The 2014 American Black Film Festival Moves To New York City from June 19-22
THE AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL (ABFF) SELECTS ACTOR MORRIS CHESTNUT AS ITS 2014 CELEBRITY AMBASSADOR
AUTHOR AND PRODUCER TONYA LEWIS LEE WILL BE THE NYC HOST COMMITTEE CHAIR FOR THE 2014 ABFF
THE 2014 ABFF WEBISODE SELECTION IS NOW OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS THROUGH APRIL 23, 2014
HBO is accepting stand-up comedy submissions for their highly successful 2nd Annual Comedy Wings Competition to take place during the 2014 American Black Film Festival
–American Black Film Festival Takes Over New York City from June 19, 2014 – June 22, 2014–
March 24, 2014, New York, New York – Actor Morris Chestnut (The Best Man Holiday, Nurse Jackie, Legends) will be the American Black Film Festival’s (ABFF) 2014 celebrity ambassador, and author/producer Tonya Lewis Lee (The Watsons Go To Birmingham) will chair the New York City Host Committee for the Festival. The 18th annual festival will be held June 19-22, 2014, in New York City throughout several screening and event venues in Manhattan.
“Morris Chestnut is a beloved and charismatic actor,” states Jeff Friday, ABFF founder and CEO of Film Life, Inc., which produces the festival. “The role of the ABFF Ambassador is to broaden public awareness of the festival as well as its mission, and Morris reprised his popular role in The Best Man Holiday. You can also see this talented actor in TNT’s upcoming new series Legend. I deeply appreciate both Morris and Tonya’s commitment to advance opportunities for Black artists in our industry.”
The ABFF is a four-day event dedicated to showcasingquality films by and about people of African descent. Committed to the belief that Black content creators and artists deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts, Jeff Friday conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to promote diversity in the film and television industry. Today it is widely recognized as an important pipeline bringing new Black talent to prominence both in front of and behind the camera, and is regarded as one of the leading film festivals in the world.
“It’s an honor and privilege to be the ambassador of the ABFF, taking place this year in New York — a city that has inspired and cultivated so much great talent in all areas of film,”says Chestnut. “It’s going to be a great year,” adds Friday. “With Morris, the move to New York and the dynamic festival events we’re planning, we expect around 30,000 attendees.”
HBO is a founding and premier sponsor for ABFF and will be producing the 2nd Annual Comedy Wings Competition, hosted by actor and producer Chris Spencer. HBO is currently accepting stand-up comedian submissions now on www.ABFF.com. “The Comedy Wings Competition is yet another great addition to an already stellar festival, and speaks to our shared goal of identifying outstanding talent across all entertainment genres. Comedy is part of the HBO DNA, and now, thanks to the brilliance of Jeff Friday and his team, it is imbedded into The American Black Film Festival,” said DennisWilliams, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility, HBO.
ABFF is now accepting submissions to its 2014 Webisode Selection through April 23, 2014. Designed to highlight filmmakers and content creators who are increasingly turning to online distribution platforms as a way to bring attention to their talents, and retain creative control over their ideas, this is the newest addition to the festival’s “Official Selections” lineup. Up to seven winners will have an amazing opportunity to showcase their webisode during the 2014 ABFF Festival. For more information about the Webisode Selection, go to http://www.ABFF.com.
The American Black Film Festival is presented by Film Life, Inc., a multifaceted entertainment company headquartered in New York City. Sponsors to date include: HBO (Founding and Premier) and Nielsen (Supporting).
Festival passes and tickets are on sale now and for more information, visit www.abff.com
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