON (Closing Night) with a Lifetime Achievement Award tribute to legendary actress Alfre Woodard.

The Centerpiece Screening will be TV One's MEDIA starring Brian White and Pooch Hall will screen Wednesday, February 15 at 8pm. Closing Night Gala will be the World Premiere of THE PREACHER'S SON (Directed by Trey Haley) screening on Sunday, February 19 at 8pm the Cinemark Baldwin Hills Theater.

In addition, PAFF 25 Special Screenings includes; Sankofa PAFF 25th Anniversary Gala, screening CHASING TRANE, a moving documentary on the music of John Coltrane. Monday, February 20 held on the closing night of the festival.

Other Special Screenings include; TANNA, based on a true story of young love against all odds; 93 DAYS, chronicles the little known story of a Nigerian couples work to stop the Ebola virus starring Danny Glover and Tim Reid, and AFROLATINOS: AN UNTAUGHT HISTORY, a documentary giving voice to communities throughout the Caribbean and South America and NETFLIX' A BURNING SANDS, on a hazing incident gone deadly wrong.

SPECIAL EVENTS
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the festival, a series of diverse female trailblazers are featured in the festival's "Conversations With..." series and industry panels during the programming lineup.
Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3pm, PAFF 25 will spotlight "Conversations with Alfre Woodard;"
Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 5pm, PAFF 25 will spotlight "Conversations with Mara Brock with Salim Akil," and
Saturday, Feb. 18 at 3pm, PAFF 25 will spotlight "Conversations with Sanaa Lathan."

PANELS:
Saturday, Feb. 11, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM "Establishing & Monetizing Your Social Media Experience"
Sunday, Feb. 12, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM "From Script To The Big Screen: Getting Your Independent Film Made & Distributed"
Sunday, Feb. 12, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM "From Idea to 4K Computer Screen: Developing Content for Computer Simulations, Virtual Reality and Gaming"
Monday, Feb. 13, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM "Breaking Into The Business: How to Jump Start Your Hollywood Career in Film & Television"
Saturday, Feb. 18 at 5:00 PM hosted by Reggie Bythewood "The Revolution Will be Televised"
Saturday, Feb. 18, 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM WGN America hosts "Female Empowerment: The Women of 'Underground.' "

PAFF 25 takes place February 9-20, 2017, in the heart of Baldwin Hills of Los Angeles. Screenings, Galas, Panels and other events will be held at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills Theater 15. The complete Screenings, Special Screenings & Events Lineup will be announced in coming days at www.paff.org.

PAFF 25 will showcase the largest number of Black films in one event thanks to the support of NBCUniversal, Coca Cola, HBO, Sony Pictures, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, City of Los Angeles, LA County, FILM LA, and TV5 Monde.

OPENING NIGHT
SCREENING
Directed by Nick Cannon
KING OF THE DANCEHALL is the feature film directorial debut of actor, producer and consummate entertainer, Nick Cannon who also stars in this high-energy musical about a young man from Brooklyn who gets caught up in the vibrant Kingston music scene during a visit to Jamaica. When Tarzan (Cannon) hatches a scheme to cover the costs of medical care for his sick mother, he has to decamp from his native New York to Kingston, Jamaica. Once on the Caribbean island, he solicits the help of his fast-talking cousin and makes quick headway in the world of weed. But there's another, much tougher scene that he's not prepared for: the dancehall. In addition to Cannon, the film stars, Academy Award winner, Whoopi Goldberg, Academy Award nominee, Louis Gossett Jr. and Grammy Award winner Busta Rhymes.

CENTERPIECE SCREENING & GALA
Directed by Craig Ross
MEDIA is a new movie from the mind of Radio One's own media maven Cathy Hughes about a cut-throat world of a major entertainment business. This heart-pounding drama looks at the Jones family who run the multi-faceted J.U.M.P. media company. And like any big company, nothing comes easy or without drama. Starring Pooch Hall, Brian White, Penny Johnson-Jerald, Gary Dourdan.

CLOSING NIGHT SCREENING & GALA
Directed by Trey Haley
THE PREACHER'S SON is the story of Bishop T.K. Wilson, his wife and two children who are a respectable family in their community. Yet the Wilson kids are fighting temptations and son Dante has thoughts other than taking over his father's church. Stars Christian Keyes, Clifton Powell, Valarie Pettiford, Vanessa Bell Calloway and Jaleel White.

ABOUT PAFF
Established in 1992, The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a non-profit 501(c)(b) corporation dedicated to the promotion of cultural understanding among peoples of African descent. Every year, PAFF showcases hundreds of quality new films, fine artists and unique craft persons from Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. The festival features red carpet screenings and a variety of special events headed by industry professionals. PAFF has premiered a host of black films including Think Like a Man, Love & Basketball, Miles Ahead and many more. The festival also presents awards ~ Life Achievement, Canada Lee and Beah Richards ~ in recognition of key industry players and rising stars.

SOURCE Pan African Film Festival