Due to the overwhelming response to this year’s line-up, individual screening tickets are not available for purchase. Please visit the festival registration center located at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Americana 4 to purchase a Film Screenings Wait Line Wristband. This wristband will give you access to the wait line for all film screenings taking place at the Regal Cinema and Colony Theater on June 14, 15 and 16. The film screenings wait line will start 45 mins prior to the start time of the screening. Entry to screenings will be at the discretion of the ABFF Staff and will be based on the seating availability. If seats are available wait line participants will receive entry to the screening within the first 10 minutes of the film’s start time. If the screening reaches the seating capacity prior to the first 10 minutes of the film, wait line participants will not gain access to the screening. If the screening reaches capacity we encourage wait line participants to attend the next screening.
Narrative Features (In Competition)
The American Black Film Festival continues to provide a platform for aspiring filmmakers. The competitors in this category are eligible for the following jury awards: Best Director, sponsored by Cadillac (cash prize: $5,000); Best Narrative Feature; sponsored by Prudential (cash prize: $5,000); the NBC Spotlight Actor Award, sponsored by Comcast NBCUniversal (cash prize: $5,000); Best Screenplay Award (cash prize: $2,500) and the Audience Award, sponsored by BET (cash prize: $10,000).
ANIMATOR
USA 98 MINS
THU 6/14 | 11:00 AM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 17
FRI 6/15 | 8:15 PM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 18
Commercial artist Neal Stewart takes an animation class with a mysterious professor that connects him to the ancient Griots of West Africa and the power to draw the future. When his girlfriend commits suicide, he learns he can erase the past with chilling consequences.
Directed by: Logan Hall and Julian Jones | Produced by: Roberta Jones | Written by: Roberta Jones | Starring: Levenix Riddle, McKenzie Chinn, Phillip Edward Van Lear, Anita Chandwaney, Geno Walker
VIEW TRAILERBEFORE THE VOWS
GHANA 88 MINS
FRI 6/15 | 1:50 PM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 17
SAT 6/16 | 4:30 PM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 18
Set in the capital of Ghana, the film captures the relationship between a happy couple, Nii and Afua, as they navigate the anxiety of their upcoming nuptials and question what it takes to ensure a long and happy marriage. The story reflects a modern-day African love story that can be universally understood by millennials around the world.
Directed by: Nicole Amarteifio | Produced by: Nicole Amarteifio, Ramesh Jai | Written by: Nicole Amarteifio | Starring: John Dumelo, Maame Adjei, Nathaniel Kweku, Emeline Nsingi Nkosi, Jeffrey Forson, Berla Mundi
VIEW TRAILERJINN
USA 91 MINS
THU 6/14 | 2:00 PM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 17
SAT 6/16 | 7:20 PM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 18
Summer is a 17-year old shape-shifting, pepperoni- loving, black teenage Instagram celebrity whose world is turned upside down when her mother, a popular meteorologist named Jade, abruptly converts to Islam and becomes a different person, prompting Summer to reevaluate her identity.
Directed by: Nijla Mumin | Produced by: Avril Z. Speaks, Maya Emelle, Arielle Saturne | Executive Produced by: Tommy Oliver, Billy Mulligan, Elton Brand, Angela Harvey, Mike C. Manning, Shandra L. McDonald, Amy McGary, Kristen McGary, and Simone Missick | Starring: Zoe Renne, Simone Missick, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Hisham Tawfiq, Kelly Jenrette, Ashlei Foushee, Damien Smith, Maya Morales
VIEW TRAILERSPRINTER
JAMAICA 112 MINS
THU 6/14 | 7:50 PM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 18
FRI 6/15 | 4:40 PM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 17
A Jamaican teen, burdened by an unstable father and an unruly older brother, hopes a meteoric rise in track-and-field can reunite him with his mother, who has lived illegally in the U.S. for over a decade.
Directed by: Storm Saulter | Produced by: Robert Maylor, Clarence Hammond, Jamal Watson | Executive Produced by: Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Richard Jefferson, Josef Bogdanovich, Zachary Harding | Written by: Storm Saulter | Starring: Dale Elliott, Kadeem Wilson, Shantol Jackson, Bryshere Y. Gray, Lorraine Toussaint, David Alan Grier
VIEW TRAILERCANAL STREET
USA 94 MINS
THU 6/14 | 4:55 PM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 17
SAT 6/16 | 11:15 AM | REGAL CINEMA THEATER 18
After the mysterious death of a classmate, all eyes fall on Kholi Styles, the new kid at his high school. It’s up to his father, Jackie Styles, an up-and-coming lawyer from the slums of Chicago, to defend his son in court before time runs out and prove his son is not the monster the world has made him out to be.
Directed by: Rhyan LaMarr | Produced by: Rhyan LaMarr, Chris Jennings, Yancey Arias, Kevin Mullens, Bishop Eric Garnes | Written by: Jon Knitter, Adam G. Key, Rhyan LaMarr | Starring: Bryshere Y. Gray, Mykelti Williamson, Mekhi Phifer, Woody McClain, Jamie Hector
VIEW TRAILER