The American Black Film Festival Celebrates 20 Years with #ABFF20
Black Enterprise|September 2016

Alumni, independent creators, and festivalgoers share their love for black film in Miami.

Kali Wilder
The American Black Film Festival Celebrates 20 Years with #ABFF20

THE EXTENDED AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL family—from alumni filmmakers to dedicated enthusiasts— happily returned to Miami Beach this past June to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ABFF. Aspiring and veteran filmmakers, producers, and actors amounted in thousands of festival goers soaking up the sun and attending the variety of screenings, panel discussions, and, of course, the legendary parties. True to form, ABFF continues to provide a premier space for black content creators to mix and mingle, discover exciting potential collaborators, and learn from some of the best in the business.

An advanced screening of Warner Bros. Pictures Central Intelligence, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart kicked off the festival. The festival also screened a lineup of 25 independent films in competition—from narrative features to documentaries, and even web originals. In addition to the 2016 ABFF Film Awards for screenwriting, acting, and directing, Service to Man, produced by Aaron Greer and Seth Panitch, won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature Film. Daddy Don’t Go, produced by Emily Abt, Keryn Thompson, Suzette Burton, Omar Epps, and Malik Yoba, won Best Documentary. A host of “Spotlight Screenings” sprinkled the festival, including sneak peeks of new episodes of Angie Tribeca and United Shades of America, as well as the introduction of the fifth season of ASPiRE’s series ABFF Independent, hosted by actor and recording artist David Banner. TV One also returned with a screening of the 2015 TV One Screening Competition winner, Bad Dad Rehab, and Ringside, a film by ABFF alum Russ Parr.

This story is from the September 2016 edition of Black Enterprise.

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This story is from the September 2016 edition of Black Enterprise.

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