2012 ABFF Preview

2012 ABFF Preview
Posted by Wilson Morales

June 20, 2012

The 16th annual American Black Film Festival gets rolling today, and the opening night film will be the Sundance award-winning film, Cannes award-winning film, ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild.’

Directed by Benh Zeitlin, the film stars the sensational Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly, Lowell Landes, Pamela Harper, Gina Montana, Nicholas Clark, and Jovan Hathaway.

In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphanhood. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural world is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality. Desperate to repair the structure of her world in order to save her ailing father and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive unstoppable catastrophes of epic proportions.

The closing night film will be Roger M. Bobb‘s feature film directorial debut, ‘Raising Izzie,’ starring Vanessa Williams, Rockmond Dunbar, Kyla Kenedy and Victoria Staley.

When their mother passes away leaving them without an adult guardian, sisters Izzie (Kyla Kenedy) and Gertie Nash (Victoria Staley) are forced to grow up fast. Afraid her daughters will be separated if they are placed in the foster care system, their mother makes the necessary arrangements for Gertie and Izzie to live on their own, with a bank account, apartment and small on-line business to support themselves. Older sister Gertie takes care of her little sister in addition to working and attending school. For a year, the girls are able to hide their predicament from their neighbors, their landlord and even their teachers. But when Tonya Freeman (Vanessa Williams), Gertie’s new teacher, becomes suspicious, the girls have to come up with a new plan to protect their secret. After Tonya confronts the girls and they confess to their situation, Tonya has to decide how to protect them and keep them together against the will of her husband Greg (Rockmond Dunbar).

The complete list of the 2012 Narrative Feature films is as follows:

BETTER MUS’ COME

Written and directed by Storm Saulter, produced by Paul Bucknor

CAST: Sheldon Shepherd, Nicole ‘Sky’ Grey, Everaldo Creary, Ricardo Orgill and Roger Guenveur Smith

SYNOPSIS: The film follows warring political factions in 1970s Jamaica as they enlist the support of gangs to enforce their policies, and advanced their political agenda.

THE DARK PARTY

Written by William Wells, Kadeem Hardison, Salenta Baisden and Terry Wilkerson, produced by Terry Wilkerson, Deji LaRay, Salenta Baisden and William Wells, directed by Kadeem Hardison

CAST: Kadeem Hardison, Marcus Patrick and Tiffany Hines

SYNOPSIS: When two best friends want to find true love, a radio talk psychologist helps them throw the ultimate blind date party and serous social experiment.

THE LAST FALL

Written and directed by Matthew Cherry, produced by Ellis Hobbs, Monique Hobbs, Nikki Love and Scott Hebert

CAST: Lance Gross, Nicole Behari, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Obba Babatundé, Darrin DeWitt Henson, Michael Moss, Harry Lennix, Keith David

SYNOPSIS: An NFL journeyman struggles to deal with life’s complexities after his professional career is over at twenty-five.

LUV

Written and directed by Sheldon Candis and Justin Wilson, produced by Jason Berman, Datari Turner, W. Michael Jenson, Gordon Bijelonic, Joel Newton, James Rosenthal, Common and Derek Dudley

CAST: Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Michael Kenneth Williams and Meagan Good

SYNOPSIS: An orphaned eleven-year-old boy is forced to face an unpleasant truth about his beloved uncle during one harrowing day in the streets of Baltimore.

ELZA

Written and directed by Mariette MonPierre and Mama Keita, produced by Mariette MonPierre, Gerard LaCroix, Eric Basset

CAST: Stana Roumillac, Vincent Byrd Le Sage, Christophe Cherki, Sophie Berger

SYNOPSIS: A young Parisian woman of Caribbean descent returns to her native island of Guadeloupe in search of the father she has never known.

TIES THAT BIND USA

Written and Directed by Leila Djansi, Produced by Dave Harper

Adobea, Buki and Theresa are women from different walks of life bound together by a similar pain–the loss of a child. In a destined meeting in a small village in Kroboland, West Africa, the women journey to love, life and redemption as they renovate a dilapidated clinic for the village.

THE UNDERSHEPHERD

Produced and directed by Russ Parr, produced by Russ Parr, Eric Tomosunas, Scott Aronson and Isaiah Washington

CAST: Isaiah Washington, Louis Gossett Jr., Lamman Rucker, Malinda Williams, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Elise Neal, Robinne Lee, Clifton Powell, Keith David and John Wesley

SYNOPSIS: Two minister’s opposing decisions destroy their friendship as the ascension of evil verses the struggle of an honest church impact the entire community.

FORCE M.D.s RELIVED 2012 USA 98 min Written by Antoine Elliott, Rodney Lundy, Produced by Rodney Lundy Directed by Frazier Prince

THINK NFL, LOVE DAD (The DeSean Jackson Story) 2012 USA 107 min Produced by Byron Jackson, DeSean Jackson and Kip Konwiser Co-directed by Byron Jackson and Kern Konwiser

SOUL FOOD JUNKIES 2012 USA 63 min Written and directed by Byron Hurt, Produced by Lisa Durden.