The Jury, Audience, Festival, and other special award-winners of the 2010 Pan African Film & Arts Festival were announced February 17th at the Festival's Awards Ceremony hosted by actress CCH Pounder (Avatar) at the Culver Plaza Theatres in Los Angeles. The Kenyan narrative From A Whisper won for Best Narrative Feature. A three-way tie was announced for the Audience Favorite Narrative Award for films Soul Diaspora, A Sting in a Tale, and Speed-Dating. The documentary on the L.A. Black Panthers 41st & Central: The Untold Story of the L.A. Black Panthers won the Audience Favorite Documentary Award.
With the theme "Get Involved," this year's PAFF featured 135 films representing 36 countries, including 40 in competition, 64 feature length films, and 12 world premieres.
The films receiving Jury Awards were selected from six categories: Best Feature Documentary, Best Documentary Short, Best Narrative Short, Best Feature Narrative, and First Time Narrative Feature Directing. All films in competition were also eligible for the PAFF's Audience Awards as selected by Festival audiences. The PAFF Board of Directors and Programmer Festival Awards were awarded to their pick for Best Documentary and Best Narrative film. A special award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles Festival Choice Award was awarded to the film From A Whisper.
List of winners
Best Feature Documentary : STOLEN
Best Feature Narrative : FROM A WHISPER
Best Documentary Short : FOR THE BEST AND FOR THE ONION
Best Narrative Short : CRED
First Time Narrative
Feature Award For Directing : THE HARIMAYA BRIDGE
Programmer's Documentary Award : SWEET CRUDE
Programmer's Narrative Award : EVERYDAY BLACK MAN
Audience Favorite Award Documentary 41ST & CENTRAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE L.A. BLACK PANTHERS
Audience Favorite Award Narrative : SOUL DIASPORA
STING IN A TALE
SPEED DATING
Board of Director's Award Documentary : MOTHERLAND
Board of Director's Award Narrative : NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
Special Award BAFTA/LA
Festival Choice Award : FROM A WHISPER