The Pan African Film Festival is returning to AFS Cinema for its fourth annual Austin series, bringing a curated selection of acclaimed films from the festival’s Los Angeles showcase to local audiences.
Established in 1992 by Danny Glover, the late Ja’Net DuBois, and Ayuko Babu, the Pan African Film Festival has become one of the most significant platforms for Black film, visual art, and creative expression in the United States. The festival is widely recognized as the largest Black film and arts festival in the country and serves as a global celebration of Pan-African cultures and stories from across the African diaspora.
This year’s Austin series will feature documentaries, narrative features, and short films exploring identity, history, love, resilience, community, and liberation. Several selections will make their Texas or regional premieres at AFS Cinema.
The series opens July 30 with “Muganga, the One Who Treats”, a Texas premiere from filmmaker Marie-Hélène Roux. The film tells the story of Denis Mukwege, a Congolese doctor and future Nobel Peace Prize laureate who risked his life treating thousands of women who survived sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
On July 31, AFS will screen the 20th anniversary presentation of “Phat Girlz”, Nnegest Likké’s body-positive romantic comedy starring Mo’Nique and Kendra C. Johnson as two best friends whose vacation introduces them to Nigerian culture, romance, and a new vision of self-love. The film’s celebration of Black bodies, Afrobeats, Pan-African love, and beauty remains timely two decades later.
Also screening July 31 is “Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul”, a Texas premiere documentary from Graeme Mathieson. The film explores how Jamaican musicians helped transform Toronto into a hub for reggae and soul music through basement studios, record stores, house parties, and long-lost recordings that later found new life.
On August 1, the festival will present “I Am Because We Are”, a short film block featuring seven Pan-African narrative stories rooted in the African philosophy of Ubuntu. The collection spans sci-fi, action, comedy, drama, psychological thriller, and animation while addressing themes including grief, identity, environmental issues, mental health, LGBTQ+ experiences, communal responsibility, and Black joy.
The short film lineup includes “Legally Black”, “Time Setters”, “Two Black Boys in Paradise”, ”The Inconvenience Store”, “Complicated Grief”, “Spilled Milk”, and “The Black Bart of Taco King #17”. Among them, “Two Black Boys in Paradise” centers queer love, vulnerability, and self-acceptance as two young men navigate identity and belonging.
The August 1 slate also includes “Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story”, a Texas premiere documentary from Yemi Bamiro. The film honors the photographer, archivist, and cultural force whose work helped define the Black Is Beautiful movement. Featuring commentary from Alicia Keys, Jesse Williams, Gabrielle Union, Tyler Mitchell, and others, the documentary gives Brathwaite long-overdue recognition as a keeper of Black cultural memory.
The day continues with “Montmartre”, a regional premiere from filmmaker Leon Hendrix, III. Set in the famed French district, the film follows Jo, a woman disillusioned with her life who finds renewed passion through art, history, poetry, and romance.
For Austin film lovers, the PAFF series offers a chance to experience global Black cinema across genres, languages, and perspectives without leaving the city. From Congo to Toronto, Harlem to Paris, and imagined futures shaped by Black creativity, this year’s lineup reflects the depth and range of Pan-African storytelling.
The Austin presentation of the Pan African Film Festival is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Event Details
Pan African Film Festival Austin
Dates: July 30-August 1, 2026
Location: AFS Cinema, Austin
Featured Screenings:
- Muganga, the One Who Treats | July 30
- Phat Girlz 20th Anniversary | July 31
- Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul | July 31
- I Am Because We Are Short Film Block | August 1
- Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story | August 1
- Montmartre | August 1
For tickets and more information, visit austinfilm.org/paff.
About the Pan African Film Festival
Established in 1992 by Danny Glover, the late Ja’Net DuBois, and Ayuko Babu, the Pan African Film Festival is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Black stories and images through film, visual art, and creative expression. For more than 30 years, PAFF has served as an international beacon for African diaspora film and arts communities.
About Austin Film Society
Founded in 1985 by filmmaker Richard Linklater, Austin Film Society supports filmmakers, strengthens Austin and Texas as creative hubs, and brings communities together through film. AFS operates Austin Studios, Austin Public, and AFS Cinema, while also supporting filmmakers through grants, programs, screenings, and industry events.
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