In February 2013, the Pan African Film Festival, America’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival, celebrated its 21st anniversary, as it screened more than 150 films representing 34 countries: U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific, and Canada, with entries from Egypt, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania, Guadeloupe, South Africa, Kenya, and Brazil. The films include 23 documentaries, 13 short documentaries, 67 narrative features, and 51 narrative shorts.

Reading about relationships has become a rite of passage in these sexually complex times. Nobody seems to know anything about the opposite sex anymore. Numerous books on dating and mating have hit bestseller status, while others like “He’s Just Not that Into You,” and “Sex and the City,” have been made into blockbuster movies. Now, a Los Angeles author (and also one of our contributing reporters!), Marilyn Anderson, has turned her best selling relationship book into a comedy web series.

This movie is based on a novel, The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. He is no longer among the living. Of course, his grungy and innovative works will continue to passionately and emotionally affect everyone. There is no doubt that the Stieg Larsson holds up a mirror in front of the face of a true life, using his life experiences as an excellent observer.

I attended the 2010 Palm Springs Film Festival earlier this year and enjoyed the foreign film Paulista, which was directed by award-winning Robert Moreira. The film won Best Picture and Best Actress at the Hollywood Brazillian Film Festival and has received rave reviews in the independent film circuit. Paulista features the following accomplished Brazillian actors: Silvia Lourenco, Maria Clara Spinelli, Danni Carlos, Paulo Vilhena, Fabio Herford, Leilah Moreno, and Gustavo Machado.