The 32nd Pan African Film and Arts Festival will screen the documentary “Golden Hearted: The Legacy of Ambassador Diane E. Watson,” on Wednesday, February 14 at 1 p.m. and Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza XD – Cinemark Theatre, 4020 Marlton Ave, Los Angeles, 90008. “I was honored to tell my friend retired Congresswoman and U.S. Ambassador Diane Watson’s story and Academy Award winner Danny Glover to add the narration about her life’s journey from the words written by the critically acclaimed screenwriter Frank Underwood, Jr. ,” said Film Director Millena Gay and founder of HoneyPeach Productions, Inc.
Watch for several celebrities, including Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Kathleen Bradley, Jayne Kennedy to pop up in the film and share their thoughts about their friendship with Honorable Watson.
Watson, a Los Angeles native, was a strong believer in higher education as evident from her earned degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, the California State University, Los Angeles and Claremont Graduate University. Before launching her barrier-breaking political career, she worked as a psychologist, professor, and health occupation specialist before serving as a member of the Los Angeles Unified School Board.
The documentary takes you through Watson’s game-changing political climb up the ladder as a member of the California Senate from 1978 to 1998, and the US Ambassador to Micronesia from 1999 to 2000. Watson was elected to Congress in a 2001 special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative Julian C. Dixon. She was re-elected four times and retired after the end of the 111th Congress.
The award-winning documentary has been selected by the Southern California International Film Festival, the Las Vegas Black Film Festival, the Miami Women Film Festival, the Honolulu African American Film Festival, and more. Gay’s film has garnered the Best Audience Award from the Marina del Rey Film Festival, Best Documentary Award from the San Diego Independent Cinema Awards, and the New York Independent Cinema Awards.
“This passion project was successful because of people like Noreen McClendon, who is my invaluable collaborative partner on countless projects for more than 8 years,” said Gay. McClendon operates the Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles, a 501(C)3 corporation that invests in the youth from the ages of 13 to 18 residing in South Central Los Angeles by providing training in the jobs behind the scenes of the entertainment industry through their Entertainment Industry Training Program.
Music makes everything better and in the case of this documentary, the score was written by Emmy winner Rob “Diggy” Morrison. Grammy and Emmy winner Howard Hewitt was the music supervisor and wrote the title song for the documentary.
About PAFF
The 32nd Pan African Film & Arts Festival Festival, a two week-long celebration of film, art and culture, takes place from February 6-19, 2024, in Los Angeles at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza with film screenings, industry panels and social events. PAFF presents more than 140 film screenings, including Q&As and in-depth discussions with attending filmmakers from around the globe.
Established in 1992 by Hollywood veterans Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon), the late Ja’Net DuBois (Good Times), and Ayuko Babu (Executive Director), the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has remained dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression. PAFF is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards. www.paff.org
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