MIAMI, Fla. – The annual Community Day Showcase on Sunday, June 16, at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theatre in Overtown, will close out the 23rd annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF).
The day includes a screening of films selected from the festival’s Social Impact Showcase, a conversation with Steven Caple, Jr., and a collection of short films created by Miami based student filmmakers.
The ABFF, an annual event dedicated to empowering black artists and showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent, is recognized as one of the leading film festivals in the world. It attracts a broad audience of A-list talent, emerging artists, upscale consumers and industry stakeholders. Up to 10,000 people travel to Miami Beach each year for the five-day event.
The ABFF Community Day has been an essential component of the festival as it provides the local South Florida community access to some of the talent and films that screened throughout the week.
The day will include the festival’s short film compilation from the ABFF’s Social Impact Showcase.
This year’s slate focuses on the narrative of Black Fathers and highlights the importance of their presence and contribution to the Black Family.
Screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the film directors, moderated by Vanessa James, with a lineup that includes Amelia’s Closet, Training Wheels and Worlds from Home.
An intimate conversation with filmmaker Steven Caple, Jr., the director of Creed II, will be moderated by Russell Motely, editor-in-chief of MIA and Legacy Magazine.
This event also provides a platform for local and student filmmakers from the Florida Filmhouse’s 1st Take Youth Film Program to showcase their films for the community.
This quarterly film camp is dedicated to teaching the underprivileged youth a career and life skills through hands-on coaching from Florida Film House.
The program has become an outlet for at-risk youth to express their creativity, tell the stories of their community, flip the narrative, stay off the streets, as well as gain perspective to dream beyond the limited opportunities provided to them.
Student films screening this year will be “Battle of Love,” “Intimacy (into-me-see),” “The Silence of Being Bullied,” and “Crimes & Charges”.
“We are happy to partner again with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor Bureau team to expand the American Black Film Festival’s program into the Miami community,” said Jeff Friday, founder & CEO of ABFF Ventures. “We hope the event will entertain and inspire people, particularly the young, who have ambitions of working in film and television.”
“The ABFF/GMCVB Community Day event is the grand finale to the festival’s stellar line-up of screenings and workshops and provides an extraordinary opportunity for visitors and residents of the South Florida community to celebrate black film and entertainment,” said William D. Talbert, III CDME, president & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB). “We are delighted to be a partner of this event and it is a perfect and unique Father’s Day outing for the family as well.”
“It is important that we highlight and promote all of Miami to our visitors and festival attendees,” said Connie Kinnard, GMCVB vice president, Multicultural Tourism & Development.
“We are excited about the annual celebration and looking forward to the film screenings scheduled at the Lyric Theater located in historic Overtown,” Kinnard said. “We commend Nicole and Jeff Friday, along with the leadership team of ABFF, for their commitment to diversity by extending the festival, as well as bringing films, celebrity buzz and additional local business engagement opportunities into our Heritage communities.”
In addition to Community Day, Capital One Spark Business will host “Coffee Talks,” a special and up-close conversation with celebrities and industry experts who will discuss hot topics in Hollywood and how to pursue careers in music, film and television.
The talks are moderated by The Grio’s, Cortney Wills, and open to the public June
13-15 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
THE “COFFEE TALKS” SCHEDULE IS:
Thursday, June 13, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. with actress LisaRaye McCoy;
Friday, June 14, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. with singer and actor Jacob Latimore; Saturday, June 15, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. with Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios artists Michael Yates and Aphton Corbin.
For a full listing of ABFF panels and screenings, passes and tickets, and access to film screenings and events visit abff. com. Download the ABFF app for festival updates.
ABFF Social Media Platforms: Twitter @ABFF; Facebook American Black Film Festival; Instagram @AmericanBlackFilmFestival; YouTube American Black Film Festival; hashtags #ABFF19, #WeAreABFF.
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