2023 American Black Film Festival guide
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- DirectorJuel TaylorStarsJohn BoyegaJamie FoxxTeyonah ParrisA series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper.Spotlight Screenings category
- DirectorTim StoryStarsGrace ByersJermaine FowlerMelvin GreggSeven friends go away for the weekend and end up trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. Will their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies help them stay alive? Probably not.Spotlight Screenings category
- DirectorNailah JeffersonStarsGroucho MarxJohnny CarsonTwiggyExplores the amazing life and career of Donyale Luna, as one of the first black models to appear on the cover of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar in Europe.Spotlight Screenings category
- DirectorJamal DedeauxStarsAndrea LewisBrittany S. HallToccara JonesSexually awkward Stacey Johnson decides to take control of her life, cancel her ex, and conquer her fears by having a threesome with her new beau and a mysterious woman she's never met. What could possibly go wrong?Spotlight Screenings category
- StarsJay-ZMario MimsTamika MalloryIt centers on the efforts to reform the Mississippi correctional system, led by the inmates of Parchman Prison.Spotlight Screenings category
- CreatorRobb CullenStarsDeon ColeTammy TownsendMalcolm BarrettJoe, a blue-collar plumber, learns his recently deceased father lived a secret life and stole millions of dollars from dangerous people. Now those people think Joe has the money. Joe must race against time to find the truth and the money.Spotlight Screenings category
- DirectorNuma PerrierStarsGabrielle UnionKeith PowersGina TorresAfter a high-profile firing, Jenna's fashion career comeback hits a snag when she falls for a charming, much younger coworker - who happens to be her boss's son. As sparks fly, Jenna must decide if she'll risk it all on a secret romance.Spotlight Screenings category
- StarsCaroline WangaIt highlights how ESSENCE Magazine has informed and reflected Black culture in the United States in the last 50 years.Spotlight Screenings category
- DirectorCas Sigers-BeedlesStarsDenise BoutteMatt CedeñoBrely EvansIt tells the story of a sculptor and an investigator. They try to find her missing newborn and uncover a dark and fatal secret.Spotlight Screenings category
- CreatorBoots RileyStarsJharrel JeromeOlivia WashingtonBrett GrayThe coming-of-age joyride of Cootie, a 13-foot-tall man who escapes to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world. He forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol, The Hero.Spotlight Screenings category
- CreatorNkechi Okoro CarrollStarsShanola HamptonKelli WilliamsBrett DaltonEach year, over 600,000 people are reported missing in the United States. Gabi Mosely and her crisis management team use unorthodox methods to find the forgotten people.Spotlight Screenings category
- DirectorMike MihailFollows the award winning creator of The Real Husbands of Hollywood and director of Back On The Strip as he gives a first look of his comedy special.Spotlight Screenings category
- DirectorKelley KaliStarsMaisie Richardson-SellersShannon WoodwardRosaline ElbayBillie is plagued by blackouts and strange visions that lead her to discover she's stuck in a series of time loops, possibly related to her mysterious new girlfriend.Narrative Features category
- DirectorRamon PesanteStarsJenni RuizaMarc ReignWilliam DeMerittAfter her ex-boyfriend's acting career takes off, Samantha picks up the pieces to her broken heart and (so-called) acting career to rediscover her essence as a modern Latinx actress.Narrative Features category
- DirectorOgodinife OkpueStarsRyan SpongKane SurryDean KilbeyAfter the mysterious death of her husband, a woman hires a reluctant spirit hunter to expel an evil spirit tormenting her family. Unknown to the spirit hunter, the family has a dark secret that they have sworn to keep hidden at all cost.Narrative Features category
- DirectorHarold Jackson IIIStarsAshley RiosMichael J. PattersonRob GordonDre Shaw reluctantly puts his life as a social media rising star on hold to return home for a family wedding, only to go from family liability to savior.Narrative Features category
- DirectorNicki MicheauxStarsKasey InezJahking GuilloryDamon GuptonIt tells the story of Naomi, who turns down law school to pursue poetry. She struggles to survive in 1993 Denver, after being cut off during a period of violent crime in the city known as the Summer of Violence.Narrative Features category
- DirectorMichael D. OlmosStarsMike ColterStephanie SigmanRhys CoiroA disgraced ex-cop is forced to work for a ruthless kingpin to pay off his father's debt and protect his family.Narrative Features category
- DirectorKevin J NelsonStarsOmari HardwickMichael HyattElise NealLoyalty amongst friends isn't always the case, when your life is on the line.Narrative Features category
- DirectorBryian Keith Montgomery Jr.StarsDavid IaconoPam GrierDamon WayansAfter a robbery gone wrong, two young lovers are caught in a deadly series of events that threaten to destroy their dreams of a better life.Narrative Features category
- DirectorParrish SmithStarsTommy DavidsonDonnell RawlingsWanda SykesThe Rise and Takeover of Comedians from Washington, D.C. Dave Chappelle. Martin Lawrence. Wanda Sykes. and Tommy Davidson!... have two major commonalities. They are four of the highest grossing comedians with an amassed wealth of over $200 Million Dollars.... And oh, yeah, in case you have not heard, these behemoths in entertainment also hail from our nation's capital... Washington, D.C. By the late 1980s, America was in the midst of an unprecedented boom in Stand-Up comedy. Over 300 clubs opened between 1978-1988 as thousands of young comics from Eddie Murphy to Rosie O'Donnell got behind the mic for the first time. This wealth of comedians continued to emerge across the U.S. in the early '90s, and D.C. was no exception. Washington DC and the DMV area as a whole has born and bred many of the most famous comedians in the world. Is this a coincidence or a comedic contagion in the DC air? For a while, humorous and historical accounts of DC's talent was overlooked, yet this was an extraordinarily fertile breeding ground for producing the nation's top comedic talent - and why few actually realize it. Without a doubt, the DMV is the mecca for comedy. Comedians that blossom from the DMV area, unlike larger cities like New York City or Los Angeles, many of whom are transplants... continue to conquer stages, film, radio, television, nationally and internationally. THE MECCA OF COMEDY is a 60 - 90-minute documentary that explores the rise of Black comedy and comedians from the mid 1980's to the present within the DMV area. We'll take a trip around the DMV to learn where some of the earlier comedy clubs and rooms were located that allowed Black comedians to perform and examine the challenges many of them faced. As time progressed, more and more of these hometown comedic legends who were rooted within the DMV, transcended to glorious heights of fame... many of them are still soaring. But let's face it, these paths traveled did not occur over night. There is no testimony without a test. Thus, this documentary probes into the lives of these comedians, understanding how their upbringing and environment impacted their comedy, delving into their highs and lows within their career and life, learning about their current activities, and future aspirations. THE MECCA OF COMEDY will utilize interviews, pictures, file and archival video, and other content to implement in the documentary. The underling purpose of this documentary is to hear about the advancement and growth of these comedians, follow their journey, witness their joys and pains, peaks and valleys, salient breakthroughs, and navigating the comedy space while continuing to mature and transcend as husbands/wives, parents, realtors, activists, politicians, authors, actors, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, radio and podcast hosts plus so much more. All these spaces were launched by a joke which propelled these talented entertainers from our nation's capital to ascend.Documentary Features category
- DirectorGreta SchillerAndrea WeissStarsHenry ArceFrancee CovingtonDorothy Randall GrayFollows the dramatic but little-known story of the 1969 student strike that transformed the face of higher education.Documentary Features category
- DirectorEternal PolkStarsNatalie BaszileAndrez CarberryDãnia DavyBlack ownership of farmland has dwindled to alarmingly low numbers due to many factors including usage of an obscure law, Heirs' Property. Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land examines the causes, effects, and solutions to this issue.Documentary Features category
- DirectorMonique N. MatthewsStarsAllyson FelixBIRTHING JUSTICE, a feature-length documentary film, captures the experiences and challenges of Black women, their families, caretakers and advocates, and examines the structures and systems that determine disparate rates of mortality.Documentary Features category
- DirectorKian TaylorVideoHeroStarsTramell Flossy AllenRonnie DavisKandra DemeryCowboy culture as a representation of black Oklahomans' history, present, and future.Documentary Features category
- DirectorDewey Ortiz Jr.StarsQueen AdesuyiJason AldrichDavid GrossoRecreational cannabis use is legal in Washington, D.C. Recreational cannabis sales are not. Higher Power is the story of Black Washingtonians navigating this in-between space while looking to build their futures through participation in the legal cannabis industry. Higher Power uses the complex past (and present) of cannabis legalization in Washington, D.C. to tell a larger story about the disenfranchisement of 700,000 U.S. citizens and the pressing need for D.C. statehood. We are documenting, in real time, the fight to end the criminalization of our communities, for reparations from the war on drugs, and for full citizenship rights for D.C. residents. Higher Power chronicles how Black Washingtonians are both affecting, and affected by, cannabis legalization. The film follows Black medical cannabis business owners who have succeeded against the odds; traditional (illegal) cannabis entrepreneurs who have been shut out of the legal economy; and activists, legislators and policy makers working for (and against) legalized recreational cannabis sales. The legislation at the center of Higher Power's story is Initiative 71, the ballot measure that legalized cannabis for adult use in 2014. After D.C. voters approved Initiative 71, Andy Harris (R-Maryland) inserted a rider into Congress' budget that prohibited the city from implementing a tax and regulation system for recreational cannabis. Why would he do this? To truly understand this injustice, we must go back to 1973 and the passage of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.Documentary Features category
- DirectorLagueria DavisStarsMonica L. BaileyKitty Black PerkinsRaj BrownLove her or hate her, almost everyone has a Barbie story. Even if they don't have a story, there's a story as to why they don't have a story. In this film, we tell the story behind the first Black Barbie, because yes, she has a story too. It started with the filmmaker's 83-year old aunt, Beulah Mae Mitchell and a seemingly simple question, "Why not make a Barbie that looks like me?"Documentary Features category
- DirectorKyra KnoxStarsWynter BessKalil CamaraDavid KingFocus on effects of gun violence on young men, women and mothers living in Philadelphia.Documentary Features category
- DirectorReggie ScottStarsWarren DuncanChauncey HamlettMichael MagruderFrom football halftimes to fights in the stands. So, you believe you know everything about HBCU Marching Bands - Well, think again.Documentary Features category
- DirectorKate DavisLuchina FisherStarsSumner CrawfordNiaja RutledgeGeraldine Smith-BeyIn Detroit, a group of Black women fight against scammers, evictions, and traditional banks to help make the American Dream of owning a home-the cornerstone of generational wealth reality for all.Documentary Features category
- DirectorAngela Robinson WitherspoonStarsCCH PounderJohn LegendTina Knowles"Make Better Art" is the phrase coined by famed, 97 year old Los Angeles artist Betye Saar. This film documents her incredible journey as a creator, teacher, activist, mother and Black woman in America.Documentary Features category
- StarsChristian RobinsonCharlotte Evelyn WilliamsJerry Madison Jr.Follows a perpetual third wheel as he tries to find love. He asks his best friends, a couple, for help.Series category
- CreatorCaralene RobinsonStarsBrandon J. ShawDevin NelsonAlexander Manuel"The Table" follows the relationship of Ed and London over seven years, primarily at their dining room table. Created, written and directed by award winning filmmaker Caralene Robinson, this eight episode digital series narrates the life of a modern day Black couple. Ed, raised in Newark, is an up and coming Wall Street trader who hustled his way from the mailroom to the trading floor. London, the product of a Black yogi and white physician from Sedona, Arizona, has an alternative view of the world. The two could not be more different, but embark on a shared journey of life and love. "The Table" explores a range of themes, including the non-monolithic experience of Black people, privilege, impostor syndrome and education versus street experience. Each episode will showcase a snapshot of Ed and London's relationship over the seven year cycle. For some the table is a respite, for others it's a source of discomfort. From their initial one night stand, marriage, family and challenges, we see the inner workings of a Black relationship in its most vulnerable place - the home.Series category
- CreatorKola OlasijiStarsJC WoodleyCj HammondJennifer BowmanFlex Incredible navigates the explosive world of Professional Wrestling in the 1990s, where the line between fantasy and reality is subjective in more ways than one.Series category
- StarsLex Scott DavisAdriyan RaeShakira BarreraFollows Andre, who desires to be the perfect boyfriend for Desi, but he has a secret...he struggles with a sex addiction.Series category
- StarsCleavandor WrightBrittany S. HallNorman TownsA group of odd individuals are followed in an anthology series as they come into contact with witches, werewolves, mermaids, trolls, and other creatures.Series category
- DirectorGabriel Allan TolliverStarsJordana PersadKhalid HamidSteven BraunsteinJordana and Khalid Bibby(30-40's), two Trinidadian siblings from Brooklyn, NY have started a dollar van service. Despite much competition up and down Flatbush Avenue, Jordana has the distinction of being the first Woman driver.Series category
- StarsKiah Alexandria ClingmanChristen ShariceKeon Rahzeem MitchellFollows two Atlanta professionals. They hit it off right away, but find out that finding love and maintaining it are two totally different journeys.Series category
- StarsCiera AngeliaStephanie NelsonLisa YaroA man tries to forget his recent past failed toxic relationship by pursuing another woman who he finds to have a lot of the same traits and attitude as the previous woman... Deja Vu maybe?Series category
- StarsJessica MyrieLane WebberBrittany J. MillerA group of twenty-somethings investigate the difficulties of Black mental health and the ties of chosen family in an online plant care community as a global epidemic is underway.Series category
- CreatorJessie B. EvansTerrance Mo County WilliamsStarsTerrance Mo County WilliamsMarcel J. SawyerDanielle Joelle CarterWhen romance, job, and family difficulties meet, the life of a charming and obese black queer millennial is upended.Series category
- StarsSarah ZeversenukeAyan ElmiCourtenay FieldWhen a shy teenage girl is gifted a family heirloom, it sparks the courage to live life on her own terms, but as she evolves and becomes unrecognizable to the people closest to her, she must decide who she wants to be.Series category
- StarsMcFredy AntoineLee O. ValentinRaphael DiazAn aspiring self-help guru tries to strengthen his reputation while not alienating his loyal clientele of rabid Knicks fans.Series category
- StarsApril HaleMariah TavaresPaula VelasquezA life changing social revolution and a spiraling pandemic provide the backdrop for the fascinating self-discovery journey of an eccentric high school sophomore.Series category
- StarsLarry Bobcat JeffriesAretha Jackson"I Was a Soul Train Dancer" is a mini-docs series that profiles some of the most recognizable and memorable soul train dancers from the 70's 80's and 90'sSeries category