The 23rd annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF), in partnership with the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), will close out its 2019 festival with the annual Community Day Showcase, June 16, at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theatre, located in Overtown.
The day includes a screening of films selected from the festival’s “Social Impact Showcase,” a conversation with Steven Caple, Jr., and a collection of short films created by Miami-based student filmmakers.
The ABFF Community Day has been an essential component of the festival, as it provides the South Florida community access to some of the talent and films that screened throughout the week.
The day will include the following short film compilation from the Festival’s Social “Impact Showcase.” This year’s slate focuses on the narrative of Black Fathers and highlights the importance of their presence and contribution to the Black Family.
Screenings will be followed by a Q& A with the film directors, moderated by Vanessa James and the lineup includes “Amelia’s Closet, Training Wheels” and “Worlds from Home.” An intimate conversation with filmmaker Steven Caple, Jr., the director of Creed II, will be moderated by Editor-in-Chief of MIA and Legacy Magazine Russell Motely.
Student Filmmakers
This event also provides a platform for local student filmmakers from the Florida Filmhouse’s 1st Take Youth Film Program to showcase their films for the community. This quarterly film camp is dedicated to teaching the underprivileged youth a career and life skills through hands-on coaching from Florida Film House.
The program has become an outlet for at-risk youth to express their creativity, tell the stories of their community, flip the narrative, and stay off the streets – as well as gain perspective to dream beyond the limited opportunities provided to them. Student films screening this year will be “Battle of Love, Intimacy” (into-me-see), “The Silence of Being Bullied,” and “Crimes & Charges.”
“We are happy to partner with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor Bureau team to expand the American Black Film Festival’s program into the Miami community,” says Jeff Friday, Founder & CEO of ABFF Ventures. “We hope the event will entertain and inspire, particularly the young, who have ambitions of working in film & television.”
Celebrate Black Film
As the grand finale to the festival’s stellar line-up of screenings and workshops, the ABFF/GMCVB Community Day event provides an extraordinary opportunity for visitors and residents of the South Florida community to celebrate black film and entertainment.
“We are delighted to be a partner of this event and it is a perfect and unique Father’s Day outing for the family as well,” says GMCVB President & CEO William D. Talbert, III CDME.
Sharing her excitement about the annual celebration, GMCVB’s Vice President of Multicultural Tourism & Development Connie Kinnard says she is also looking forward to the film screenings at the Lyric Theater in historic Overtown.
“It is important that we highlight and promote all of Miami to our visitors and Festival attendees,” she added. “And we commend Nicole and Jeff Friday, along with the leadership team of ABFF, for their commitment to diversity by extending the festival and for bringing films, celebrity buzz, and additional local business engagement opportunities into our heritage communities.”
Coffee Talks
In addition to Community Day, Capital One Spark Business will host “Coffee Talks,” a special, up-close conversation with celebrities and industry experts who will discuss hot topics in Hollywood and how to pursue careers in the music, film, and TV industries.
Moderated by The Grio’s Cortney Wills, the talks at The Capital One Café will be open to the public June 13-15, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and 3 to 6 p.m.
Coffee Talks Highlights:
- June 13: 1-2 p.m. with actress LisaRaye McCoy
- June 14: 1-2 p.m. with singer-actor Jacob Latimore
- June 15: 1-2 p.m. with Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios artists Michael Yates and Aphton Corbin
Visit the Festival website for a full listing of 2019 American Black Film Festival panels, screenings, and updates; or download the festival’s app on Apple and Google Play.
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 and tickets are currently available to provide access to film screenings and events. Questions regarding registration may be directed organizers via email.
Festival Sponsors:
HBO® (Founding & Presenting); BET, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Cadillac, Comcast NBCUniversal (Presenting Sponsors); Dream in Black | AT&T, Capital One Spark Business, Hilton, Prudential Financial, WarnerMedia (Premier Sponsors); AMC, American Airlines, Crown Royal, Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA), Netflix, Sony, TV One (Official Sponsors); Accenture, AspireTV, Facebook, FX, Gentleman Jack, Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority, OWN, Spotify, truTV, UMC, Verizon Media, Warner Bros. (Supporting Sponsors); ABC, BLACC and initiative of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Film & Entertainment, Arrington & Phillip’s LLP – Attorneys at Law, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC, IFC, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman Law Firm, SAGindie, Walter Kaitz Foundation, Walt Disney (Industry Partners); Black Enterprise, Blackfilm.com, Essence, theGrio.com, and Invest Atlanta (Media Partners).
About ABFF
The American Black Film Festival 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 – 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.
ABFF Social Media:
- Twitter: @ABFF
- Facebook: American Black Film Festival
- Instagram: @AmericanBlackFilmFestival
- YouTube: American Black Film Festival
- Hashtags: #ABFF19 #WeAreABFF
About the GMCVB
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau is an accredited not-for-profit sales and marketing organization whose mission is to attract visitors to Greater Miami and the Beaches for leisure, business, and conventions. For a vacation guide, visit the GMCVB website; or call wither 888-76-Miami (US/Canada only) or 305-447-7777.
Media inquiries may be directed to Yvette Harris at Harris Public Relations by calling 786-897-8854 or via email.
