Los Angeles, CA, (May 10, 2019)<\/em> – The 23rd Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is excited to announce their distinctive 2019 lineup of narrative features, documentaries and short films in competition. Films are set to screen in Miami from June 13-15 at the Regal Cinemas South Beach and the New World Center.<\/p>\n Adhering to its mission of providing a platform for diverse voices in cinema, the festival is set to showcase 25+ films and web series to a record number of attendees through its narrative, documentary, web series and HBO\u00ae<\/sup> Short Film Competition. The slate will boast an array of genre’s surrounding the black diaspora and feature a multitude of emerging and veteran filmmakers. Each of this year’s selections tackle topical issues including, survival, violence, parenthood, health, love, forgiveness, mental illness and friendship. These stories continue to illustrate the Festival’s commitment in being the cornerstone for emerging content creators of color, as well as highlight empowering stories pertinent to today’s society.<\/p>\n The winners of each category will be announced during the “Best of ABFF” Awards, presented by Dream in Black | AT&T, on the evening of Saturday, June 15th at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel. The nominees for Best Director, Best Narrative Feature, Best Actor and Best Screenplay will be announced on Friday, May 17th. <\/p>\n The complete list of films in competition at the 23rd Annual American Black Film Festival is listed below:<\/p>\n NARRATIVE FEATURES<\/span> All films in this section will screen at the Regal Cinemas 18 Theater June 13 – June 15.<\/p>\n #TRUTH<\/strong> ALL IN<\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> HIS, HERS & THE TRUTH <\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> IF NOT NOW, WHEN?<\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> JEZEBEL<\/strong> JUSTINE<\/strong> LOVE DOT COM \u2013 THE SOCIAL EXPERIMENT <\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> PERFECTLY SINGLE<\/strong> PRINCESS OF THE ROW<\/strong> SAME DIFFERENCE<\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> STRIVE <\/strong> UNA GREAT MOVIE<\/strong> DOCUMENTARIES<\/span> All films in this section will screen at the Regal Cinemas 18 Theater June 13 – June 15.<\/p>\n BUCKJUMPING<\/strong> CHICAGO AT THE CROSSROAD<\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> ONE CHILD LEFT BEHIND: THE UNTOLD ATLANTA CHEATING SCANDAL<\/strong> THE TAKEOVER: THE REVOLUTION OF THE BLACK EXPERIENCE AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY<\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> VISION PORTRAITS <\/strong> HBO\u00ae<\/sup> SHORT FILMS<\/span> CAP<\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> EVELYN X EVELYN<\/strong> FLIGHT<\/strong> THE FISHERMAN<\/strong> WEDNESDAY<\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> WEB SERIES<\/span> All films in this section will screen at the Regal Cinemas 18 Theater June 13 – June 15.<\/p>\n BLACK GIRLS GUIDE TO FERTILITY<\/strong> KING ESTER <\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> LITTLE APPLE<\/strong> OTIS<\/strong> PLATONIC<\/strong> TALES FROM THE BIG APPLE<\/strong> (World Premiere)<\/em> For a full listing of panels and screenings coming to the 2019 American Black Film Festival, please continue to go to the website and also download the American Black Film Festival app TODAY on Apple and Google Play for Festival updates.<\/p>\n ABFF remains committed to introducing emerging content creators of African descent to the industry at large and is recognized as one of the leading film festivals in the world. Passes are on sale at www.abff.com<\/a>, and offer five (5) different levels of access to Festival events. Registration ends May 22nd for discounted rates and questions regarding registration may be directed to info@abffventures.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sponsors of the 2019 American Black Film Festival are HBO\u00ae<\/sup> (Founding and Presenting Sponsor); BET Networks, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), Comcast NBCUniversal, Cadillac (Presenting Sponsors); Dream in Black | AT&T, Capital One Spark Business, Hilton, Prudential Financial, WarnerMedia (Premier Sponsors); AMC Theatres, American Airlines, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Netflix, Sony, TV One (Official Sponsors); Accenture, AspireTV, Crown Royal, Facebook, Gentleman Jack, Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, OWN, Spotify, truTV, UMC, UrbanFlix, Verizon Media, Warner Bros. (Supporting Sponsors); ABC, AIDS Health Foundation, Arrington & Phillip’s – Attorneys at Law, Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Film & Entertainment, Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman Law Firm, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, IFC Networks, SAGindie (Industry Partners) and Black Enterprise, Blackfilm.com, Invest Atlanta, TheGrio.com (Media Partners).<\/p>\n ABFF Social Media Platforms:<\/strong><\/p>\n ABOUT ABFF:<\/strong>
\nThe following films are the 2019 official selections in the Narrative Features category. Films in this category are eligible to be nominated for the following Jury Awards \u2013 Best Director<\/strong> (presented by Cadillac, prize is $5,000), Best Narrative Feature<\/strong> (presented by Prudential Financial, prize is $5,000), Best Actor<\/strong> (presented by AT&T), and Best Screenplay<\/strong> (prize is $2,500). In addition, each film will compete for the ABFF Audience Award<\/strong> (presented by BET Networks, prize is $10,000).<\/p>\n
\n2019 | USA | 105 min
\nDirected & Written by: Charles Murray
\nProduced by: Jackie Stone
\nCast: Dorian Missick, Simone Missick, Michael Beach, Terrell Tilford, Victoria Platt
\nLogline: After a journalists’ cousin commits suicide, he investigates what caused her to take her life and the people he believes are responsible.<\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 105 min
\nDirected by: Ibrahim Yilla
\nWritten by: Tressa Azarel Smallwood, Iman Smallwood, Leslie Allen
\nProduced by: Kia Freeman, Gregory Freeman, Tressa Azarel Smallwood, Audrea Topps-Harjo
\nCast: Niatia “Lil Mama” Kirkland, Elise Neal, Robert Christopher Riley, Lyric Hurd, Lena Anthony, Jim Jones, Traci Braxton
\nLogline: A dysfunctional single mother gets pulled back into a life of crime while trying to make a better future for her three children.
\nWebsite: www.megamindmedia.net<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 90 min
\nDirected & Written by: Coke Daniels
\nProduced by: Vanzil Burke, Victor Burke, Cristina Davis, Errol Sadler
\nCast: Brad James, Ashley A. Williams, Terri J. Vaughn, Dorien Wilson, Cocoa Brown Dawn Halfkenny, Duane Finley, Kaye Singleton, Edsel Love Patterson, Shacai O’Neal, Karon Riley, Erin Elizabeth Feest
\nLogline: Alan and Tanya have been acquaintances for years, but have yet to become romantically involved, until now.
\nWebsite: https:\/\/hishersthetruth.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2019 | USA | 126 min
\nDirected by: Meagan Good, Tamara Bass
\nWritten by: Tamara Bass
\nProduced by: Meagan Good, Tamara Bass, Sway Calloway, LaMyia Good, Datari Turner
\nCast: Meagan Good, Meagan Holder, Mekia Cox, Tamara Bass, Valarie Pettiford
\nLogline: A story about love, forgiveness, sisterhood and second chances.
\nWebsite: www.krazyactressproductions.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2018 |USA | 88 min
\nDirected & Written by: Numa Perrier
\nProduced by: Numa Perrier, Winter Dunn, Dwayne Dugger II
\nCast: Tiffany Tenille, Numa Perrier, Stephen Barrington, Bobby Field, Brett Gelman
\nLogline: In the last days of her mother’s life, 19-year old Tiffany crashes with five family members in a Las Vegas studio apartment. In order to make ends meet, her older sister, a phone sex operator, introduces her to the world of internet fetish cam girls.
\nWebsite: www.thejezebelmovie.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 106 min
\nDirected & Written by: Stephanie Turner
\nProduced by: Angie Edgar, Louise Shore, Stephanie Turner, Glynn Turman
\nCast: Glynn Turman, Stephanie Turner, Darby Stanchfield, Josh Stamberg, Cleo King, Bridget Kallal, Ravi Cabot-Conyers
\nLogline: A single mom of two takes a job as a nanny to an 8-year old girl with spina bifida. At first an unlikely pair, the two end up helping one another overcome personal obstacles.
\nWebsite: justinethemovie.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2019 | USA | 98 min
\nDirected by: Charneice Fox
\nWritten by: Charneice Fox, Michelle Sewell
\nProduced by: BK Fulton, Jacquelyn E. Stone, Monty Ross, Michele Lopez, Kimberly C. Gaines, Charneice Fox
\nCast: Brave Williams, Tobias Truvillion, Kym Whitley, LisaRae McCoy, Charles Malik Whitfield, Wes Felton Raheem DeVaughn, Christopher Williams
\nLogline: A vegan chef with a broken heart and an exhausted budget finds love face to face but opts for technology to make the final decision.
\nWebsite: www.lovedotcomthemovie.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2019 | USA | 99 min
\nDirected & Written by: Van Elder
\nProduced by: Van Elder, Jela Okpara
\nCast: Erica Hubbard, Torrei Hart, Dominique Perry, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Omar Gooding
\nLogline: A quirky and successful optometrist in the twilight of her life turns to her friends for help in finding social fulfillment, but she has ignored one particular place…Within.<\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 85 min
\nDirected by: Van Maximilian Carlson
\nWritten by: Van Maximilian Carlson, A. Shawn Austin
\nProduced by: A. Shawn Austin
\nCast: Tayler Buck, Edi Gathegi, Ana Ortiz, Jacob Vargas and Martin Sheen
\nLogline: The inspiring tale of a runaway foster child who will stop at nothing to live with the only family she knows: her father… a homeless mentally ill veteran who lives on the streets of LA’s Skid Row.
\nWebsite: www.facebook.com\/PrincessOfTheRowMovie<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2019 | USA | 88 min
\nDirected & Written by: Derege Harding
\nProduced by: Datari Turner
\nCast: Essence Atkins, Terrence Jenkins, Edwina Findley, Demetrius Shipp, Jr., Melvin Gregg, Ginger Gonzaga, Page Kennedy, Kandi Burruss, Affion Crockett, Lew Temple
\nLogline: As Tonya Keating grapples with the innate knowledge that her death is imminent, she is compelled to let go of the past and reconcile with her estranged twin sister.<\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 82 min
\nDirected by: Robert Rippberger
\nWritten by: Piper Dellums, Sha-Risse Smith
\nProduced by: Robert Rippberger, Ace Salvador, Hiroki Kamada, Piper Dellums, Scott M. Rosenfelt, Tobias Deml
\nCast: Joie Campbell, Ricky Flowers Jr., Chelsea Williams, Danny Glover, Shaylin Becton
\nLogline: A teenager from the projects in Harlem aims to get into Yale, but must push against the world holding her back.<\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA\/MEXICO | 102 min
\nDirected & Written by: Jennifer Sharp
\nProduced by: Jennifer Sharp, Matthew Morgan
\nCast: JoNell Kennedy, Numa Perrier, Jose Casas\u00fas, Jake Olson
\nLogline: A beautiful diverse movie about a black American in Mexico, slowly becomes a romantic comedy with an all-white cast.
\nWebsite: www.unagreatmovie.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe following films are the 2019 official selections in the Documentary category. Each film will compete for the Jury Award Best Documentary<\/strong>, presented by ABFF, prize is $2,500. <\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 70 min
\nDirected by: Lily Keber
\nProduced by: Lily Keber, Stephen Rose
\nPrincipal Subject(s): Mia X, Mannie Fresh, Ausettua AmorAmenkum, Nicholas Payton, DJ Jubilee
\nLogline: Buckjumping follows six dancing communities as they demonstrate ownership of the streets of New Orleans, commemorate their dead, forge community and find spiritual transcendence.
\nWebsite: buckjumping.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 83 min
\nDirected by: Brian Schodorf
\nWritten by: Brian Schodorf, Afrika Porter
\nProduced by: Malik Yusef, Afrika Porter, Nathan Weber, Brian Schodorf, Burundi Partlow, Randy Crumpton, Malachi Gross
\nPrincipal Subject(s): Malik Yusef, Leonard GLC Harris, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Father Michael Pfleger, Arne Duncan
\nLogline: Where did Chicago go wrong? Chicago at the Crossroad tells the story of a city caught in the aftermath of a policy of mass displacement shaded by a long history of segregation.
\nWebsite: https:\/\/www.chicagoatthecrossroad.com<\/a> <\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 87 min
\nDirected & Written by: Jodi Gomes
\nProduced by: Jodi Gomes, Anthony McLemore, Ladawn Jones, Marsha Hallager
\nPrincipal Subject(s): Dana Evans, Tamara Cotman, Christopher Waller, Diane Ravitch, Lamar Waldron
\nLogline: In 2009, 1,176 Atlanta teachers were investigated for test cheating; 35 were indicted, 12 went to trial and 11 were found guilty on RICO charges. The guilty, serving 30-year sentences, finally break their silence in this tell-all film.
\nWebsite: www.onechildleftbehindmovie.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 62 min
\nDirected by: Eric D. Seals
\nWritten by: Donnie Seals Jr.
\nProduced by: Brittany Applegate
\nPrincipal Subject(s): Daphne Maxwell Reid, Kathryn Ogletree, Clovis Semmes, Michael Wilbon, Harry Lennix
\nLogline: In 1968, more than 100 black Northwestern students took over the school’s Bursar’s Office for 38 hours to demand equal rights.
\nWebsite: digife.com\/TheTakeover<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2019 | USA\/CANADA\/GERMANY | 78 min
\nDirected & Written by: Rodney Evans
\nProduced by: Rodney Evans, Rob Wunder
\nPrincipal Subject(s): Rodney Evans, John Dugdale, Kayla Hamilton and Ryan Knighton
\nLogline: A documentary that chronicles the creative paths of blind and visually impaired artists including a photographer, dancer, writer and the film’s director.
\nWebsite: www.rodneyevansfilm.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe following films are the 2019 official selections in the HBO\u00ae Short Film Competition, now in its 22nd year. Each film in this category will compete for the ABFF’s HBO\u00ae Short Film Award, prize is $10,000 for the winner and $5,000 for each of the finalists. The 22nd Annual HBO\u00ae Short Film Competition is on Thursday, June 13 at 6 p.m. Hosted by Bevy Smith (Page Six TV), the competition will be held in the New World Center \u2013 Performance Hall. The winner will be announced during the “Best of the ABFF” Awards Presentation on Saturday, June 15 at 9 p.m.<\/p>\n
\n2019 | USA | 16 min
\nDirected & Written by: Marshall Tyler
\nProduced by: Moira Griffin, Marshall Tyler
\nCast: Medina Senghore, Tunde Adebimpe, Dusan Brown
\nLogline: 15-year-old Manny Bennitt learns the hard way the price of being cool.<\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 13 min
\nDirected & Written by: Eric Pumphrey
\nProduced by: Angelo Pullen, Tommy Savas, Luke Baybak, Jenna Johnson, Judy Craig
\nCast: Natalie Paul, Jocko Sims
\nLogline: Grief can be overwhelming for just us to tackle alone.<\/p>\n
\n2018 | JAMAICA | 13 min
\nDirected by: Kia Moses, Adrian McDonald
\nWritten by: Kia Moses
\nProduced by: Tashara-Lee Johnson
\nCast: Rohiem Phillips, Craig Robinson, Jermaine \u2018Zbek’ Nelson, Danielo Reid, Akalia Golding, Christopher McKoy
\nLogline: A Jamaican boy sets out on a dream, ten times his size, to fly to the moon, despite his circumstances and father’s opposition.<\/p>\n
\n2018 | GHANA | 15 min
\nDirected & Written by: Zoey Martinson
\nProduced by: Kofi Owusu Afriyie, Zoey Martinson
\nCast: Ziggy Netteyson, Kiki-Romi, Elizabeth Nortey
\nLogline: An aging fisherman goes out to sea one day and returns with a talking fish.
\nWebsite: www.thefishermanshortfilm.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 13 min
\nDirected by: Daniel Willis
\nWritten by: Jessica D. Shields
\nProduced by: Melina Lizette, Mariyam Mahbub
\nCast: Mychala Lee, Chene Lawson
\nLogline: Recently homeless and living in a car with her mother, a teenage girl commits a reckless act, desperate to rescue a vestige of their former life.
\nWebsite: www.facebook.com\/wednesdayshortfilm\/<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe following are the 2019 official selections in the Web Series category. Each film will compete for the jury award Best Web Series<\/strong>, presented by Verizon Media.<\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 20 min
\nDirected by: Crystle Roberson
\nWritten by: Sonhara Eastman
\nProduced by: Sonhara Eastman, Ronald Eastman II, Carmen K. Jones
\nCast: Raney Branch, Monyetta Shaw, Ali Amin Carter, Cindy Jefferson, Nicky Buggs, Jamir Vega
\nLogline: Ava is a 37-year-old romance novelist who faded into obscurity after finding love-and now finds herself on the rise again after self-publishing a diary detailing her fertility woes.
\nWebsite: http:\/\/www.blackgirlsguidetofertility.com<\/a> <\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 20 min
\nDirected & Written by: Dui Jarrod
\nProduced by: Angelica Ross, Caralene Robinson, Ryan Robertson, Jon Mallow
\nCast: DeJaye Joseph, Angelica Ross, Janet Hubert, Dane Edidi, Martin L. Bradford, Lindsey G. Smith, LJ Scott, Roland Lane, Omar Washington
\nLogline: A bold-living trans woman must decide whether to stay or leave New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approaches.
\nWebsite: www.kingester.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 14 min
\nDirected & Written by: Riley S. Wilson
\nProduced by: Riley S. Wilson, Lisa Cortes, Okema T. Moore, Angel Lenise
\nCast: Apple Montague, Milan Williams, Charlene Montague, Gabrielle Eitienne
\nLogline: For Apple, a 9-year-old Harlem girl, a new school year brings new enemies, new special abilities and a new neighborhood in the midst of natural and supernatural conflict.
\nWebsite: www.LittleAppleTheSeries.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 20 min
\nDirected & Written by: Alexander Etseyatse
\nProduced by: Ebony Lewis, Lily Johnson
\nCast: Alexander Etseyatse, Dwinsley Homere, Keithen Hergott, Murray Adams
\nLogline: A mentally unstable young man struggles to win his old life back.
\nWebsite: anAEfilm.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2018 | USA | 13 min
\nDirected by: Winter Dunn
\nWritten by: Moni Oyedepo
\nProduced by: Arielle Noel, Moni Oyedepo
\nCast: Moni Oyedepo, Chinedu Unaka, Adriyan Rae, Ego Nwodim
\nLogline: Platonic is the story of two friends who overlook their “mild” attraction to each other for the good of the friendship.
\nWebsite: platonictheseries.com<\/a><\/p>\n
\n2018 | NIGERIA | 12 min
\nDirected & Written by: Victor Okoye Frank (Victor O’Frank)
\nProduced by: Mina Sanosi
\nCast: Emmanuel Ogonna, Abdulazeem Dulo Harris, Andrea-Rachel Parker
\nLogline: Emeka is new to the big apple, does he have what it takes to survive the big city?<\/p>\n
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\nThe American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event dedicated to empowering black artists and showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. Committed to the belief that diverse artists deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts, ABFF founder Jeff Friday conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to strengthen the black filmmaking community by encouraging resource sharing, education and artistic collaboration. He ultimately envisioned it as a cornerstone of diversity in Hollywood. ABFF is the pre-eminent pipeline for black artists in front of and behind the camera and has significantly expanded the range of talent working in entertainment. For more than two decades the festival has been a platform for emerging black artists \u2014 premiering the early work and showcasing the talent of many of today’s most successful actors, producers, writers, directors and stand-up comedians. As “the nation’s largest gathering of black film and television enthusiasts” the festival attracts a broad audience of A-list talent, emerging artists, upscale consumers and industry stakeholders. Approximately 7,000 to 10,000 people travel to Miami Beach each year for the event. The five-day festival opens with the premiere of an upcoming Hollywood release followed by independent film screenings, master classes, panels, celebrity talks, live entertainment, and a variety of networking and hospitality events.<\/p>\n
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