South African Arts Festival 2013 Comes to Los Angeles this Weekend, 10/4-6

The Republic of South Africa's Department of Arts and Culture will bring its South African Arts Festival 2013 (SAAF), a weekend of South African film and music, to Downtown Los Angeles for the first time, with events on Friday, October 4 through Sunday October 6, 2013. The inaugural SAAF 2013 will showcase seven South African films and seven musical artists representing the diversity of the South African experience at free events over two days. Highlights include Saturday's outdoor "South African Music Festival" at Grand Performances and a day of South African films screening on Sunday at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 and Grand Performances. Friday's private preview and the Sunday closing night event both combine the screening of a South African feature film with an invitation-only reception. Screenings will include animation, narrative, and documentary works. Complete details on featured films and artists are listed in the schedule below. To learn more about the festival, please visit www.sa-artsfest.org and www.facebook.com/southafricanarts.

SAAF 2013 will also host a series of professional film and music panel discussions at the Omni Hotel over the weekend. Subsequent annual SAAF events will feature other artistic genres (such as theater, dance, and the visual arts). All public events at Grand Performances' WaterCourt outdoor stage are free, no advanced reservations are required. Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 screenings are also free with advanced reservations required at http://www.sa-artsfest.org/film_rsvp. Grand Performances at California Plaza is located at 350 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071 (http://www.grandperformances.org; 213-687-2159). Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 is located at 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015 (http://www.lalive.com/movies; 213-763-6070). The Omni Hotel is located at 251 S. Olive St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 (http://www.omnihotels.com; 213-617-3300).