The 2023 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) will take place live in Miami Beach from Wednesday, June 14th, through Sunday, June 18th, followed by a virtual segment from Monday, June 19th, through Sunday, June 25th, on ABFF PLAY (https://abffplay.com/), and aims to showcase the best of emerging artists from the U.S and Internationally.
Widely considered the premiere film festival attracting a wide range of Black storytellers and diverse voices, the ABFF provides a unique platform for filmmakers to showcase their work to an enthusiastic audience and potential buyers. With double the submissions of last year, the festival will feature a varied group of independent filmmakers from the USA, United Kingdom and Mexico during its five-day run. Winners of the films in competition will be announced during the “Best of ABFF Awards” hosted by Emmy-nominated actor/author Dondré Whitfield on Saturday, June 17th.
The 2023 lineup showcases a number of world premieres including “Murder City”, produced by filmmaker Oz Scott and Kevin Garnett, starring Michael Colter; “Jagged Mind,” directed by Kelley Kali; and “Phels High”, starring Omari Hardwick, Allen Maldenado and Elise Neal. Producers Oz Scott and Kevin Garnett will also bring their feature film “Cinnamon” starring Pam Grier and Damon Wayans. The full feature and documentary lineup for the 2023 American Black Film Festival is listed at https://www.abff.com/miami/official-selections/.
“The American Black Film Festival is akin to a reunion that celebrates, discovers, and uplifts both the artists and attendees, and this year is no exception with an exciting presentation of diverse filmmaking that showcases Black culture,” said Nicole Friday, president and COO, ABFF Ventures. “Over the course of five days in Miami, followed by seven days of virtual programming, we invite audiences to explore the art of storytelling through their own lens. We’re proud to highlight emerging filmmakers and bring a wide-range of empowering stories to our community.”
The festival will close out its five-day event with the annual Community Day taking place on Sunday, June 18th, at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater, 819 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, from noon to 5:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. This year’s program will feature two special screenings from Max, hit comedy series “Rap Sh!t” and the all-new animated “Young Love.” The “Rap Sh!t” screening will be followed by a talkback with creator and executive producer Issa Rae and showrunner Syreeta Singleton. Following the “Young Love” screening, Oscar-winning director Matthew A. Cherry will discuss his highly anticipated upcoming series.
For tickets and the complete festival line-up, visit the official site of the American Black Film Festival.
