LOS ANGELES (CMC):

Producers of the Caribbean hit movie, Hit for Six!, say it had its third United States screening as an official selection of the Pan-African Film Festival (PAFF) in Los Angeles.

The Barbados-based Blue Waters Productions said in a statement Saturday that Hit for Six! was screened Thursday night at the Magic Johnson Theater in Los Angeles.

They said the festival is being hosted "before a gathering of renowned and emerging film makers, directors and actors," until February 18. Hit For Six! will be screened again on February 18.

The producers said Hit for Six! will again be screened in Barbados, from April 9-13, during the Caribbean International Film Festival.

The movie, written and directed by Barbadian Alison Saunders-Franklyn, is a fictional account of a West Indian cricketer who fights a match-fixing charge.

He learns about love while struggling for his last chance to play in a major global tournament, and earns the respect of his estranged father, a former great West Indies player.

Since its formation in 1992, the Pan-African Film Festival has "promoted cultural and racial tolerance and understanding through the exhibition of film, art and creative expression," the statement said.

"The organisers pride themselves on featuring 'quality films' from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada," it added.

Saunders-Franklyn, who is currently in Los Angeles at the screening, said she is honoured to have the movie screened in the United States, stating also that it is "quite a distinction for Hit For Six! to be selected alongside many others from around the world".

"We are really delighted to be selected for another prestigious film festival since it offers excellent exposure for our film, the Caribbean and its culture," said Dr Basil Springer, the Barbadian-born chairman of Blue Waters Productions.

Springer said Blue Waters Productions has used "smart partnerships, combining creative talent and business with a view to moving our regional industry to a higher level".

The movie premiered on April 18 last year, and enjoyed a five-week run in Barbados.

The producers said they have secured Caribbeanwide theatrical distribution deals for 14 countries.

Last October, the movie was screened at the American Black Film Festival in Hollywood and, a month later, it received rave reviews in Washington at the prestigious American Film Institute.

The movie also won three awards at the Bridgetown Film Festival, the producers said.