,

Film Submissions Open for the 2019 American Black Film Festival

Los Angeles, CA, (January 24, 2019) – The 23rd annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) returns to Miami from June 12-16, 2019 and continues to showcase quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. Film submissions are now open in four competitive categories: Narrative Features, Documentary Features, Web Series and the HBO® Short Film Competition. Over $50,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded to the winners at the Festival’s Best of ABFF Awards presentation. Festival attendees will also have their choice of over seventy programs and events, including celebrity conversations, panels, master classes, spotlight screenings and hospitality lounges.

Last year’s Festival celebrated diverse filmmakers and presented attendees with an array of films including: Jury Award winner for Best Director and Audience Award winner “Sprinter,” directed by Storm Salter, Best Web Series winner “KELOID U.S.A.,” directed by Huriyyah Muhammad, and Jury Award winner for Best Screenplay “JINN,” by Nijla Mumin.

Below is a brief description for each category. For complete submission criteria and eligibility visit www.abff.com/submissions.

Narrative Feature – Submission Deadline: February 15, 2019

  • Best Narrative Feature – Prize $5,000
  • Best Director, Narrative Feature – Prize $5,000
  • Best Screenplay, Narrative Feature – Prize $2,500
  • NBC Actor Spotlight Award – Prize TBD
  • Best Narrative Feature – Prize TBD

Documentary Feature – Submission Deadline: February 15, 2019

  • Best Documentary – Prize $2,500

HBO® Short Film Competition – Submission Deadline: February 15, 2019

  • HBO® Short Film Award – Prize $30,000

Web Series – Submission Deadline January 31, 2019

  • Best Web Series – Prize TBD

World Showcase – Submission Deadline February 15, 2019

  • Non-Competitive

Social Impact Showcase – Submission Deadline March 11, 2019

  • Non-Competitive

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. Festival passes are on sale now at www.abff.com, and offer five (5) different levels of access to festival events. Questions regarding registration may be directed to [email protected].

ABFF SOCIAL MEDIA:

Sponsors of the 2019 American Black Film Festival are HBO® (Founding and Presenting Sponsor); Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Comcast NBCUniversal (Presenting Sponsor); Capitol One, Turner (Premier Sponsor); American Airlines (Official Sponsor); and truTV (Supporting Sponsor).

ABOUT ABFF:
ABFF Ventures, LLC (ABFFV) is a multifaceted entertainment company specializing in the production of live events and branded content. Its mission is to entertain and inspire communities of color while promoting diversify in Hollywood. Headquartered in Los Angeles, ABFFV was formed in 2014 and acquired the American Black Film Festival to widen the global footprint of the brand and stimulate business growth through expansion into other events and services. The company is a joint venture between Film Life, Inc and Black Enterprise, two prominent media and event companies, each with legacies of showcasing the best of African American culture and achievement. ABFFV’s tent-pole properties are the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), cited by MovieMaker Magazine as “One of the Coolest Festivals in the World,” and “ABFF Honors,” a televised annual awards gala saluting the top stars of film and television. In creating ABFF Ventures, CEO Jeff Friday channeled his passion for film and television, as well as his discomfort with the underrepresentation of people of color in Hollywood, into an organization with the ultimate goal of advocating for diversity within the entertainment industry. Through his vision and perseverance, ABFF Ventures has become a highly respected enterprise, generating goodwill throughout the Hollywood and corporate communities. In 2018, the company expanded with the launch of ABFF Studios, a division that produces branded entertainment.