EVENTS & SCREENINGS
Saturday, June 15, 2019
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SNOWFALL
Courtesy of FX Networks
SAT 6/15 | 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM | NEW WORLD CENTER, PERFORMANCE HALL
It’s the summer of 1984, and it’s season three of SNOWFALL – Crack cocaine is spreading like wildfire through South Central Los Angeles. Police are waking up to this growing epidemic, and have sights on budding Kingpin and next door neighbor
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Franklin Saint (Damson Idris) and his people. As the stakes and losses continue to mount our players truly begin to understand the destructive force they have set in motion, forced to reexamine their own motivations and the cost of continuing forward from here.
Talent appearances: Damson Idris (Snowfall) , Dave Andron (Producer), Carter Hudson (Snowfall), Amin Joseph (Snowfall), Angela Lewis (Snowfall), Isaiah John (Snowfall), and Michael Hyatt (Snowfall)
Moderator: Lola Ogunnaike
FATHERHOOD: THE FOUNDATION OF THE BLACK FAMILY
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SAT 6/15 | 11:00 AM | REGAL CINEMAS, THEATER 18
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Each year the ABFF will curate a series of screenings and conversations based on cause-related themes relevant to communities of color. This year’s topic, Fatherhood: The Foundation of the Black Family hosted by Omar Epps, will aim to change the
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narrative of black fathers by highlighting the importance of their presence and contribution to the black family, the black community, and thereby positively affecting society’s view of black fathers’ in total. Following the special screenings, Omar Epps will lead a conversation with the directors of the films and experts in the area of family relationships.
Hosted by: Omar Epps (Traffik)
Moderator: Skye Dennis (Myra’s Angel)
MY JOURNEY FROM ABFF TO THE CLAWS WRITING ROOM: THE CINDERFELLA STORY OF 2017 ABFF AWARD WINNER DARRIN DORTCH
Sponsored by WarnerMedia
SAT 6/15 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | LOEWS HOTEL, AMERICANA 1
Come hear the “CinderFella” story of 2017 ABFF/TNT/TBS Writing Contest Winner Darrin Dortch, who in one year went from contestant to Assistant Writer in the CLAWS writing room. Darrin will share his before, during, and after the ABFF festival story and how he landed his gig.
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Panelists: Janine Sherman Barrois (Showrunner) Eliot Laurence (Executive Producer), Niecy Nash, and Darrin Dortch (Writer)
Moderator: Jennifer Williams (Director, Global Inclusion & Diversity, Turner People Development)
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ABFF INDUSTRY EXPO
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SAT 6/15 | 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM | LOEWS HOTEL,
AMERICANA FOYER
The ABFF Industry Expo provides ABFF attendees with access to information from a variety of industry-related companies, including networks, studios, entertainment lawyers, financial advisers, and state and city film offices during the festival week.
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CAPITAL ONE SPARK BUSINESS EXHIBIT
Capital One Spark Business will host fun contests, provide swag, and information about their Capital One Cafés which are exciting places where you can bank, plan your financial journey, engage with your community, and enjoy Peet’s coffee.
ATLANTA MAYOR’S OFFICE OF FILM AND ENTERTAINMENT
Are you a filmmaker, music artist, or digital entertainment entrepreneur? Learn from the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Film & Entertainment and Invest Atlanta about what financial incentives, funding opportunities, location diversity, production resources, and professional support is available in Atlanta as you plan your next production.
“COFFEE TALK” WITH DISNEY AND PIRAR, PRESENTS CREATIVITY, FILMMAKING AND THE DISNEY LAUNCHPAD WITH APHTON CORBIN AND MICHAEL YATES
Sponsored by Capital One Spark Business
SAT 6/15 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | CAPITAL ONE CAFÉ
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Capital One Spark Business “Coffee Talks” are intimate conversations with celebrities as they discuss hot topics in Hollywood and their latest projects.
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“THE ART OF DIRECTING” PANEL
Sponsored by Capital One Spark Business
SAT 6/15 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM | LOEWS HOTEL,
AMERICANA 3
The Art of Directing is a panel that merges informal conversations like Inside the Actors Studio and the educational perspective of filmmaking from a director’s master class. During this panel, several directors from last year’s top films will discuss their
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creative process while dissecting one scene from their films to provide the audience with unparalleled insight into what it takes to create such moments onscreen.
Panelists: Malcolm D. Lee (Night School), Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II), George Tillman Jr. (The Hate You Give) and Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You)
Moderator: Wilson Morales (Blackfilm.com)
LEGACY LIVES ON
Courtesy of Prudential Financial
SAT 6/15 | 1:45 PM | REGAL CINEMAS, THEATER 18
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Legacy tells the story of three black millennial women who, despite historic and present-day barriers, are discovering their path to financial independence. While each woman is in a different stage of her journey, their stories play out against
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the backdrop of three historic epicenters of the black economic experience in America. These stories will inspire a modern conversation about the importance of standing on the foundation of our past as we create tomorrow’s legacy.
Talent appearances: Laz Alonso, Rev. DeForest Soaries, Salene Hitchcock-Gear, Tiffany Aliche, and Mike Muse
LAFF MOBB’S LAUGH TRACKS
Courtesy of WarnerMedia
SAT 6/15 | 2:00 PM | NEW WORLD CENTER,
PERFORMANCE HALL
Produced by Def Comedy Jam co-creator Bob Sumner and hosted by DJ and comedian Cipha Sounds, truTV is flipping comedy on its head with Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks. This half-hour series with the next generation of comedians brings their hilarious
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personal stories to life with a playful reinvention of stand-up.
Hosted by: Clayton English
Talent appearances: Rita Brent, Brandon Glover, Joyelle Johnson and Ronnie Jordan
BLACK MAGIC & THE POWER OF DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING
Produced by Daughters of Eve Media / Sponsored by Facebook
SAT 6/15 | 3:45 PM | LOEWS HOTEL, COWRIE 2 /
3RD FLOOR
Since 2012, the collaboration between Daughters of Eve Media and the American Black Film Festival has spotlighted the work of talented filmmakers, often centering the work of independent filmmakers and women of color. This year, the tradition continues
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with a focus on blackness and beauty aesthetics and documentary filmmakers and producers whose work depicts compelling, real-life stories that explore critical historical and social issues. This panel will comprise dynamic, award-winning filmmakers and producers who will unpack issues of representation and discuss ways they get funding and find an audience for their work.
Moderators: Terri Prettyman Bowles & Michele Prettyman
Panelists: Jacqueline Olive, Michelle Materre & Stacey Holman
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HBO POV: CREATORS MIXER
Sponsored by HBO
SAT 6/15 | 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM | W HOTEL, STUDIO 1 & 2
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Creators behind some of HBO’s biggest titles host an honest, interactive session about the steps it takes to successfully grow within the industry. Following the session, attendees have a moment to network and mingle with other creators.
OWN PRESENTS DAVID MAKES MAN
Courtesy of OWN
SAT 6/15 | 5:00 PM | NEW WORLD CENTER,
PERFORMANCE HALL
Oprah Winfrey Network presents a full screening of its highly anticipated drama, David Makes Man from Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Michael B. Jordan. David Makes Man is a lyrical drama that centers on a
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14-year-old prodigy from the projects who is haunted by the death of his closest friend and relied on by his hardworking mother to find a way out of poverty. He must choose between the streets that raised him or the higher education that may offer him a way out. Set in South Florida, the series is inspired by events in McCraney’s own life and explores childhood trauma and the power of imagination to survive.
Moderator: Datwon Thomas
Talent appearances: Akil McDowell (Criminal Activities), Phylicia Rashad (Empire), Dee Harris-Lawrence (Unsolved) and Alana Arenas (Canal Street)
FOR LIFE
Presented by Sony
SAT 6/15 | 6:30 PM | LOEWS HOTEL, COWRIE 2
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A prisoner becomes a lawyer, litigating cases for other inmates while fighting to overturn his own wrongful conviction. His struggle, and his complicated relationship with a progressive female prison warden, will explore the flaws in our penal
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and legal systems, and inspire by showing how one person can make a difference when fighting for the truth.
Panelists: Isaac Wright (Attorney), Jennifer Turner (SVP, Sony Pictures Television) and George Tillman, Jr. (Director)
SEE YOU YESTERDAY
Sponsored by Netflix
SAT 6/15 | 7:45 PM – 9:00 PM | NEW WORLD CENTER, PERFORMANCE HALL
High school best friends and science prodigies C.J. and Sebastian spend every spare minute working on their latest homemade invention: backpacks that enable time travel. But when C.J.’s older brother Calvin dies after an encounter with police officers,
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the young duo decide to put their unfinished tech to use in a desperate bid to save Calvin.
Moderator: Jeff Friday (Founder and CEO of ABFF Ventures)
Panelists: Stefon Bristol (See You Yesterday) and Spike Lee (The BlacKkKlansman)
SHERMAN’S SHOWCASE
Courtesy of IFC Networks
SAT 6/15 | 8:30 PM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 17
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Drawing inspiration from dance/variety shows Solid Gold, Soul Train, and Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, each episode of Sherman’s Showcase hosted by Sherman McDaniels takes viewers through time, using comedy via a fictional musical variety show.
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Talent appearances: Bashir Salahuddin (Glow) and Diallo Riddle (Marlon)
BOYZ N THE HOOD
John Singleton Tribute Screening
SAT 6/15 | 9:00 PM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 18
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ABFF pays tribute to groundbreaking director John Singleton by screening his 1991 Oscar-nominated feature film Boyz N The Hood, that helped launch the careers of actors Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett, and Laurence Fishburne.
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Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is sent to live with his father, Furious Styles (Larry Fishburne), in tough South Central Los Angeles. Although his hard-nosed father instills proper values and respect in him, and his devout girlfriend Brandi (Nia Long) teaches him about faith, Tre’s friends Doughboy (Ice Cube) and Ricky (Morris Chestnut) don’t have the same kind of support and are drawn into the neighborhood’s booming drug and gang culture, with increasingly tragic results.
“BEST OF ABFF” AWARDS PRESENTATION
Sponsored by AT&T Dream in Black
SAT 6/15 | 9:00 PM – 10:45 PM | LOEWS HOTEL,
AMERICANA 3
This closing ceremony culminates by celebrating the winners of the following film competitions and talent pipeline programs: ABFF Star Project, NBC Hosting Workshop, Best of ABFF truTV Comedy Competition, Best of ABFF Turner TV Writing
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Contest, Best Web-Series, Best Documentary Feature Film, HBO Short Film competition, Best Actor for Feature Film, Jury Award for Best Screenplay, Jury Award for Best Director, Jury Award for Best Feature Film and Audience Award for Best Feature Film. *This years ceremony will also feature a tribute to ABFF friend and filmmaker John Singleton.
Musical performance by: Jacob Latimore (The Chi)
Hosted by: Erica Ash (Uncle Drew)
“BEST OF ABFF” AWARDS AFTER PARTY
Sponsored by Crown Royal
SAT 6/15 | 10:30 PM – 1:00 AM | LOEWS HOTEL, AMERICANA 4
Music by DJ Kiss and M.O.S