Supported by Official Media Partner, The Immigrant Magazine, as PAFF Prepares to Honor Its Visionary Co-Founder During Its Landmark 35th Anniversary Celebration.
LOS ANGELES — On his 80th birthday, the Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) announced plans to honor famed actor and PAFF co-founder Danny Glover during the festival’s 35th anniversary celebration in Los Angeles in February 2027. PAFF is the largest international Black film festival in the United States. Additional details will be announced later this year.
Following Glover’s announcement of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, PAFF expressed its unwavering support for its co-founder. The festival will also be joined by its official media partner, The Immigrant Magazine, in amplifying this tribute and celebrating Glover’s enduring contributions to film, culture, and social justice. Together, PAFF and The Immigrant Magazine remain committed to elevating stories that inspire, unite, and empower communities across the African diaspora and beyond.
For more than three decades, Glover has been a driving force behind PAFF’s mission to elevate Black stories, filmmakers, artists, and cultures from across the African diaspora. His leadership helped establish the festival as one of the world’s premier platforms for Black cinema, independent filmmaking, and cultural expression.
Throughout his distinguished career, Glover has earned international acclaim as an actor, producer, director, humanitarian, and activist. From iconic performances in The Color Purple, Places in the Heart, the Lethal Weapon franchise, and Beloved to receiving the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2022, he has consistently used his platform to advance justice, equity, and opportunity for underserved communities.
Now, in sharing his Alzheimer’s diagnosis publicly, Glover once again demonstrates the courage and transparency that have defined his life’s work. His decision to speak openly about living with Alzheimer’s brings greater visibility to a disease affecting millions of individuals and families worldwide while continuing his lifelong commitment to using his voice in service of others.
“Danny has always led with courage,” said Ayuko Babu, co-founder of the Pan African Film & Arts Festival. “He helped build PAFF because he believed Black stories deserved to be seen, heard, and celebrated around the world. That vision continues to guide everything we do today. As Danny has stood alongside artists, activists, and communities throughout his life, we proudly stand alongside him.”
Since co-founding PAFF in 1992, Glover’s vision has helped create opportunities for thousands of filmmakers and artists whose work may otherwise have gone unseen. His leadership has expanded the global reach of Black cinema while strengthening connections throughout Africa and its diaspora and inspiring generations of storytellers.
His impact extends far beyond the screen. Through decades of advocacy for human rights, social justice, labor rights, and cultural preservation, Glover has demonstrated that art can be a powerful catalyst for change.
Today, as PAFF prepares for its 35th anniversary celebration in February 2027, the entire PAFF family honors his extraordinary legacy while offering its love and steadfast support to Danny Glover and his family. His contributions to film, culture, and justice remain immeasurable, and his influence will continue to shape generations to come.
About the Pan African Film & Arts Festival
Established in 1992 by Danny Glover, the late Ja’Net DuBois, and Ayuko Babu, the Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Black stories, images, and creative expression through film, visual art, and cultural programming. For more than 30 years, PAFF has served as a global platform for filmmakers and artists from across the African diaspora, advancing excellence in Black cinema while fostering dialogue, understanding, and cultural exchange through the arts.
Website: https://paff.org
Instagram: @paffnow
Media Partnership
The Immigrant Magazine is proud to serve as an official media partner of the Pan African Film & Arts Festival. Through this partnership, the publication will help amplify PAFF’s year-round mission of celebrating Black excellence, immigrant voices, and global stories from across the African diaspora. As PAFF honors its visionary co-founder Danny Glover during its 35th anniversary celebration, The Immigrant Magazine proudly joins the festival in recognizing his extraordinary legacy as an artist, humanitarian, and champion for justice.
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