Film
American Black Film Festival lineup features Jussie Smollett and Vivica A. Fox, drama “Luther: Never Too Much”, documentary
The American Black Film Festival is back! The beloved film festival returns to Miami in June and has just announced its 2024 schedule of feature movies and documentaries.
Each 12 months, ABFF showcases Black talent from across the diaspora, and this 12 months’s lineup spans a wide range of genres including motion, psychological thriller, romance, biography, drama, comedy and coming-of-age stories that also make clear “culturally relevant themes.” similar to mental health, human trafficking, homelessness, gang violence, gentrification and LGBT promotion,” in response to press materials.
“The 2024 American Black Film Festival returns to continue celebrating artists and participants alike through our robust showcase of diverse filmmaking that spotlights Black culture,” Nice Crowd president Nicole Friday said in a press release accompanying the lineup release. “We are excited to return to Miami and invite everyone to take part in a momentous week dedicated to recognizing emerging filmmakers and bringing a wide range of inspiring stories to our community.”
The festival lineup will include “The Lost Holliday,” directed and co-written by Jussie Smollett, who stars alongside Vivica A. Fox. “After losing her estranged son, Cassandra must deal with grief and guilt while meeting the daughter and husband of the son she knew nothing about,” reads the official synopsis.
“The Waterboyz,” directed by Coke Daniels and produced by Ben Crump, takes viewers to the “streets of the ATL,” where “two young men cross paths, one trying to make a living legally, the other trying to sow chaos and rule the streets,” reads the synopsis . Starring Akil McDowell, Alani “La La” Anthony, Quavo Omar Dorsey and Rockmond Dunbar.
For more details about ABFF, ticket information, event news and more, visit the official website Here. Check out the total lineup below.
NARRATIVE FEATURES (US & International)
“Albany Road”
On the option to an important meeting of her profession, severe weather forces a New York executive to share a rental automotive along with her former nemesis, her ex-fiancé’s mother, only to find that her mother is hiding a serious secret.
USA | 135 minutes
Directed by Christine Swanson
Screenplay: Christine Swanson
Producer: Michael Swanson
Cast: Renée Elise Goldsberry, Lynn Whitfield, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Lisa Arrindell, Gary Dourdan, Joe Holt, Rachel Nicks
“Black Heat”
World premiere
One night, two parents, with no alternative left, infiltrate a top-class drug dealer and a pimp’s apartment constructing to rescue their teenage daughter.
USA | 93 minutes
Directed by Wes Miller
Screenplay: Wes Miller
Producers: Andrew van den Houte, Wes Miller
Cast: Jason Mitchell, Tabatha “DreamDoll” Robinson, NLE Choppa
“Reservoir”
US Prime Minister
Sometimes you may have to take justice into your individual hands.
USA | 103 minutes
Directed by Terrisha Kearse
Screenplay: Steve Fauquier, David Wendell Boykins, Terrisha Kearse, Mico Ramos
Producers: Tara Carbajal, Terrisha Kearse, Keita Don Azu, Seven Bailey, Amber Bolden
Cast: David Wendell Boykins, Dallas Schaefer, Kiya Roberts, Derek S. Orr, Kimberly Bailey
““drip like coffee”
World premiere
An unlikely romance develops between two Brooklyn baristas, Kali, an aspiring coffee pro, and Mel, an aspiring photographer.
USA | 86 minutes
Directed by: Anaiis Cisco
Script: Anaiis Cisco
Producers: Anaiis Cisco, Ryan Rivard, Mary Pena, Kathryn Boyd-Batstone
Cast: Iman Artwell Freeman, Kashanie Lagrotta Butler, Ralphy Lopez
Featured Stories
“Hair of Freedom“
Based on the inspiring true story of Melona Armstrong, a mother working at a battered women’s shelter decides to start out a hair braiding business and must overcome obstacles imposed by the powerful cartel and the state of Mississippi.
USA | 99 minutes
Directed by Dianne Houston
Screenplay: Dianne Houston
Producers: Stacey Parks, Lana Link, Rob Pfaltzgraff
Cast: Simona Brown, Jeremie Harris, Sophia Bush, Erica Taze
“It looked like a postcard”
World premiere
A poet teetering on the verge of single motherhood returns to her hometown to rebuild her life and finds love and way more after receiving a magical postcard at her door.
USA | 97 minutes
Directed by: Qasim Basir
Screenplay: Jessica Care Moore
Producers: Jessica Care Moore, Lasana Hotep, Gingi Rochelle
Cast: Jessica Care Moore, Tobias Truvillion, Jaden Anthony Moore, Nicci Gilbert, Donnell Rawlings, Omar Regan
“Peripheral”
World premiere
The woman’s husband disappears shortly after moving to a brand new house, but upon his return, strange and paranormal events begin to occur.
USA | 88 minutes
Directed by: Sulayman Tahir
Screenplay: Sulayman Tahir, Jordan Tortorello
Producers: Jordan Tortorello, Dallas Hart, Chris Tortorello
Cast: Andrea B. Langston, Patrick Walker, Patricia Mizen, D’Kia Anderson, Sami Tortorello
“Swoon”
World premiere
The woman wakes up tied to a bed and her kidnapper tries to govern her into believing they’re a pair.
USA | 83 minutes
Directed by Byron Manuel
Screenplay: Byron Manuel
Producers: Byron Manuel, Ryan Rojas, JP Ouellette, Cash Oliver, Franco Tavera, George Wriighster, Cameron Duncan, Lily Terrazas, Raul Terrazas, Kassandra Lee Diaz, Rich Morrow.
Cast: Kassandra Lee Diaz, DeRon Cash, Rich Morrow, Efrangeliz Medina, Dean Wil, Herbert Morales, Del Harrison.
“Last game”
US Prime Minister
A retired skilled basketball player searches for true love and a brand new starting, however the traumas of his past threaten his happiness.
USA | 108 minutes
Directed by Tailiah Breon
Screenplay: Jeremy Pargo, Barshea Lowery
Producers: Jeremy Pargo, Valentina Barton, Tailiah Breon, Ernestine Morrison Johnson
Cast: Jeremy Pargo, Hazel Renee, Jerod Haynes, Navv Greene, Vanessa D. Fant, Brea Joy
““Lost Vacation”
World premiere
After losing her estranged son, Cassandra must take care of grief and guilt while meeting the daughter and husband of the son she knew nothing about.
USA | 96 minutes
Directed by Jussie Smollett
Screenplay: Jerrell Chesney, Jussie Smollett
Producers: Jussie Smollett, Mona Scott-Young, Tressa Smallwood, Tom Wilson, Joe “Jody” Williams, Janet Smollett, Eddie Mac, Stephanie Gayle, Jerrell Chesney, Anthony Smallwood, Sheila Legette and Vivica A. Fox
Cast: Vivica A. Fox, Jussie Smollett, Jabari Redd, Marquise Vilsón, Brittany S. Hall, Miriam A. Hyman, London Carter, Memphis Cade, Gina Belafonte, Leslie D. Baker
“Chances”
World premiere
A young man stumbles upon happiness, but it surely attracts the unsuitable attention.
Nigeria | 93 minutes
Directed by: Kewa Oni
Screenplay: Kewa Oni
Producers: Seun Opabisi, Sean McNichol, Phiona Okunmu, Tunji Jamiu Shoyode
Cast: Molawa Davies, Osita Iheme, Gbemi Akinlade, Kelechi Udegbe
““Waterboyz”
World premiere
Two young men meet on the streets of ATL: one tries to earn a living legally, the opposite tries to sow chaos and rule the streets.
USA | 89 minutes
Directed by: Coke Daniels
Script: Cola Daniels
Producers: Coke Daniels, Errol Sadler, Dolapo Erinkitola, Cameron S Mitchell, Brian Sher, Coach K, Pee Thomas, Ben Crump, Tirrell D Whitley
Cast: Akil McDowell, Alani “La La” Anthony, Quavo Omar Dorsey, Rockmond Dunbar
““Young King”
World premiere
As Diondre Howell adjusts to civilian life and deals with the scars of the Iraq War, he increasingly becomes a threat to those he cares about most – his family.
USA | 94 minutes
Directed by: Bryant T. Griffin
Screenplay: Bryant T. Griffin
Producer: Selena Leoni
Cast: Vince Washington, Tarra Riggs, Kirby Griffin, Vaughn Wilkinson, James Arthur Sims
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
“It’s time to shout: “More than a statue”
World premiere
The passionate activism of former Charlottesville City Council member Dr. Wes Bellamy charts the tumultuous journey for racial justice that began with the controversial removal of Confederate monuments and led to one of the crucial divisive conflicts in America today.
USA | 63 minutes
Directed by Eric W. Newman and Daniel B. Levin
Producers: Eric W. Newman, Daniel B. Levin, Daryl Davis
Cast: Dr. Wes Bellamy, Kristin Szakos, Eze Amos, Will Jones, Courtney Commander
“Family tree“
In the American South, landowners within the Black Forest are fighting to preserve their family heritage and create sustainable forests for future generations.
USA | 97 minutes
Directed by Jennifer MacArthur
Producer: Rupert Maconick
Cast: The Jefferies Family, The Williams Family, Sam Cook, Mavis Gragg, Alton Perry
“It Takes a Village: The Story of East Van”
US Prime Minister
The journey of two Ugandan brothers unfolds in East Vancouver, highlighting the community’s impact in empowering at-risk youth to beat adversity.
Canada| 79 minutes
Directed by Christopher Cho
Producers: Jonathan Mubanda, Christopher Cho, Stephanie Watt-Mubanda, David Mubanda, Wolfgang Klassen
Cast: Jonathan, David, Theresa Campbell
“King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones“
The European director is in search of the reality about her grandfather, essentially the most famous political king of all time, who, despite discrimination within the Nineteen Thirties, climbed to the heights of monetary and political position in Chicago.
France | 98 minutes
Directed by: Harriet Marin Jones
Producer: Harriet Marin Jones
Executive producers: Quincy Jones, Debbie Allen
Cast: Quincy Jones, Nathan Thompson, Harriet Jones, Timuel Black
“Luther: You can never have too much“
Dawn Porter offers an in-depth have a look at the life and profession of Luther Vandross, who overcame personal and skilled challenges to develop into considered one of the best singers of all time.
USA | 100 minutes
Directed by Dawn Porter
Producers: Trish D Chetty, Ged Doherty, Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner, Leah Smith
Executive producers: Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner, Jon Platt
Cast: Fonzi Thornton, Robin Clark, Carlos Alomar, Danyel Smith, Jon Platt, Ava Cherry, Seveda Williams, Nile Rodgers, Valerie Simpson, Marcus Miller, Nat Adderly Jr., Jamie Foxx, Lisa Fischer, Kevin Owens, Richard Marx, Clive Davis, Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick and Max Szadek
““Train: The Story of Dick ‘The Night Train’ within the Lane”
World premiere
Follow the extraordinary profession of Dick “Night Train” Lane, from the concrete playing fields of the Twenties to Madden Football stardom as he went from being thrown into the trash can to earning a spot within the Football Hall of Fame.
USA | 133 minutes
Directed by Eric “Ptah” Herbert
Producers: Carlos Mendez, Jennifer Karsting, Richard Lane Jr, Richard Walker, Eric “Ptah” Herbert, Mack Tompkins, Andre Mitchell, Devin Mitchell
Cast: Eric Dickerson, Ray Lewis, Warren Moon, Dick Lebeau, Rod Woodson, Dick Butkus, Leigh Steinberg, Ct Fletcher, Guy Torry, Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, Henry Leverette
“Who the hell is Regina Jones?”
World premiere
Before Rolling Stone, there was Soul. Behind Soul was Regina Jones. Against all odds, Regina forged her own path and, on the age of 80, found herself again.
USA | 99 minutes
Director: Soraya Selene, Billy Miossi
Producer: Alissa Shapiro
Cast: Regina Jones, Matt Jones
Three years after his tragic death, acclaimed actor Michael K. Williams receives a posthumous birthday tribute.
On Friday, November 22, which might have been Williams’ 58th birthday, his final appearance in the animated short film “Brown Dog” Written by Willis Earl Beal and co-directed by award-winning documentarian Nadia Hallgren (director of Michelle Obama’s Emmy-nominated documentary “Becoming”) and inventive director Jamie-James Medina (“The xx,” FKA twigs, “Sampha”). “Boardwalk Empire” castmate Steve Buscemi appears in a supporting role and can be an executive producer on the project in association with WeTransfer, which commissioned the project. Actor and director Chiwetel Ejiofor and Idris Elba, Williams’ co-star on “The Wire,” recently joined the executive producing team.
“When I was asked to serve as executive producer on ‘The Brown Dog,’ “I felt like I had a natural, emotional reference to Michael K. Williams, my dear friend and collaborator on ‘The Wire,'” Elba said in a statement. “Michael had such a unique gift of bringing soul, depth and honesty to every role he played, and it is an honor to continue his legacy in this film. “The Brown Dog” is not just a story about survival and friendship; is a tribute to Michael’s spirit, his artistry and the lasting impact he had on all of us. I am proud to help bring this beautiful, touching story to life and ensure Michael’s voice is heard even after his death.”
The film’s synopsis reads:
“Rendered in a palette of saturated yellows and dark blacks, it is Mr. Williams’ unforgettable rhythm that drives ‘The Brown Dog.’ He voices the main character of “NOBODY”, the night guard of an exclusive apartment complex, whose sense of isolation causes an existential crisis. Cold and lonely, NOBODY sets out in search of the mysterious brown dog, taking us on a fascinating journey into a confused mind at work. The film itself is a celebration of Mr. Williams and the profound truth he brought to each character in which he appeared – only his voice could speak so quietly but profoundly to the experiences of those living on the margins of the American Dream.”
Just in time for the holidays, fans can now watch “The Brown Dog.” WeTransfer YouTube Channeland revel in the incredible talent of Michael K. Williams in one in every of his final roles. As Chiwetel Ejiofor said in a press release: “Michael K. Williams understood that bringing truth to a character is real work. He was such a talented actor. The same depth of his spirit can be seen on screen in “The Brown Dog.” Michael NEVER speaks to our times. It conveys a deep sense of isolation and frustration with the world, but connects to the true human need for connection. You will hear Michael as soon as you hear ANYONE’S voice. “The Brown Dog” is an attractive tribute to Michael’s talent and I’m thrilled to be a part of the team that continues his legacy.
More details about “The Brown Dog” might be found at: movie website.
NEW YORK (AP) – When photographer Ernest Cole died in 1990 at age 49 of pancreatic cancer in a Manhattan hospital, his death went unrecorded.
Cole, one of the essential chroniclers Apartheid-era South Africa, By then he was mostly forgotten and destitute. Banned in his home country following the publication of his pioneering book on photography “House of slavery”, Cole emigrated to the United States in 1966. However, his life in exile steadily was periodic homelessness. A six-paragraph obituary in The New York Times was attached to the list of death notices.
But in Raoul Peck’s latest film, Cole experiences a vivid and moving resurrection “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found” told in Cole’s own words and voiced by LaKeith Stanfield. The film, which hits theaters on Friday, is crammed with images of Cole, lots of which have never been seen publicly before.
Just like within the Oscar-nominated documentary about James Baldwin “I’m Not Your Negro” Haitian-born Peck shares screenwriting credit along with his hero. The book “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found” is drawn from Cole’s writings. Through words and images, Peck brings Cole’s tragic story to life, reopening the lens through which Cole viewed injustice and humanity so acutely.
“Film is a political tool for me,” Peck said in a recent interview over lunch in Manhattan. “My job is to succeed in as wide an audience as possible and try to present them something that helps them understand where they’re, what they do and what role they play. It’s about my fight today. “I’m not interested in the past.”
“Ernest Cole: Lost and Found” is a movie crammed with meanings beyond Cole’s work. It asks questions not only concerning the societies Cole documented, but in addition about how he was treated as an artist, drawing uncomfortable parallels between apartheid and post-Jim Crow America. In the United States, Cole received a Ford Foundation grant to document black life in rural and urban areas, but he had difficulty finding skilled support. Some editors felt that his paintings lacked “expression”.
In 2017, over 60,000 35mm negatives of Cole were discovered in a bank vault in Stockholm, Sweden. Much of this material, including hundreds of photos Cole took within the US, is believed to have been lost. It was difficult to search out answers as to how they got there and why they’d not been known about them before. “Lost and Found” depicts the struggle of Cole’s estate to amass the gathering. Only on the eve of the film’s premiere on the Cannes Film Festival in May did the bank finally announce the transfer of a lot of the materials to the estate.
These photos reveal that the artist created rather more than simply indelible images of life under apartheid. Cole’s early photographs, published in 1967, provided the West with one of the illustrative and damning portraits of apartheid, including a widely reproduced photograph of a middle-aged woman sitting on a park bench bearing the words “Unique in Europe.” But he was an equally astute and sensitive observer of segregation and the multicultural joys of American life.
“It’s a matter of survival,” says Stanfield as Cole. “Steal every moment.”
For Peck, the subject material of “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found” is deeply personal. The 71-year-old filmmaker, former Haitian Minister of Culture, also spent most of his artistic life outside his home country, in Berlin, Paris and New York. He dedicates the film to “those who died in exile.”
“When I say this, I mean most of my friends,” he says. “I recognize all of the steps. When you are taking a contact sheet, I see myself.
Over some forty years, Peck has made a few of his most urgent movies, each fiction (including 2000’s “Lumumba,” concerning the exiled Congolese leader) and nonfiction (including last 12 months’s “The Way of the Silver Dollar”). But he has rarely didn’t employ narrative and documentary elements in movies that tackle their very own shape – movies less fascinated by genre differences than within the seek for unexplored truths.
This makes Peck an increasingly unique figure in a documentary world that’s increasingly dominated by shinier, less insightful movies intended for streaming platforms.
“It’s getting worse. There’s less money, so young people are desperate and accepting things that my generation would never accept,” Peck says. “The whole industry has changed. I knew a different world and I realize it’s not the same one anymore.”
Peck is currently editing a documentary about George Orwell. Like Ernest Cole: Lost and Found, it’ll be told entirely in Orwell’s words. In the times after the US election, Peck worked on an update to a segment of the film that involved President-elect Donald Trump. Peck was amazed by Orwell’s foresight on so many topical issues – disinformation, artificial intelligence, social media and the refugee crisis.
“He was a truly amazing critic of history and the way history is told,” Peck says. “I didn’t realize before I got into it how smart he was about what’s going on today.”
“For me,” he adds, “a film has value if it speaks to us today.”
Film
Keke Palmer became a millionaire at age 12 by teaching us how to spell “pulchritude” – which actually turned out to be a win-win
I do not know exactly when it happened, but Keke Palmer became certainly one of African Americans’ favorite people. Maybe it was while playing lie detector segment for Vanity Fair she, like lots of us, couldn’t recognize Dick Cheney in a photograph and gave us certainly one of the best sound bites of all time. Or possibly that is once we all realized how human she was as she handled a family situation that was made public. The possibilities are countless because I feel like Keke Palmer has been in my life without end, despite the fact that I’m 14 years older than her. I used to be actually years old today after I discovered that as of this writing she is just 31 – and I even have never felt older.
Recently beloved artist he went on, “Club Shay Shay” to speak about her life, profession and every little thing else under the sun, likely to promote her just-released book “Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative.” During a conversation about dating (which Keke was mainly flexing, roughly), she mentioned that she became a millionaire at the age of 12 and that got me considering: what was she doing at age 12 that made her a millionaire? The second query, in fact, is: what did I do at the age of 12 that made me a millionaire? The answer definitely involved riding the bike out of the garage and seeing if I could land it without breaking the bike or any bones.
NO. At age 12, I used to be introducing my parents to latest and revolutionary ways to take care of disappointment.
Anyway, my curiosity about how she managed to turn out to be a millionaire at the age of 12 (which would have been 2005) made me check her IMDB credits and yes, it coincided along with her breakout role as Akeelah Anderson within the film , “Akeelah and the Bee”, a movie I still love to this present day. I watch it every time it’s on and have even decided to dedicate an episode to the podcast “Dear Culture” for the movie. I actually attribute to Keke Palmer that I do know the word “prestidigitation” (though I do not know what it means), but most significantly, I do know the word “pulchritude”, which comes from Latin and means “Beautiful” which means beautiful.
I am unable to say this strongly enough: if it weren’t for this movie, I might never have learned this word, and if Keke Palmer made a million dollars for me to learn this word, she was underpaid. The variety of times I threw the word “pulchritude” at people, it should be illegal. I do not even use the word “beautiful” anymore; I only refer to my wife as “pulchritudinous”. Because she is. And there’s just one person I can thank for that: Akeelah Anderson. And Akeelah Anderson is Keke Palmer.
Thank you Keke Palmer for helping me expand my horizons and vocabulary. And for ensuring I all the time and without end know how to spell “pulchritude.”
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