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 12-16 at the Regal Cinemas South Beach and the New World Center.
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® 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.
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.
The complete list of films in competition at the 23rd Annual American Black Film Festival is listed below:
NARRATIVE FEATURES
The 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 – Best Director (presented by Cadillac, prize is $5,000), Best Narrative Feature (presented by Prudential Financial, prize is $5,000), Best Actor (presented by AT&T), and Best Screenplay (prize is $2,500). In addition, each film will compete for the ABFF Audience Award (presented by BET Networks, prize is $10,000).
All films in this section will screen at the Regal Cinemas 18 Theater June 13 – June 15.
#TRUTH
2019 | USA | 105 min
Directed & Written by: Charles Murray
Produced by: Jackie Stone
Cast: Dorian Missick, Simone Missick, Michael Beach, Terrell Tilford, Victoria Platt
Logline: After a journalists’ cousin commits suicide, he investigates what caused her to take her life and the people he believes are responsible.
ALL IN (World Premiere)
2018 | USA | 105 min
Directed by: Ibrahim Yilla
Written by: Tressa Azarel Smallwood, Iman Smallwood, Leslie Allen
Produced by: Kia Freeman, Gregory Freeman, Tressa Azarel Smallwood, Audrea Topps-Harjo
Cast: Niatia “Lil Mama” Kirkland, Elise Neal, Robert Christopher Riley, Lyric Hurd, Lena Anthony, Jim Jones, Traci Braxton
Logline: A dysfunctional single mother gets pulled back into a life of crime while trying to make a better future for her three children.
Website: www.megamindmedia.net
HIS, HERS & THE TRUTH (World Premiere)
2018 | USA | 90 min
Directed & Written by: Coke Daniels
Produced by: Vanzil Burke, Victor Burke, Cristina Davis, Errol Sadler
Cast: 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
Logline: Behind every great love story, there are three stories: his, hers and the truth. Alan and Tanya meet on a blind date when they’re both fresh out of college. The date is disastrous as these two are the furthest thing from compatible. Alan is a self-centered and cocky, and Tanya is a self-assured, independent career woman. They part ways only to reconnect many years later. This time they both mutually agree to be platonic friends. This doesn’t last long as they begin to find a mutual attraction and begin dating. Things fall apart as Alan can’t put aside his narcissistic ways long enough to form a genuine bond. They again part ways. Alan immediately realizes how much he misses Tanya and how much he needs her in his life. He bends over backwards in an attempt to win her back.
Website: https://hishersthetruth.com
IF NOT NOW, WHEN? (World Premiere)
2019 | USA | 126 min
Directed by: Meagan Good, Tamara Bass
Written by: Tamara Bass
Produced by: Meagan Good, Tamara Bass, Sway Calloway, LaMyia Good, Datari Turner
Cast: Meagan Good, Meagan Holder, Mekia Cox, Tamara Bass, Valarie Pettiford
Logline: If Not Now, When? introduces us to Suzanne, Patrice, Tyra and Deidre, who have been friends since meeting at 14. Over the course of their lives, fights, disagreements and love have caused friction and distance to manifest between some of them, particularly Suzanne and Patrice, who haven’t spoken in almost 15 years. When Tyra, who is mother to 14 year old Jillian, suffers a crisis, all four women are drawn back together to make it through, and soon discover that they also need each other, and that sisterhood, to make it through what is currently happening in their individual lives.
Website: www.krazyactressproductions.com
JEZEBEL
2018 |USA | 88 min
Directed & Written by: Numa Perrier
Produced by: Numa Perrier, Winter Dunn, Dwayne Dugger II
Cast: Tiffany Tenille, Numa Perrier, Stephen Barrington, Bobby Field, Brett Gelman
Logline: In the last days of her mother’s life, 19 year old Tiffany (Tiffany Tenille) 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. Tiffany becomes popular as the only “live black model” at the new adult site and soon becomes too close to one of her frequent callers. Dynamics shift in the sister relationship as each woman explores and exploits their sexuality, using their created fantasy worlds as an escape from the realities of their challenging real life circumstances. This bizarre coming of age story depicts sisterhood in a most unusual way.
Website: www.thejezebelmovie.com
JUSTINE
2018 | USA | 106 min
Directed & Written by: Stephanie Turner
Produced by: Angie Edgar, Louise Shore, Stephanie Turner, Glynn Turman
Cast: Glynn Turman, Stephanie Turner, Darby Stanchfield, Josh Stamberg, Cleo King, Bridget Kallal, Ravi Cabot-Conyers
Logline: Following the death of her husband, single mom Lisa Wade is forced to move into her father-in-law’s apartment and become the sole provider for her family. She reluctantly starts a job as a nanny for an 8-year-old girl with spina bifida, and though it’s difficult at first, Lisa soon learns that her new role as caretaker is exactly the challenge that she needs to overcome her own obstacles.
Website: justinethemovie.com
LOVE DOT COM – THE SOCIAL EXPERIMENT (World Premiere)
2019 | USA | 98 min
Directed by: Charneice Fox
Written by: Charneice Fox, Michelle Sewell
Produced by: BK Fulton, Jacquelyn E. Stone, Monty Ross, Michele Lopez, Kimberly C. Gaines, Charneice Fox
Cast: Brave Williams, Tobias Truvillion, Kym Whitley, LisaRae McCoy, Charles Malik Whitfield, Wes Felton Raheem DeVaughn, Christopher Williams
Logline: 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.
Website: www.lovedotcomthemovie.com
PERFECTLY SINGLE
2019 | USA | 99 min
Directed & Written by: Van Elder
Produced by: Van Elder, Jela Okpara
Cast: Erica Hubbard, Torrei Hart, Dominique Perry, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Omar Gooding
Logline: 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.
PRINCESS OF THE ROW
2018 | USA | 85 min
Directed by: Van Maximilian Carlson
Written by: Van Maximilian Carlson, A. Shawn Austin
Produced by: A. Shawn Austin
Cast: Tayler Buck, Edi Gathegi, Ana Ortiz, Jacob Vargas and Martin Sheen
Logline: While in Iraq, Sergeant Willis suffered a traumatic brain injury. Now enduring PTSD, he is homeless on L.A.’s infamous Skid Row. His 12-year-old daughter, Alicia, known as “Princess” to those on the Row, is always fleeing foster homes to be on the streets with her father. Princess is a gifted storyteller and myth-weaver. In her tale, the Princess needs to rescue her Knight, escaping from the Row so they can recreate a family. With social services in pursuit, she flees the city with her father. But he is unable to care for her or himself and can turn dangerously violent in an instant. Determined to save the only family she has, Princess may need to rewrite her story in very difficult ways to ensure they both survive to the end.
Website: www.facebook.com/PrincessOfTheRowMovie
SAME DIFFERENCE (World Premiere)
2019 | USA | 88 min
Directed & Written by: Derege Harding
Produced by: Datari Turner
Cast: Essence Atkins, Terrence Jenkins, Edwina Findley, Demetrius Shipp, Jr., Melvin Gregg, Ginger Gonzaga, Page Kennedy, Kandi Burruss, Affion Crockett, Lew Temple
Logline: Same Difference follows a young woman named Tonya (Atkins) who is told that her death is imminent by a mysterious group of people who all start dying one by one. The woman becomes compelled to let go of the past and reconcile with her estranged twin sister, also played by Atkins, who is suffering from alcohol addiction.
STRIVE
2018 | USA | 82 min
Directed by: Robert Rippberger
Written by: Piper Dellums, Sha-Risse Smith
Produced by: Robert Rippberger, Ace Salvador, Hiroki Kamada, Piper Dellums, Scott M. Rosenfelt, Tobias Deml
Cast: Joie Campbell, Ricky Flowers Jr., Chelsea Williams, Danny Glover, Shaylin Becton
Logline: Strive is a story about an underprivileged girl with a dream of a great education, and a better life. Kalani (Joi Campbell), is a teenager living in Harlem with her older brother Jacob, and her younger sister, Bebe, while her mother struggles to make ends meet.
As Kalani’s siblings get caught in a myriad of hardships, Kalani teeters on the brink of ruin as she struggles to keep both her family and her dream intact. Strive reminds us that hard work, optimism, and perseverance, in the face of overwhelming adversity, is the essence of what it is to be American.
UNA GREAT MOVIE
2018 | USA/MEXICO | 102 min
Directed & Written by: Jennifer Sharp
Produced by: Jennifer Sharp, Matthew Morgan
Cast: JoNell Kennedy, Numa Perrier, Jose Casasús, Jake Olson
Logline: A beautifully diverse movie about a Black American woman traveling to Mexico, slowly turns into a romantic comedy with an all-white cast. A quirky cerebral look into the commercial Hollywood system, juxtaposed with a heartwarming movie that portrays Mexicans and Black people as humans rather than stereotypes.
Website: www.unagreatmovie.com
DOCUMENTARIES
The following films are the 2019 official selections in the Documentary category. Each film will compete for the Jury Award Best Documentary, presented by ABFF, prize is $2,500.
All films in this section will screen at the Regal Cinemas 18 Theater June 13 – June 15.
BUCKJUMPING
2018 | USA | 70 min
Directed by: Lily Keber
Produced by: Lily Keber, Stephen Rose
Principal Subject(s): Mia X, Mannie Fresh, Ausettua AmorAmenkum, Nicholas Payton, DJ Jubilee
Logline: Buckjumping follows six dancing communities as they demonstrate ownership of
the streets of New Orleans, commemorate their dead, forge community and find spiritual transcendence.
Website: buckjumping.com
CHICAGO AT THE CROSSROAD (World Premiere)
2018 | USA | 83 min
Directed by: Brian Schodorf
Written by: Brian Schodorf, Afrika Porter
Produced by: Malik Yusef, Afrika Porter, Nathan Weber, Brian Schodorf, Burundi Partlow, Randy Crumpton, Malachi Gross
Principal Subject(s): Malik Yusef, Leonard GLC Harris, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Father Michael Pfleger, Arne Duncan
Logline: 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.
Website: https://www.chicagoatthecrossroad.com
ONE CHILD LEFT BEHIND: THE UNTOLD ATLANTA CHEATING SCANDAL
2018 | USA | 87 min
Directed & Written by: Jodi Gomes
Produced by: Jodi Gomes, Anthony McLemore, Ladawn Jones, Marsha Hallager
Principal Subject(s): Dana Evans, Tamara Cotman, Christopher Waller, Diane Ravitch, Lamar Waldron
Logline: 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.
Website: www.onechildleftbehindmovie.com
THE TAKEOVER: THE REVOLUTION OF THE BLACK EXPERIENCE AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY (World Premiere)
2018 | USA | 62 min
Directed by: Eric D. Seals
Written by: Donnie Seals Jr.
Produced by: Brittany Applegate
Principal Subject(s): Daphne Maxwell Reid, Kathryn Ogletree, Clovis Semmes, Michael Wilbon, Harry Lennix
Logline: In 1968, more than 100 black Northwestern students took over the school’s Bursar’s Office for 38 hours to demand equal rights.
Website: digife.com/TheTakeover
VISION PORTRAITS
2019 | USA/CANADA/GERMANY | 78 min
Directed & Written by: Rodney Evans
Produced by: Rodney Evans, Rob Wunder
Principal Subject(s): Rodney Evans, John Dugdale, Kayla Hamilton and Ryan Knighton
Logline: A documentary that chronicles the creative paths of blind and visually impaired artists including a photographer, dancer, writer and the film’s director.
Website: www.rodneyevansfilm.com
HBO® SHORT FILMS
The following films are the 2019 official selections in the HBO® Short Film Competition, now in its 22nd year. Each film in this category will compete for the ABFF’s HBO® Short Film Award, prize is $10,000 for the winner and $5,000 for each of the finalists. The 22nd Annual HBO® 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 – Performance Hall. The winner will be announced during the “Best of the ABFF” Awards Presentation on Saturday, June 15 at 9 p.m.
CAP (World Premiere)
2019 | USA | 16 min
Directed & Written by: Marshall Tyler
Produced by: Moira Griffin, Marshall Tyler
Cast: Medina Senghore, Tunde Adebimpe, Dusan Brown
Logline: 15-year-old Manny Bennitt learns the hard way the price of being cool.
EVELYN X EVELYN
2018 | USA | 13 min
Directed & Written by: Eric Pumphrey
Produced by: Angelo Pullen, Tommy Savas, Luke Baybak, Jenna Johnson, Judy Craig
Cast: Natalie Paul, Jocko Sims
Logline: Grief can be overwhelming for just us to tackle alone.
FLIGHT
2018 | JAMAICA | 13 min
Directed by: Kia Moses, Adrian McDonald
Written by: Kia Moses
Produced by: Tashara-Lee Johnson
Cast: Rohiem Phillips, Craig Robinson, Jermaine ‘Zbek’ Nelson, Danielo Reid, Akalia Golding, Christopher McKoy
Logline: A Jamaican boy sets out on a dream, ten times his size, to fly to the moon, despite his circumstances and father’s opposition.
THE FISHERMAN
2018 | GHANA | 15 min
Directed & Written by: Zoey Martinson
Produced by: Kofi Owusu Afriyie, Zoey Martinson
Cast: Ziggy Netteyson, Kiki-Romi, Elizabeth Nortey
Logline: An aging fisherman goes out to sea one day and returns with a talking fish.
Website: www.thefishermanshortfilm.com
WEDNESDAY (World Premiere)
2018 | USA | 13 min
Directed by: Daniel Willis
Written by: Jessica D. Shields
Produced by: Melina Lizette, Mariyam Mahbub
Cast: Mychala Lee, Chene Lawson
Logline: 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.
Website: www.facebook.com/wednesdayshortfilm/
WEB SERIES
The following are the 2019 official selections in the Web Series category. Each film will compete for the jury award Best Web Series, presented by Verizon Media.
All films in this section will screen at the Regal Cinemas 18 Theater June 13 – June 15.
BLACK GIRLS GUIDE TO FERTILITY
2018 | USA | 20 min
Directed by: Crystle Roberson
Written by: Sonhara Eastman
Produced by: Sonhara Eastman, Ronald Eastman II, Carmen K. Jones
Cast: Raney Branch, Monyetta Shaw, Ali Amin Carter, Cindy Jefferson, Nicky Buggs, Jamir Vega
Logline: 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.
Website: https://www.blackgirlsguidetofertility.com
KING ESTER (World Premiere)
2018 | USA | 20 min
Directed & Written by: Dui Jarrod
Produced by: Angelica Ross, Caralene Robinson, Ryan Robertson, Jon Mallow
Cast: DeJaye Joseph, Angelica Ross, Janet Hubert, Dane Edidi, Martin L. Bradford, Lindsey G. Smith, LJ Scott, Roland Lane, Omar Washington
Logline: A bold-living trans woman must decide whether to stay or leave New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approaches.
Website: www.kingester.com
LITTLE APPLE
2018 | USA | 14 min
Directed & Written by: Riley S. Wilson
Produced by: Riley S. Wilson, Lisa Cortes, Okema T. Moore, Angel Lenise
Cast: Apple Montague, Milan Williams, Charlene Montague, Gabrielle Eitienne
Logline: 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.
Website: www.LittleAppleTheSeries.com
OTIS
2018 | USA | 20 min
Directed & Written by: Alexander Etseyatse
Produced by: Ebony Lewis, Lily Johnson
Cast: Alexander Etseyatse, Dwinsley Homere, Keithen Hergott, Murray Adams
Logline: A mentally unstable young man struggles to win his old life back.
Website: anAEfilm.com
PLATONIC
2018 | USA | 13 min
Directed by: Winter Dunn
Written by: Moni Oyedepo
Produced by: Arielle Noel, Moni Oyedepo
Cast: Moni Oyedepo, Chinedu Unaka, Adriyan Rae, Ego Nwodim
Logline: Platonic is the story of two friends who overlook their “mild” attraction to each other for the good of the friendship.
Website: platonictheseries.com
TALES FROM THE BIG APPLE (World Premiere)
2018 | NIGERIA | 12 min
Directed & Written by: Victor Okoye Frank (Victor O’Frank)
Produced by: Mina Sanosi
Cast: Emmanuel Ogonna, Abdulazeem Dulo Harris, Andrea-Rachel Parker
Logline: Emeka is new to the big apple, does he have what it takes to survive the big city?
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