A Preview of ABBF’s 2013 HBO Short Film CompetitionPosted by Wilson Morales
June 11, 2013
With the 17th Annual American Black Film Festival (June 19-23) coming up, here’s a description of the films in the HBO Short Film Competition.
The HBO Short Film Award, first given out at the 1998 ABFF, was created to celebrate the writing and directing talents of up-and-coming black filmmakers. A panel of distinguished African American directors and HBO executives will judge the final round of competition in South Beach. One filmmaker will be awarded the $10,000 grand prize during the festival’s Film Life Movie Awards ceremony on closing night. In addition, the films in competition will also be considered for broadcast on one of HBO’s programming services.
The Short Films will be screened on Thursday, June 20 from 8:30 pm-10:30 pm at the Colony Theatre.
THE ADVENTURES OF EDSON JEAN
Written and directed by Edson Jean
Producer: Borsht Corp., Executive Producer: Vladimir Lescouflair
Cast: Edson Jean, Marckenson Charles, Joshua Jean-Baptiste and Devon Dassaw
This story tells the tale of Edson Jean, a recent high school grad, determined to find money to pay for his first year of college.
BLACK GIRL IN PARIS
Written and directed by Kiandra Parks
Producer: Kiara C. Jones
Cast: Tracey Heggins and Zaraah Abrahams
When down on her luck Eden (Heggins) aspiring writer runs out of money after moving to Paris, she meets a street-smart prostitute (Abrahams) who takes her on a whirlwind adventure of passion, self-discovery and uninhibited sexual freedom.
The film is based on a novel by the same name by author Shay Youngblood and was filmed by award winning Director of Photography Shlomo Godder (Una Noche).
A DIFFERENT TREE
Written by Victoria Rose, Directed by Steven Caple Jr.
Producer: Tarik Jackson, Corina Maritescu
Cast: Morgan Ashley, Tracie Thoms and Jason E. Kelley
“A Different Tree” is about an eight year old girl’s journey to connect with her absent father and fill out a class-assigned family tree. When Pearl Washington (Ashley) receives a family tree assignment at school, she must face the pain of having grown up without a father, her resentment towards her mother, Jada (Thoms), and her jealousy of best friend, Mia. She sets out on a journey to meet her dad – but the road takes her somewhere unexpected.
STONE CARS
Written and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green
Producer: Chiara Bernasconi
Cast: Olwethu Anita April and Lungisani Dyalvani
A coming of age love story set in the shacks of Khayelitsha township in Western Cape, South Africa, one of the most dangerous areas in the world. Stone Cars is a film about April, a teenager girl (15), who is planning to lose her virginity to her boyfriend when one night on her way home, she is robbed and sexually assaulted at knife point by a group of young gang members.
SWEET HONEY CHILD
Written by Talibah Newman and Amanda Brennan, Directed by Talibah Newman
Producer: Hugo Kenzo, Executive Producer: Karen Newman
Cast: CoCo Monroe, Marnye Hull and Willie Minor
Sweet Honey Child is a film about a young boy who is larger than life, but is trapped within the confines of an absurd, suffocating world weighed down by the trappings of poverty and a short fused, short-sighted mother.
Honey is a child beyond his years in spirit who grows up overnight in order to become the man of the house. In the film, Honey is often accompanied and paralleled by a mystical friend, Mr. Jolene, who has triumphed in the face of adversity.
Honey’s single mother Trish, wants what’s right for her son on a primal level but can not see past her own selfish desires to make the right decision for her child in lieu of exploit or smiting out his dreams. In short, Sweet Honey Child is a quirky take on survival, embracing identity, parenting, and the power of hope and dreams that are young at heart.
