Festival Opens August 7 In Los Angeles NEW YORK, July 15
NEW YORK, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Film Life's 12th annual American Black
Film Festival (ABFF) opens Thursday, August 7, in Los Angeles. Festival passes
and tickets can be purchased now at Ticket Web (www.ticketweb.com) or
www.abff.com. "We are excited to be back in Los Angeles for our second year.
We have worked very hard to make our festival accessible to everyone and hope
that the Los Angeles community comes out to experience the best new work by
and about people of African descent," said Jeff Friday, founder/CEO of Film
Life, Inc., and the ABFF.
This year's festival will feature the ABFF Signature Events including: Off
The Record: A Conversation with Young Hollywood; ABFF Remembers ... Waiting to
Exhale; Can We Get Some Love? -- Exploring Black Sexuality & Romance in
American Cinema; as well as the HBO(R) Short Film Competition, which is
celebrating its 11th year at the Festival. Actor Dennis Haysbert has signed on
to preside over the ABFF Grand Jury, Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon and Loretta
Devine have been confirmed to attend ABFF Remembers and Lauren London and
Anthony Mackie have been confirmed to participate on the Young Hollywood
panel. The HBO Documentary, The Black List, written by film critic Elvis
Mitchell, will close this year's festival. The Black List provides a unique
view into the zeitgeist of Black America, and features interviews with Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar, Sean "P-Diddy" Combs, Vernon Jordan, Toni Morrison, Al Sharpton,
Russell Simmons and Serena Williams, among others.
Founded in 1997, the mission of the ABFF is to strengthen the Black
filmmaking community through resource sharing, education, artistic
collaboration and career development. Since its inception, over 500
independent films have been screened, seventy per cent of which have gone on
to secure theatrical or DVD distribution. Festival alumni include director
Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard) and producers Rob Hardy and Will Packer (This
Christmas and Stomp the Yard), producer Roger M. Bobb (Tyler Perry's Why Did I
Get Married and Daddy's Little Girls) and writer/director Frank E. Flowers
(Haven). The ABFF was born out of the need to generate distribution
opportunities for independent Black films and promote cultural diversity
within the motion picture industry. It is widely considered the premier Black
film market. Festival attendance is expected to exceed 5,000 people.
The ABFF's four film sections -- Shorts, Narrative Features, Documentary
Features and World Showcases -- will provide increased visibility to the films
that will be screened this year. Filmmakers will be recognized and rewarded
with cash and other prizes at the ABFF Awards Presentation on Sunday, August
10h at the WGA Theatre. Prices for tickets are: Festival Passes $500, WGA
West Writers Workshop Passes $200, Opening Night Cocktail Reception & Film
Screening $75, Movie Tickets $12, Allstate and Nielsen Symposiums $30,
Signature Events (HBO Short Film Competition, Black Sexuality and Young
Hollywood panels) $45, Closing Night Gala (Awards Presentation and Film) $150.
To purchase passes or tickets visit www.abff.com or www.ticketweb.com
"The support of our corporate partners, led by presenting sponsor
Allstate(R), founding and premiere sponsor HBO(R), along with our other
premiere level sponsors: luxury automaker Lincoln, Target, and BET J, allows
the festival to continue to grow and nurture artists in a variety of
disciplines," said Friday.
Other 2008 festival sponsors include: Blockbuster, Heineken (Official);
Nielsen Media Research, One Village Entertainment, Fox Searchlight Pictures,
Codeblack Entertainment, Nickelodeon, Fox Entertainment Group, FOX
Searchlight, Grey Goose (Supporting); SAG Indie, Writers Guild of America
West, Greater Philadelphia Film Office, Illinois Film Office, Foxx King
Entertainment (Industry); Black Enterprise, Uptown, Upscale, Black Noir,
Heart&Soul, Precious Times, Automotive Rhythms, Toy Box, Monarch, Hope Today
Magazine, NV, Save the Date, KJLH-FM and EUR Web (Media).
The ABFF is a property of Film Life, Inc., a New York-based film marketing
and distribution company. Its mission is to spearhead the global distribution
of quality Black films and be the leading American brand producing Black
movies, television, events and digital content. Film Life's key properties
include the American Black Film Festival (abff.com); The Black Movie Awards
(blackmovieawards.com); and the ABFF DVD Series (thefilmlife.com), a
partnership with Warner Home Video.
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held
personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With
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through approximately 14,900 exclusive agencies and financial representatives
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in select states at allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate(R). Encompass(R) and
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life insurance, supplemental accident and health insurance, annuity, banking
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customers that are distributed through Allstate agencies, independent
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Festival and registration information is available online at www.abff.com,
or by e-mail: abff@thefilmlife.com.
SOURCE Film Life
