The 28th annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival launches with a star-studded Opening Night Gala on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the Directors Guild of America, 7920 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.

PAFF is the largest black film festival in the United States and the largest Black History Month cultural event in the nation, with approximately 150 films and 100 artists represented from around the world. The festival runs from Tuesday, Feb. 11, through Sunday, Feb. 23. Film screenings will be held at the Cinemark 15 Theatres, located at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and Crenshaw boulevards.

The festival will open with the film “HERO: Inspired by the Extraordinary Revolutionary Life and Times of Diplomat and Judge Ulric Cross,” directed by Caribbean filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon. This year’s festival theme is “20/20 Vision,” intended to launch the new decade with a fresh lens and commitment to telling diverse stories with a global, luminous view.

“HERO” is inspired by the extraordinary life of Trinidad and Tobago diplomat and judge Ulric Cross, the most decorated individual of West Indian descent of World War II. He was a member of the highly-decorated group of Caribbean pilots who flew combat missions for the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. After his service, Cross served in an important role in the Pan African Movement, which led to the creation of the 28 modern Caribbean and 54 modern African nations. This Pan African Movement influenced U.S. domestic policy toward African Americans and inspired the Civil Rights movement.

The festival will award juried prizes for Best Narrative Feature, Best First Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short and Best Narrative Short, as well as audience favorite awards at the close of the festival. This year, PAFF has selected films, representing 40 countries in 26 different languages.

For information and a schedule of screenings and events, visit paff.org.