Jamie Foxx
The American Black Film Festival is set to go ahead with a 10-day hybrid event amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On Wednesday, organizer ABFF Ventures said the film festival will return to Miami Beach for an in-person 25th edition to run from Nov. 3 to 7, 2021. The American Black Film Festival will then continue virtually for another seven days, from Nov. 8 to 14, on the ABFF PLAY streaming platform.
The festival will feature studio screenings, panel discussions and networking events to celebrate Black entertainment and Black and Brown filmmakers for greater diversity. "We are so excited to return to Miami Beach to celebrate 25 years of storytelling and storytellers, and engage with a global audience around the world through our virtual programming on ABFF PLAY," ABFF Ventures president Nicole Friday said in a statement.
The in-person American Black Festival in Miami Beach last year was originally set to run over five days in March 2020, but was forced by the COVID-19 crisis to take place digitally in August 2020. In the process, the ABFF's 24th edition drew online viewers from more than 90 countries worldwide.
As it celebrates Black excellence in entertainment, the American Black Film Festival Honors ceremony last year feted Jamie Foxx, Lena Waithe, Cynthia Erivo, Louis Gossett Jr. and the cast of The Wire.
"ABFF has served as a place of inspiration and a launching pad for so many great filmmakers and artists, and we remain committed to using our platform to catapult a new generation of Black and Brown filmmakers forward," Friday added.