Today, on Pacifica Performance Showcase we present “Skin Deep”, interviews with the filmmakers of two remarkable films, “Skin” and “Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans.” Both films are highlights of the upcoming 2009 Pan African Film & Arts Festival, running Feb. 5 – 16, at the Culver Plaza Theaters in Los Angeles, CA.  “Skin,” directed by Anthony Fabian, in his feature debut, spans 30 years of South Africa’s apartheid system.  Based on the true story of Sandra Laing, a black woman born to white Afrikaner parents unaware of their black ancestry, “Skin” tells of their attempts to have her re-classified as “white” sparking a battle that ultimately gives Sandra the strength and self-awareness to embrace her own identity and cultural legacy as an African woman.  Fabian enlists an exceptional cast of performers, including Sam Neill, Alice Krige and Sophie Okenedo as Sandra Laing. “Skin” was given its US premier at the 2008 AFI Fest in Los Angeles, subsequently screening to rave reviews at both the Palm Springs and Santa Barbara Film Festival and will serve as the Centerpiece Gala film for Pan African Fest.  With this extraordinary feature debut, Anthony Fabian, has been nominated for the U.N.’s prestigious Time for Peace Award and was also chosen as part of AFI’s 20/20 cultural exchange and diplomacy program.  In the second half, I speak with the filmmakers of “Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans,” in an  interview which originally ran on KPFK’s “Experience Talks: Cultural Nexus” on August 26^th, 2008. 

For more information on Anthony Fabian and “Skin” go to skinthemovie.net, and www.elysianfilms.com.  Original music from the “Skin” soundtrack was graciously provided by the film’s composer, Helene Muddiman.  For further info on “Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans”, go to www.tremedoc.com.