American Black Film Festival Announces Slate For 2020 Virtual Festival

Jul 23

With a record number of entries, ABFF Ventures LLC., today revealed its slate of films in competition for the 24th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) scheduled to take place online August 21-30th at abff.com. ABFF also announced that IMDb (www.imdb.com), the world's most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows and celebrities, will simulcast The Best of the ABFF Awards Ceremony on its homepage on August 30, closing night of the Festival.

The ABFF Online Edition will continue the tradition of the live festival: featuring the best of independent Black cinema, studio premieres, conversations and panels, along with virtual networking events. This year, ABFF is introducing the first annual John Singleton Award for Best First Feature for a director of African descent.

Consistent with ABFF’s mission to spearhead diversity and introduce newcomers to the industry the program will feature a record number of female directors with more than half of the submissions from first-time filmmakers. The Festival’s International entries include films from more than ten foreign markets including: Belgium, Brazil, Nigeria, South Africa, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mozambique, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Among the celebrated talent featured in this year’s Narrative Features are Big Boy, Chris Brown, Cedric the Entertainer, Chris Chalk, Frankie Faison, Vivica A. Fox, Marla Gibbs, Macy Gray, Jackie Earle Haley, Dwight Henry, Haley Joel Osment, Anika Noni Rose, and Brian “Birdman” Williams, among others.

Also featured in the festival will be a spotlight screening of the Documentary film, Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn, courtesy of HBO. The film is the winning project of the inaugural Feature Documentary Initiative created by the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and Academy Award-winning production company, Lightbox. Premiering on HBO and streaming on HBO Max on August 12, the film was directed by Muta’Ali Muhammad (Life’s Essentials with Ruby Dee), and is about a black teenager who was murdered in 1989 by a group of young white men in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Hawkins’ death and the official response to it sparked outrage in New York, unleashing a torrent of racial tension and spurring tireless civil rights activism that exposed deep racial prejudices and inequities which continue to plague the country today.

“The more than 90 films in this year’s festival are the work of a group of powerful and passionate storytellers who reflect the diversity of voices in our industry,” said Jeff Friday, founder and CEO ABFF Ventures. “Creating an opportunity for these filmmakers to reach a broader audience is our core mission. We are thrilled to have IMDb on board to simulcast the Awards Show.”

Competitive categories include:

U.S. Narrative Features - feature-length films directed by or written and produced by persons of African descent. Films in this category are eligible for the following Jury Awards – Best Director, presented by Cadillac, (prize is $10,000), Best Narrative Feature, presented by Prudential Financial, (prize is $2,500), and Best Screenplay, BET Networks (prize is $2,500) and the John Singleton Award for Best First Feature, presented by Netflix.

International Narrative Features - International feature-length films directed by or written and produced by persons of African descent. Films in this category are eligible to compete for the Jury Award for Best International Feature, presented by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The cash prize is $2,500.

Documentary Features - nonfiction feature films directed by persons or about persons of African descent. Films in this category are eligible for the Jury Award for Best Documentary, presented by Amazon Studios. The cash prize is $2,500.

HBO® Short Film Competition, now in its 23rd year - Each of the films in this section is directed and/or written by a person of African descent. The prize is $10,000 for the winner and $5,000 for each of the other finalists.

Web Series - short-form episodic television series directed by or produced and written by persons of African descent. Each series will compete for the Jury Award for Best Web Series, presented by Xfinity. The cash prize is $2,500.

Non-Competitive categories include Emerging Filmmakers, showcasing the work of emerging directors of African descent and Pride Films, a showcase of films that represent queer culture and reflect the LGBTQIA experience in the United States.

NARRATIVE FEATURES – U.S.

The following films represent the 2020 official selections in the Narrative Features category; a competitive section for feature-length films directed by or written and produced by persons of African descent. Films in this category are eligible to be nominated to compete for the following Jury Awards – Best Director (presented by Cadillac, prize is $10,000), Best Narrative Feature (presented by Prudential Financial, prize is $2,500), and Best Screenplay (prize is $2,500). In addition, if a person of African descent has directed a film in this section and it is his/her first feature, they will eligible to compete for our first annual John Singleton Award for Best First Feature.

A New York Christmas Wedding

USA | 88 min
Director: Otoja Abit
Screenwriter: Otoja Abit
Producers: Kory Apton, Otoja Abit, Ian Phillips, Chris Noth, Armando Gutierrez, Peter Lees
Cast: Chris Noth, Nia Fairweather, Cooper Koch, Adriana DeMeo, Tyra Ferrell
Logline: As her Christmas Eve wedding draws near, Jennifer is visited by Azrael (angel of death) and shown what could have been if she hadn't denied her true feelings for her childhood best friend.

Asunder, One Flesh Divided

USA | 100 min
Director: Alana Barrett-Adkins
Screenwriter: Alana Barrett-Adkins
Producers: Alana Barrett-Adkins, Sigrid C. Moore, Tama Starr
Cast: Alana Barrett-Adkins, N'fa Thomas, Christian "C King" King, Justin Crowley
Logline: Asunder focuses on the life of a successful, prospering, yet distant married couple who is thrust into the den of conflict and potential divorce after an incident changes their relationship forever

Curtis

USA | 80 min
Director: Chris Bailey
Screenwriter: Chris Bailey
Producers: Chelsea Davenport, Kimberly Hwang, Desi Bee Richardson
Cast: Dwight Henry, Alex Henderson, Thaddeus Street
Logline: Suffering from schizophrenia, a former basketball star is trigged down a dark path when he discovers his championship ring is missing.

Death of a Telemarketer

USA | 90mins
Director: Khaled Ridgeway
Screenwriter: Khaled Ridgeway
Producers: Datari Turner, Meagan Good, James Yi.
Cast: Lamorne Morris, Jacky Earle Haley, Alisha Wainwright, Haley Joel Osment, Sujata Day, David So, Matt McGorry, Woody McClain, Starletta DuPois, Gil Ozeri, Ian Verdun, Leli Hernandez, Fernando Martinez.
Logline: A smooth-talking telemarketer (Lamorne Morris) finds himself at the mercy of a father and his son (Oscar Nominees Jacky Earle Haley, Haley Joel Osment) he tried to swindle.

Dutch

USA | 101 min
Director: Preston A. Whitmore II
Screenwriter: Preston A. Whitmore II
Producers: Manny Halley, Yolanda Halley
Cast: Lance Gross, Melissa L. Wiliams, Macy Gray, Tyrin Turner, Michael Blackson, Jeremy Meeks
Logline: James Bernard Jr., aka Dutch, is in charge of the East Coast’s most feared drug empire netting him a range of enemies including a vengeful Mafia heir, an ambitious DA, and a conscience-stricken former friend.

False Advertisement

USA | 81 min
Director: Larick Mathews
Screenwriters: Angel Marie, Crystana Lattimore, Larick Mathews
Producers: Toni Brooks, January Curry, Mike Merrill, Relentless Studios
Cast: Mike Merrill, Shuntel Renay, Davien Harliss, Michael Anthony, Ryan Ashley, Dutchess of Ink, Benzino, Quentin Harris, Curtis Washington, Dominique Danielle, Shauna Brooks
Logline: Dylan Foster is a successful businessman who has his life all figured out until a series of events transpires in a matter of days causing Dylan’s life to change in this romantic drama - comedy in a space where perception potentially drives reality in a world full of “False Advertisements”.

Farewell

USA | 79 min
Director: Chris Chalk
Screenwriter: Chris Chalk
Producers: Lex Kimbrough, KD Chalk, DeWanda WIse, Alano Miller, Melissa Giovana Garcia, Lex Kimbrough, Eden Marryshow
Cast: KD Chalk, Chris Chalk, Cesa Pledger, Eden Marryshow, Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut
Logline: Grace and Chance Charles have one last night with their best friends. What is supposed to be a celebratory send-off turns into a struggle to survive.
G.O.D. – Givers of Death
USA | 97 min
Director: Addison Henderson
Screenwriter: Addison Henderson
Producers: Addison Henderson, Leah L. Cohen-Mays, Mac Cappuccino, Trent Boling
Cast: Louis Lombardi, J.J. Alfieri, Josie DiVincenzo, Addison Henderson
Logline: An apocalyptic tale of a hitman, detective, and an entire city of people all seeking peace through atonement, revenge, and resolution respectively.

Intolerance No More

USA | 80 min
Director: Sergio Guerrero Grazafox
Screenwriters: Jennifer Irons, Sergio Guerrero Grazafox
Producers: Sergio Guerrero Grazafox, DeWayne Cox
Cast: Paulette Patterson, Christina Morrell, Helen Kennedy, Lizza Monet Morales
Logline: “Intolerance No More”, a timely action/drama story about an African American woman that has an encounter with a Police officer that leaves him dead, while the world watches a real-time hunt for her and the truth.

Lola

USA | 94 min
Director: Antoine Allen
Screenwriters: Antoine Allen, Gregg DaCosta, Julia Aaryn Montanez
Producers: Antoine Allen, Eugene N. Walked
Cast: Taja V. Simpson, Ashlee Evans-Smith, Nakia Dillard, Kazy Tauginas
Logline: Lola's world is turned upside down when a fun night out with friends goes horribly wrong. When Lola is forced to fight off a sexual predator, she fights back with everything to lose.

Nectar

USA | 84 min
Director: Josh Kidd
Screenwriter: Josh Kidd
Producer: Freddie Connor
Cast: Josh Kidd, Maria Mercedes Galuppo, Freddie Connor, Astante James
Logline: British musician Nathan is nearing his final days on his visa when he meets and falls in love with Vanessa, a drug trafficker who has just entered the US.

No Ordinary Love

USA | 97 min
Director: Chyna Robinson
Screenwriter: Chyna Robinson
Producer: Chyna Robinson
Cast: Lynn Andrews III, Eric Hanson, April Hartman, DeAna Davis
Logline: When two women are betrayed by their manipulative husbands, they begin plotting to find a way out.

Normal

USA | 88 min
Director: Tyler Moore
Screenwriter: Tyler Moore
Producer: Tyler Moore
Cast: Tyler Moore, Keon R. Mitchell, Brittany Williams, LaDonna Jackson
Logline: Set in the 1990's, this romantic drama tells the story of a young married couple, Roman and Alexys Newly, who find that their first child together will be born with Down Syndrome.

Pink Opaque

USA | 90 min
Diector: Derrick Perry
Screenwriter: Derrick Perry
Producers: Mario Becerra, Elijah Boothe
Cast: Elijah Boothe, Ruby Park, Chaim Dunbar, Daniel C, Jeremy Ford, Susan Elle, Aaron Dominguez, Chris Markle, Bill Miltenberger, Kris Kil, Milo Scott, Jenny Katrina
Logline: While struggling to finish his thesis documentary required to graduate, Travis Wolfe reconnects with his estranged uncle and navigates a budding romance against the wishes of his girlfriend’s older brother.

She Ball

USA | 97 min
Director: Nick Cannon
Screenwriter: Nick Cannon
Producers: Nick Cannon, Brian "Birdman" Williams, Chris Brown, Benjamin Sumpter, Roger Ubina
Cast: Nick Cannon, Brian "Birdman" Williams, Cedric the Entertainer, Chris Brown, Evan Ross, DC Young Fly, Marla Gibbs, Faizon Love, Luenell, K.D. Aubert, Melody Rae, Jaliyah, Big Boy
Logline: Avery Watts, a single father who lost his NBA dreams to gang violence, struggles to keep his family’s community center open amidst rising gentrification in his Inglewood community.

Take Out Girl

USA | 100 min
Director: Hisonni Mustafa
Screenwriters: Hedy Wong, Hisonni Mustafa
Producers: Hedy Wong, Melissa Del Rosario, Alberto Triana, Hisonni Mustafa, J. Spencer, Dijon Talton
Cast: Hedy Wong, Dijon Talton, Ski Carr, J. Teddy Garces, Lynna Yee, Lorin Alond Ly, Mier Chasin
Logline: Tera Wong, who worked at her others struggling restaurant, takes a job from the local drug kingpin in order to get both her and her family out of their crime and violence-ridden neighborhood.

Tazmanian Devil

USA | 120 min
Director: Solomon Onita Jr.
Screenwriter: Solomon Onita Jr.
Producers: Tricia Woodgett, Frank Cohen, Karl Soelter, Bryan “Birdman” Williams, Stephanie Frederic, Benny Boom, Gerald Rawles,
Cast: Abraham Attah, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Adepero Oduye, Kwesi Boakye Logline: After moving to Arlington, Texas, a 19-year-old Nigerian immigrant struggles to balance his conflicting desires of joining a college fraternity and bonding with his strictly religious father.

The Available Wife

USA | 100 min
Director: Jamal Hill
Screenwriters: Tressa Azarel Smallwood, Jamal Hill, Kyjuan Cleveland
Producers: Tressa Azarel Smallwood, Audrea Topps Harjo
Cast: KJ Smith, Terayle Hill, Clifton Powell, Roger Guenveur Smith
Logline: When money, affairs, power and lies collide, Nicole Wright, a beautiful and successful music CEO's life is about to crumble in front of her. While having an affair with Kingston, the sexy artist on the rise who promises her everything, Nicole learns the hard way that looks can be deceiving and his motives are as dark as the secrets she keeps.

The Birth of Deceit

USA | 85 min
Director: Yaw Agyapong
Screenwriters: Yaw Agyapong, Ella b. Lynn
Producers: Yaw Agyapong, Devin Richardson
Cast: Vanessa Noel, Terrence Keene, Jennifer Silverstein, Devin Richardson, Dennis Scarfeo
Logline: In a peaceful town where all seems to be normal lies a dark cold secret that takes the town by surprise as a couple befriends their neighbor as well as their neighbor’s close friends and granddaughter for their own psychopathic needs.

The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain

USA | 83 min
Director: David Midell
Screenwriter: David Midell
Producer: Enrico Natale
Cast: Frankie Faison, Anika Noni Rose, LaRoyce Hawkins, Steve O'Çonnell, Enrico Natale, Ben Marten, Angela Peel, Tom McElroy, Christopher R. Ellis, Antonio Polk
Logline: Based on the true story of the events that led to the death of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., an elderly African American veteran with bipolar disorder, who was killed during a conflict with police officers who were dispatched to check on him.

The Lick

USA | 93 min
Director: Chris Larceny
Screenwriter: Chris Larceny
Producers: Chris Larceny, Tina Larceny, Deb Antney
Cast: Clifton Powell, Michael Blackson, Miguel Nunez Jr, Trick Daddy, Sam Monroe Jr, Paul Campbell, J Anthony Brown, Noel Gugliemi
Logline: Rich, freshly released from a 20-year jail sentence, is looking to score money through his street connections. But to do so, he needs to get past not only his old rival, but the FBI and a plethora of rival gangs as well.

True to the Game 2: Gena’s Story

USA | 81 min
Director: Jamal Hill
Screenwriter: Preston Whitmore
Producers: Manny Halley, Rodney Turner II, Yolanda Halley
Cast: Vivica A Fox, Andra Fuller, Erica Peeples, Jeremy Meeks, Tamar Braxton Logline: Picking up a year after the first installment of “True to the Game”, Gena has reinvented herself as a journalist in NYC. But no matter where she goes, her life in Philly seems to always make an appearance.

Young & Reckless

USA | 89 min
Director: Timothy Barker Jr.
Screenwriter: Timothy Barker Jr.
Producers: Stewart Spraggins, Timothy Barker Jr
Cast: Aaron Valentine, Binkey Lew, 2am Ricky
Logline: Young and Reckless is about the promiscuous world of young adults growing up in Atlanta and how the reckless decisions they make, will affect their future. It’s will also showcase the culture of music, style, and life.

NARRATIVE FEATURES – INTERNATIONAL

The following films represent the 2020 official selections in the International Narrative Features category; a competitive section for feature-length films directed by orwritten and produced by persons of African descent. Films in this category are eligible to be nominated to compete for the Jury Award for Best International Feature, presented by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The cash prize is $2,500.

A Rose Between Thorns

Saint Kitts and Nevis | 76 min
Director: Nigel Lewis
Screenwriters: Agustin, Nigel Lewis, James Galloway
Producer: Agustin
Cast: Bernel Huggins, Roberitine Webbe
Logline: Hailing as the first movie ever to be made on the island nations of Saint Kitts and Nevis, “A Rose Between Thorns” follows a young girl named Rose who uses dance as a means to escape from the pain caused by her abusive family.

American Dream

South Africa | 90 min
Director: Elvis Chuks
Screenwriter: Nic Guerrier Uyai Etim
Producer: Elvis Chuks
Cast: Michael Blackson, Wanda Morganstern, Siv ngesi,Maia Kavchak,Eninna Nwigwe, Linda Ntoba,Nino B,Aviva Vuvuzela
Logline: The quest for greener pastures, and a dream too good to be true.

Believe in You

Canada | 120 min
Director: Isioro Tokunbo Jaboro
Screenwriter: Isioro Tokunbo Jaboro
Producer: Isioro Tokunbo Jaboro
Cast: Nosa Obaseki, Karen Simpson, Beverly Naya, Martin Lindquist, Linda Osifo, Bobby Obodo, Victoria Kayode Jaboro
Logline: A music producer determined to help young talents with big dreams crosses paths with an estranged singer struggling to survive an abusive marriage.

Coming from Insanity

Nigeria | 99 min
Director: Akinyemi Sebastian
Screenwriter: Akinyemi Sebastian Akrinropo
Producer: Ibidolapo Ajayi
Cast: Gabriel Afolayan, Damilola Adegbite, Dakore Akande, Bolanle Ninalowo, Sani Danja, Odunlade Adekola, Udoka Oyeka, Wole Ojo, Wale Ojo, Sharon Ooja, Sambasa Nzeribe, Tina Mba
Logline: After being kidnapped at a young age, a young boy with genius-level intelligence creates a path for himself by mastering the art of counterfeiting money.

Efunsetan Aniwura

Nigeria | 112 min
Director: Joshua Ojo, Funmi Holder
Screenwriter: Joshua Ojo
Producer: Funmi Holder
Cast: Clarion Chukwura, Alex Usifo, Funmi Holder
Logline: The true story of Efunsetan Aniwura, one of the wealthiest women in Oyo Empire and the second Iyalode of Ibadan, Oyo State in Nigeria.

Get Luke Lowe

United Kingdom | 84 min
Director: Drew V. Marke
Screenwriter: Drew V. Marke
Producers: Drew V. Marke, Jay Glazer
Cast: Emma McDonald, May Kelly, Barney Jones, Maggie Bourgein
Logline: Two women abduct an alt-right online troll in an act of vengeance but it doesn't go to plan.

Mabata Bata

Mozambique | 73 min
Director: Sol de Carvalho
Screenwriters: Mia Couto, Sol de Carvalho, José Magro
Producers: Sol de Carvalho /Promarte - Mozambique, Ricardo Freitas / Bando à Parte - Portugal
Cast: Emílio Bila, Wilton Boene, Medianeira Massingue
Logline: “Mabata Bata” tells the story of a young orphan shepherd Azarias and his ox Mabata Bata while touching on life after the civil war.

The Malê Revolt

Brazil | 80 min
Directors: Belisario Franca, Jeferson DE
Screenwriters: João Ademir, Cristina Gomes, Francine Barbosa
Producers: Belisario Franca, Bianca Lenti, Maurício Magalhães
Cast: Shirley Cruz, Jamilly Mariano, Raphael Logam, Alan Rocha, Gabriela Luiz, Rodrigo dos Santos, Sérgio Ricardo loureiro, Licínio Januário
Logline: A young Muslim mother turns to the looming uprising as a means to survive and provide for her daughter.

The New Normal

Nigeria | 138 min
Director: Teniola Olatoni Ojigbede
Screenwriter: Tunde Babalola
Producer: Sourmash Stories Production
Cast: Mercy Johnson Okojie, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Kehinde Bankole, Bimbo Akintola, Sani Muazu, Femi Jacobs
Logline: The New Normal revolves around the love and intertwining lives of four couples and a singleton, on either side of 40, as they navigate the murky waters of one mid-life crisis after another with sometimes dire, often hilarious and always surprising results.

Zulu Wedding

South Africa | 81 min
Director: Lineo Sekeleoane
Screenwriter: Julie Hall
Producer: Lineo Sekeleoane
Cast: Nondumiso Tembe, Darrin Dewitt Hensom, Carl Payne, Pallance Dladla, Makgano Mamabolo, Jerry Phele
Logline: Caught between two men, two families, and two countries, Lou has to come to terms with who she is so she can fight for what she wants.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

The following films represent the 2020 official selections in the Documentary feature category; a competitive section for nonfiction feature films directed by persons or about persons of African descent. Films in this category are eligible to be nominated to compete for the Jury Award for Best Documentary, presented by Amazon Studios. The cash prize is $2,500.

9/11 Kids

Canada | 88 min
Director: Elizabeth St. Philip
Producers: Steve Gamester, Elizabeth St. Philip
Logline: The “9/11 Kids” provides a window into the lives of a generation of Americans who not only bore witness to the very moment a new American reality was born but have lived and found their footing in a post 9/11 America.

Black Boys

USA | 95 min
Director: Sonia Lowman
Screenwriter: Sonia Lowman
Producers: Sonia Lowman, Malcolm Jenkins, Elliot Kotek
Cast: Carmelo Anthony, Malcolm Jenkins, Vic Mensa, Chris Carter, Malcolm London, Jemele Hill
Logline: Through an intimate, intergenerational conversation at the intersection of sports, education, and criminal justice, “Black Boys” serves as a powerful reimagining for black males in America.

Dark City Beneath the Beat

USA | 65 min
Director: Tedra Wilson
Producers: Issa Rae, Deniese Davis, Rose DiFerdinando, Astrid Curet
Cast: Errigh Labo, Marquis Gasque, Terry Wedington, Tedra Wilson
Logline: Inspired by an original Baltimore club music soundtrack, “Dark City Beneath the Beat” is a Baltimore club musical experience highlighting local Baltimore club artists, DJs, dancers and producers pioneering the sound while rising above social and economic turmoil.

Growing Up Milwaukee

USA | 115 min
Director: Tyshun Wardlaw
Cast: Tiana Gee, Brandon Haney, Marquell Jenkins
Logline: Three inner-city youth growing up in Milwaukee struggle with the daily dilemma of growing up Black and avoiding becoming just another statistic.

Harlem Rising: A Community Changing the Odds

USA | 101 min
Director: Rayner Ramirez
Screenwriter: Rayner Ramirez
Cast: Geoffrey Canada
Logline: “Harlem Rising” chronicles the remarkable history and lives transformed by The Harlem Children’s Zone.

Hope Village

USA | 71 min
Director: Ri-Karlo Handy
Screenwriters: Ri-Karlo Handy, Rashad Mubarak
Producer: Rashad Mubarak
Cast: Brandy Grant, Lucy Hall
Logline: Lucy Hall, the founder of one of the nation’s most successful women’s treatment facilities, shares her story of generational addiction to help Georgia families.

Hungry to Learn

USA | 85 min
Director: Geeta Gandbhir
Producer: Rose Arce
Cast: Shaquara Peters, Sara Goldrick-Rab, Isabella Moles, Joey Galan, Eve Brescia Logline: This documentary film by Soledad O’Brien and Geeta Gandbhir, introduces the faces behind an American crisis -- college students so strapped to pay tuition that they don’t have enough money to eat or a place to live.

Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back

USA | 94 min
Director: John Carluccio
Screenwriter: Tracy E. Hopkins
Producers: John Carluccio, Tracy E. Hopkins, Debbie Allen, Charles Randolph -Wright, Ron Gillyard
Cast: Maurice Hines, Gregory Hines, Chita Rivera, Debbie Allen, Mercedes Ellington Logline: An intimate portrait of an outspoken showman who with humor and grace has navigated the highs and lows of a seven-decade career, and a complex relationship with his superstar brother.

My Fortress

Brazil | 84 min
Director: Tatiana Lohmann
Screenwriters: Tatiana Lohmann, Claudia Schapira
Producer: Marina Leão
Cast: Fernando Macario, Edith Macario, Fernando Negotinho, Vera Pereira, Kleber Braga, Fabiana Calixto, Fatima Rodrigues, Jo Maloupas
Logline: In homes without a father, a solitary mother acquires the aura of a holy warrior.

Our Gorgongosa

Mozambique | 60 min
Director: James Byrne
Screenwriters: James Byrne, Gráinne Keegan, Jared Lipworth, Carla Rebai
Producers: James Byrne, Gráinne Keegan, Carla Rebai
Cast: Dominique Gonçalves
Logline: Gorgongosa National Park in Mozambique has become one of Africa’s most celebrated wildlife restoration stories. By bringing large-scale, long-term health care, agriculture support, and girls’ education to surrounding communities, “Gorongosa” is redefining the identity and purpose of this national park.

Public Enemy Number One

USA | 70 min
Director: Robert Rippberger
Screenwriters: Robert Rippberger, Brian Welsh
Producers: Robert Rippberger, Chris Chiari
Logline: From Executive Producer Ice-T. Public Enemy Number One is a documentary feature about the USA's war on drugs, focusing on major shifts in policy from Nixon to today, incarceration, racial biases, and solutions for the future.

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools

USA | 76 min
Director: Jacoba Atlas
Screenwriters: Monique W. Morris, Jacoba Atlas
Producers: Jacoba Atlas, Denise Pines, Monique W. Morris
Logline: “Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools” takes a deep dive into the lives of Black girls and the practices, cultural beliefs and policies that disrupts one of the most important factors in their lives – education.

River City Drumbeat

USA | 94 min
Director: Marlon Johnson, Anne Flatté
Producers: Owsley Brown, Marlon Johnson, Anne Flatté
Cast: Ed "Nardie" White, Albert Shumake, Jailen Leavell, Imani Keith, Emily Carey Logline: Mr. White trains his successor Albert Shumake to take over, while high-schoolers Imani and Jailen, and preteen Emily navigate adolescence in this multigenerational story of music, love, and legacy set in the American South.

That’s Wild

Belgium | 62 min
Director: Michiel Thomas
Screenwriter: Michiel Thomas
Producers: Michiel Thomas, Ben Severance, Mathew Perez-Mora, Ricardo Rivera
Cast: Clifford Chalmers, Ahmani Armstrong, Nicholas Burton, William "Bill" Mickler, Ebonie Martin
Logline: The award-winning feature documentary “That’s Wild” tells the inspiring journey of Cliff (16), Ahmani (13) and Nicholas (13), three troubled teenage boys from Atlanta, attempting to climb four 12,000 ft snowcapped peaks in the heart of the Colorado wilderness, all while overcoming their own personal mountains.

The Prison Within

USA | 86 min
Director: Katherin Hervey
Screenwriters: Eric Frith, Jeremy Sell, Erin Kenway, Katherin Hervey
Producers: Katherin Hervey, Massimo Bardetti, Erin Kenway, Eric Frith
Logline: “The Prison Within” is a relevant and timely documentary exploring the destructive impact of untreated trauma on individuals and communities through the powerful stories of survivors of violent crimes and prisoners incarcerated for murder in circle inside San Quentin prison.

Two Beats One Soul

Cuba and United States | 73 min
Running Time (mins): 73 minutes
Director: Sara Nesson and Billie Woodruff
Producers: Ray Chew, Vivian Scott Chew, Mark Grier and Kathy Grier
Cast: Ray Chew, Vivian Scott Chew, Antonio Martinez, Kathy Grier, Louie Vega and Anané Vega, Sergio George, Eric Benét, Jon B., Josh Milan and more
Husband and wife music producers Ray Chew and Vivian Scott Chew embark on an ambitious journey to Havana, Cuba to create a collaboration of sounds bringing together artists from the U.S. and Cuba

Unapologetic

USA | 81 min
Director: Ashley O’Shay
Producers: Morgan Johnson, Ashley O'Shay
Logline: Set during the height of the Movement for Black Lives in Chicago, “Unapologetic” captures a community of millennial organizers confronting an administration complicit in state violence against its Black residents.

When Liberty Burns

USA | 111 min
Director: Dudley Alexis
Screenwriter: Dudley Alexis
Producers: Dudley Alexis, Femi Folami-Browne, Betty Antonio Andrews
Logline: When Liberty Burns examines the life and the death of Arthur Lee McDuffie, a black insurance executive who died at the hands of Miami’s law enforcement officers.

HBO SHORT FILM COMPETITION

The following five (5) films are the 2020 finalists in the HBO® Short Film Competition, now in its 23nd year. Each of the films in this section is directed and/or written by a person of African descent and will compete for the HBO Short Film Award. The prize is $10,000 for the winner and $5,000 for each of the other finalists.

Rodeo Film

USA | 18 min
Director: Darius Dawson
Screenwriter: Darius Dawson
Producer: Ryan Binse
Cast: Jermelle Simon, Phrederic Semaj, Charlee Earle
Logline: A bull rider who falls out of love with the sport must choose between his family’s legacy of rodeo and his own aspirations of life.

A Storybook Ending

USA | 18 min
Director: Lanre Olabisi
Screenwriter: Lanre Olabisi
Producers: Lanre Olabisi, Ross Vedder, Tiffany Smile
Cast: Carra Patterson, Rotimi Paul, Toni Ann DeNoble, Sawandi Wilson
Logline: In a case of mistaken identity, Wale, a 30-something black man accidentally kills a white undercover cop in self-defense. Wale flees the scene in a panic, but a couple of low-level criminals have a video of the crime and they want money in exchange for their silence.

Black Boy Joy

USA | 17 min
Director: Martina Lee
Screenwriter: Michelle Sam
Producers: Nasir Kenneth Ferebee, Jhanvi Motla
Cast: Will Catlett, Evan Alex, Montae Russell
Logline: Black Boy Joy is an introspective slice of life story about two generations of Black men, living within the same household, juggling the demands of raising a young son with autism.

Dolapo is Fine

United Kingdom | 15 min
Director: Ethosheia Hylton
Screenwriters: Joan Iyiola, Chibundu Onuzo
Producers: Joan Iyiola, Chibundu Onuzo, Millie Marsh
Cast: Doyin Ajiboye, Katie Friedli Walton, Joan Iyiola, Gina Mckee, Pamela Nomvete, Joseph Mydell, Luke Gasper, Thamilvani Umaipalan
Logline: Soon to leave her very British boarding school, Dọlápọ̀is pressured to conceal her natural hair, and to change her name.

The Cypher

USA | 15 min
Director: Letia Soloman
Screenwriter: Wes Akwuobi
Producers: Anne Brashier, C. Craig Patterson, Ben Cory Jones
Cast: Nigel Cox, Kerrice Brooks, Juan Gil, O'Shay Neal, Nelcie Souffrant, Alexander Robinson, Michael Devon
Logline: A young Black rapper in Philadelphia must confront his sexuality when he finally gets the chance to perform on the big stage.

WEB SERIES

The following are the 2020 official selections in the Web Series category; a competitive section for short-form episodic television series directed by orproduced and written by persons of African descent. Each series will compete for the Jury Award for Best Web Series. The cash prize is $2,500

Almost Nowhere

USA | 20 min
Directors: Brittney Dorey, Irwin Miller
Screenwriter: Brittney Dorey
Producers: Brittney Dorey, Irwin Miller
Cast: Brittney Dorey, Ron G, Krista Kalmus, Josephene Rene
Logline: Three best friends make a pact to turn their sad lives around in under a year before they all turn the BIG 3-0.

Basic Lee

USA | 20 min
Director: Dane C. Collier
Screenwriter: Dane C. Collier
Producers: Dane C. Collier, Ashley N. Johnson
Cast: Etienne Maurice, Erika Bowman, Kristen Hurt, Elohim Nycalove Logline: A socialite only famous for being the off-spring of a famous person is ex-communicated from his lavish lifestyle after publicly humiliating his mother.

Fredrick Douglass Boulevard aka Food & Drink Boulevard aka FDB

USA | 15 min

Director: Washington Kirk
Screenwriter: Washington Kirk
Producers: Tiffany Flomo, Eric Freeman, Daron Greene, Walker Hare, Washington Kirk
Cast: Ron Canada, Hannah Corrigan, Matthew DiLoreto, Arash Mohktar, Washington Kirk
Logline: Malcolm Jamal Turner, a Harlem transplant and struggling music writer from the Ohio suburbs who is.. ambivalent about the neighborhood's changing demographics (when not outright hostile), concocts a ludicrous scheme to de-gentrify Harlem.

Loving in America

USA | 16 min
Director: Jason Gudasz
Screenwriter: Bianca Cristovao
Producer: Bianca Cristovao
Cast: Biniam Bizuneh, Monti Washington, Bianca Cristovao, Steve
Logline: Loving in America follows a young immigrant woman who delivers adult toys for a living. On her route, she encounters eccentric customers who give her headaches but also provide her with valuable lessons as she struggles to keep a dysfunctional marriage afloat in order to avoid deportation.

Praize

USA | 10 min
Director: Thomas Goggans
Screenwriter: Thomas Goggans
Producers: Thomas Goggans, Christos Kostianis
Cast: Donovan Christie Jr., Lana Young, Kei Landa Rembert
Logline: “Praize” is a modern-day Cinderella story about an aspiring artist's unwillingness to confront her painful past and the journey she takes to encounter what she was least expecting but undoubtedly needed most.

The Ticket

USA | 10 min
Directors: Benjamin Abiola, Richard Cannon
Screenwriter: Benjamin Abiola
Producers: Benjamin Abiola, Richard Cannon
Cast: Benjamin Abiola, Richard Cannon, Richard Nevels
Logline: One man has become the target of a secret underground world of parking ticket officers.

Truck It

USA | 13 min
Director: Rashaad Leverett
Screenwriter: Rashaad Leverett
Logline: Wanting to be an aspiring rapper, Charles is currently running the business which is passed down from his uncle who is currently unable to handle the work load. Every week Charles is sent different workers from temp agencies to help with the work load. With controversial assignments and conflicting workers, homelessness and loyalty become the forefront of the people surrounding Charles.

EMERGING DIRECTORS

A noncompetitive showcase of the work of emerging directors of African descent.

Augustus

USA | 15 min
Director: Jon Alston
Screenwriter: Ayinde Howell
Producers: B. Quinn Curry, Jon Alston, Ayinde Howell
Cast: Ayinde Howell, Michelle Mitchenor, Patrick Cage
Logline: Augustus, a literate escaped slave masquerading as a free man in Massachusetts in 1841, experiences nightmares of his son's death and a future that resembles the struggles of his own past.

Bee

USA | 17 min
Director: Nick Brooks
Screenwriter: Morgan Faye Jefferson
Producer: Nick Brooks
Cast: Genesis White, Alyssa Rayomie Tibbs, Zion Broadnax, Darian M. Garey, Krystal M. Harris, Rocki DuCharme
Logline: A young Black girl from humble beginnings, struggles to be accepted at her new affluent school of mostly White peers.

Blight

USA | 15 min
Director: Brittney Clemons
Screenwriter: Brittney Clemons
Producers: Brittany Clemons, Shannon Jones, Lauren Vernea
Cast: Belle Le Grand, Byron Clohessy, Taprena Michelle Augustine, Pascal Arquimedes, Charles Settles, Jr.
Logline: A grieving young girl with supernatural abilities seeks vengeance after the racially charged officer-involved shooting of her teenage brother.

Code_Switch

USA | 16 min
Director: Sigin Ojulu
Screenwriter: Sigin Ojulu
Producers: Rom Lotan, Irina Slepneva
Cast: Jimmy Jean - Louis, Kira Jane Pinkney, DeCory, Sebrina Purcell
Logline: After tragedy strikes, Ruby Oliver enters a broken VR game for a last chance to see the dead - little does she know that this game treats all girls as a virus as she fights to get out.

Flawd.

USA | 17 min
Director: Jay Snow
Screenwriter: Jay Snow
Producer: Vita Esperança Amore
Cast: Jay Snow, Shantelle Cuevas, Ariel Brown, Chinedu Unaka, Carol Kaufman
Logline: An LA Comic is forced to come clean about his terminal illness after his condition is severely triggered while hooking up with his girlfriend for the first time.

Home

USA | 13 min
Director: Adewale Olukayode
Screenwriter: Adewale Olukayode
Producers: Jungyoon Kim, Najah Diop, Henry Arroyo
Cast: Jide Okunola, Taiwo Alashe
Logline: Femi is a Nigerian immigrant who must question his life values and concept of the American Dream when his older brother, Adeola, steals a large sum of cash one night.

In Hollywoodland

USA | 10 min
Director: Jessica Sherif
Screenwriter: Yetide Badaki
Producers: Yetide Badaki, Karen David, Jessica Sherif
Cast: Yetide Badaki, Karen David, Dominic Burgess, Jen Richards, Luke Youngblood
Logline: This dark fantasy short film follows Zodwa, a struggling actress, as she heads to an exciting, once -in-a lifetime audition and lands in a strange place reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's most famous work.

Junebug

USA | 17 min
Director: Winter Dunn
Screenwriter: Nicky Davis
Producers: Winter Dunn, CJ Faison
Cast: Terrence Terrell, Danielle Truitt, Calah Lane, Jerry Madison Jr., Ali Wakili
Logline: “Junebug” is an exploration of the fierce love between a daughter and father, the complexities of an absence that words can’t touch, the power of music, and the wonderland of memory.

La Ruta

USA | 20 min
Director: Star Victoria
Screenwriters: Roberto Saieh, Denisse Pfeiffer, Star Victoria
Producers: Abigail Overstreet, Samuel Skeen, Star Victoria
Cast: Laura Vallejo, Miguel Izaguirre
Logline: A mother and her daughter meet a father and his son on the challenging and harsh trek to the US border from Mexico known as La Ruta De La Muerte (The Route of Death).

Little Brother

USA | 13 min
Director: Dikega Hadnot
Screenwriters: Spencer Mandel, Dikega Hadnot
Producers: Ashley Hillis, Dikega Hadnot
Cast: Hattie Winston, Jon Lafferty, Deniro Farrar, King Roubleau, Robert Rexx Logline: Keith, a white elementary school teacher, journeys to South Los Angeles to investigate the home life of his gifted student Lamont.

Mandem

United Kingdom | 10 min
Director: John Ogunmuyiwa
Screenwriter: John Ogunmuyiwa
Producer: Emily Everdee
Cast: Stevie Basaula, Bradley Banton
Logline: A job is just a job, but as with anything, time flies when you’re doing it with your best friend. And today’s no different. We follow Ty & Malcolm as they go about their daily routine. Just another day for two really good friends.

My Hero

USA | 12 min
Director: Logan Jackson
Screenwriter: Logan Jackson
Producer: Dante Sims
Cast: Avery Jade, Kash Roberson, KJ Roberson
Logline: As last-minute plans for a babysitter fall apart, eight-year-old Brandon is left alone to oversee his younger brother Mason.

Rudeboy’s Restaurant

USA | 5 min
Director: Phillip Yaw Domfeh
Screenwriter: Phillip Yaw Domfeh
Producers: Priya Domfeh, Taylor Rae, Phillip Yaw Domfeh
Cast: Emily Anne Browning, Amanda Tarver, Candice Renee, Bret VandenBos, Sire Dhone Logline: Afraid that she’ll be negatively associated with unfavorable patrons of a Jamaican Restaurant, a white woman falsely claims to be the distant cousin of mid 2000s Dancehall Super Star Sean Paul.

Run for His Life

USA | 9 min
Director: Sebastian Sdaigui
Producers: Michelle Budnick, Nick Stuart, Carol-Anne Dolan, Melissa Potter
Logline: Pete’s personal story, the special bond he shared with his incarcerated dad and his experience with the 26-mile race are the subject of “Run for His Life”.

She Had to Ask

USA | 18 min
Director: Tailiah Breon
Screenwriter: Derick E. Grant
Producers: Perri’ L. Camper, TyKecia P. Hayes, Tailiah Breon
Cast: Bobbi Baker, Perri’ L Camper, Donna Biscoe, Michael Anthony, Errick Davis, Jeremie Rivers, Mikhail Keize, Kaye Singleton, Tim. A Davidson, Shontel Cosby, Frank Oakley III, Chantel Maurice, Nicholas Miles Newton, Brittney Jefferson
Logline: A romantic comedy about a strong-willed woman who realizes love has no boundaries as she decides to break norms, take the wheel, and drive her relationship to a newer high before it’s seemingly too late.

Sisters

USA | 14 min
Director: Brittany Lyles, Steve Royall
Screenwriter: Brittany Lyles
Producers: Brittany Lyles, Dorcas Tejeda
Cast: Brittany Lyles, Dorcas Tejeda
Logline: Two distant sisters reunite after the death of their mother.

USA | 13 min
Director: Keisha Rae Witherspoon
Screenwriter: Keisha Rae Witherspoon
Producers: Monica Sorelle, Jason Fitzroy Jeffers, Faren Humes
Cast: Koko Zauditu-Selassie, Jesus Mitchell, Kerby Jean-Raymond
Logline: A film crew follows three grieving participants of Miami’s annual T Ball, where folks assemble to model R.I.P. t-shirts and innovative costumes designed in honor of their dead.

tender

USA | 15 min
Director: Felicia Pride
Screenwriter: Felicia Pride
Producer: Regina Hoyles
Cast: Trishshauna Clarke, Farelle Walker
Logline: After an unexpected one-night stand, two women at very different stages of their lives share an even more intimate morning after.

The Mark

USA | 15 min
Director: Devin E. Haqq
Screenwriter: Devin E. Haqq
Producer: Korey Jackson
Cast: Catherine Curtin, Kana Hatakeyama, Maho Honda
Logline: A young single mother struggles against ominous forces, whom she believes are bent on taking her infant daughter.

When a Tree Falls

Not Specified | 25 min

Director: Moise Morancy

Screenwriter: Moise Morancy

Producers: Moise Morancy, Teren Carter, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Kayden Jackson, Chinyere Stevens, Marc-Antoine Louis, Rodrikus Springfield, Keenan Scott II

Logline: “When a Tree Falls,” tells the story of a 19-year-old African-American male who is caught in the cycle of poverty, drugs and violence. One day he finds out a devastating secret that will change his life forever.

PRIDE FILMS

A noncompetitive showcase of films that represent queer culture and reflect the LGBTQIA experiencein the United States

F.A.M.

USA | 29 min
Director: Kyle Romanek
Screenwriter: Anthony E. Williams
Producers: Sean Morse-Barry, Mallory Cunningham
Cast: Anthony E. Williams, Breana Cymone, Acacia Leigh, Candace West, Moses Jones
Logline: Inspired by a true story, “F.A.M.” covers the life of Trey who is trying to balance his relationship with three women: Traci - his ex and the mother of his child, Dara - his new wife, and Olivia - his 15-year-old daughter who is struggling with her sexuality.

My Daughter, Tyler

USA | 13 min
Director: Andre Lambertson
Screenwriters: Michelle Montgomery, Roslyn Campbell
Producers: Lisa Koffler, Roslyn Campbell, Michelle Montgomery
Cast: Emmanuel Edwards, Desi Waters, Jennifer Estevez, N'Asia Williams-Paris, Andrew Anderson, Kareem Youngblood
Logline: Marie, a single, Caribbean-American mother, struggles when she discovers her teenage son is transgender. Their relationship is strained until an incident on the streets of Brooklyn forces her to choose what matters most – society’s expectations or a parent’s support.

Tender

USA | 20 min
Director: Darryl Jones
Screenwriter: Darryl Jones
Producer: Darryl Jones
Cast: Ronjah Earl, Janetta Johnson, Cookie Bivens
Logline: In “Tender” the tensions caused by San Francisco’s housing crisis unfold for three Black trans women in the Tenderloin.

Translucent

USA | 16 min
Director: Azzan Quick
Screenwriter: Azzan Quick
Producers: Azzan Quick, Wilson E. Land, Amber Delgado
Logline: “’Translucent’, a documentary short, is a self-portrait of me stumbling my way through self-discovery. Using compelling conceptual scenes and verité footage, I document my struggles and triumphs exploring my own gender identity and figuring out unapologetic ways to explain it to friends and family.”

Winston

USA | 14 min
Director: Tanya E. Taylor
Screenwriters: Tanya E. Taylor, Karl O'brian Williams
Producers: Tanya E. Taylor, Letitia Guillory
Cast: Kyvon Edwin
Logline: A young Jamaican thief commits the unthinkable to survive, crushing his humanity in the process. Based on several true incidents of murder in the more affluent LGBTQIA community in Jamaica.