Seattle Black Film Festival

Established in 2003 by Artistic  Director Jacqueline Moscou, the first  Langston Hughes African American  Film Festival was a production of the  Langston Hughes Performing Arts  Center, later known as the Langston  Hughes Performing Arts  Institute(LPHAI). From the start, the Langston  Hughes African American  Film Festival (LHAAFF) sought to give audiences  access to  underrepresented perspectives and emerging filmmakers from  across the  African diaspora. Curator Zola Mumford researched and  programmed films  from many different countries and genres and invited  Karen Toering, a  media producer and a leader in nonprofit arts and  funding organizations,  to join the festival in 2004. With Toering as  Program Director, the  LHAAFF grew from three days of films and  discussions to nine.