NEW YORK, NY, January 10, 2013 – Film Life, Inc. announced the launch of The Comedy Wings Competition, a national search to identify outstanding comedic talent. Submissions are now being accepted at www.abff.com and one grand-prize winner will be flown to the 17th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) in South Beach.
The Comedy Wings Competition has been created to showcase talented yet undiscovered comedians and introduce them to the industry at large. The competition is looking for someone with a natural gift for comedy who can make us laugh through their unique interpretation of material, steered by physical mannerisms, vocal inflections, wit and effortless comedic timing. The winner will receive a trip to the 2013 ABFF held in Miami June 19-23, 2013 and the opportunity to perform before the festival audience.
“ABFF is providing an amazing platform for talent and The Comedy Wings Competition is a great initiative for emerging comedians to get recognition,” said Comedian Kevin Hart. “I encourage comedians to submit their performance to this outlet to showcase their talent and follow their dreams.”
With the launch of The Comedy Wings Competition, ABFF continues to provide much needed opportunities for up and coming Black talent. In addition to Kevin Hart, other notable comedians who performed at the festival early in their careers include Cedric the Entertainer, J.B. Smoove, Craig Robinson, Tommy Davidson, Earthquake, Bill Bellamy, Ricky Smiley, Sheryl Underwood and Chris Spencer. The Comedy Wings Competition will be the second talent competition launched since the festival’s inception in 1997; the Star Project, designed for actors, was birthed in 2009 and has successfully served as a catalyst for its winners to break into the film and television industry.
“We work hard to spotlight new talent, both in front and behind the camera in innovative ways;” said Jeff Friday, ABFF Founder and CEO of Film Life, Inc. adding, “The Comedy Wings Competition is an extension of this commitment and it is our goal to help exceptionally funny people break into the industry.”
The Comedy Wings Competition entrants are required to submit either a traditional stand-up comedy performance or a comedic sketch. The performance must be 3 to 4 minutes of original material authored by the entrant who must be 21 years or older and of African descent. Submissions will be judged by a panel of ABFF and independent judges.
How to Enter: To enter the Contest, during the Contest Period log on to www.ABFF.com (the “Website”), click on ENTER A TALENT COMPETITION and then click on COMEDY WINGS COMPETITION to access the submission form (the “Submission Form”).
Deadline for submissions: March 22, 2013
Festival passes and tickets are available now for purchase at:
https://www.abff.com/miami/festival/buy/passes-and-tickets.php
The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is a five-day retreat and international film market dedicated to strengthening the Black filmmaking community. Established in 1997, the core mission of the ABFF is to promote cultural diversity within the motion picture industry. Through its film showcases and special contests, it annually introduces the top echelon of emerging artists to the film and television industry.
The ABFF is a property of Film Life, Inc., a multi-faceted entertainment company headquarted in New York City. The company was founded in 2001 by Jeff Friday, a veteran of the consumer product marketing and advertising industries. While best known for creating the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), Film Life’s operations center on developing/licensing innovative content across all forms of media and providing strategic advisory services to a wide range of companies in the entertainment, media and consumer product industries.
For full details on this year’s festival, please visit www.abff.com
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