The 2023 Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) is scheduled at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza from Feb. 9 to 20, 2023. Included in a long list of interesting films is percussionist John Santos’ documentary Santos – Skin to Skin. Since I’ve looked for it online without success, know that this might be one of few opportunities to see it. 

John Santos is a seven-time Grammy nominee and community activist who in Santos – Skin to Skin “links the rhythms of his ancestors to contemporary struggles against urban gentrification, social inequality, and racial injustice” (paffreimagined23.eventive.org).

Of Puerto Rican and Cape Verdean ancestry, Santos is a champion of Afro-Latin music, an educator, and a performer, who is seen in this documentary in the company of several great musicians. 

Other films that you should see during PAFF 2023 are its opening film Chevalier (2023), and Daughter of the Sea (2022) – a short-film from Puerto Rico about a girl who receives a calling from Yemaya. 

PAFF 2023 will happen in-person at the  Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 3650 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Los Angeles, CA 90008. Scheduling is still under way, but passes can already be purchased here. 

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