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AMERICAN

BLACK

FILM FESTIVAL

NARRATIVES

Kimberly Elise, Isaiah Washington, Common & S. Epatha Merkerson are among THE stellar list of Grand Jury Nods AT FILM LIFE’S 16th ANNUAL AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL

NEW YORK, NY, May 16, 2012 – Film Life Inc., today announced the Narrative Features Competition selections and Grand Jury Award nominees for the 16th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) taking place in South Beach Miami, FL, June 20th – 23rd.  Kimberly Elise, Isaiah Washington, Common and S. Epatha Merkerson are among the stellar list of thespians nominated to receive the Grand Jury prize for their work.

The films in ABFF’s 2012 Narrative Features section reflect a creative multiplicity which can be seen, felt and heard in controversy through rhythmic Jamaican patois (Better Mus’ Come) to a young Parisian woman’s search for her father (Elza).  Struggle and disappointment between generations is candidly explored (LUV) and two men of the cloth face consequences (The Undershepherd).

Each film in the narrative features section must be directed by a person of African descent, tell a story of the Black experience or feature a person of African descent in a leading role. Films that are submitted for consideration are reviewed by a team of film industry professionals, which comprises the ABFF’s screening committee. Each film is graded on artistic merit and impactful subject matter.  As this year’s Grand Jury President, Actor, Mekhi Phifer (“Lie to Me,” “ER”) will serve as a judge and will present prizes in front of the festival audience at The Winners Circle awards presentation on the closing day of the festival.

The complete list of the 2012 Narrative Feature films is as follows:

BETTER MUS’ COME

Written and directed by Storm Saulter, produced by Paul Bucknor

CAST: Sheldon Shepherd, Nicole ‘Sky’ Grey, Everaldo Creary, Ricardo Orgill and

Roger Guenveur Smith

SYNOPSIS:  The film follows warring political factions in 1970s Jamaica as they enlist the support of gangs to enforce their policies and advanced their political agenda.

THE DARK PARTY

Written by William Wells, Kadeem Hardison, Salenta Baisden and Terry Wilkerson, produced by Terry Wilkerson, Deji LaRay, Salenta Baisden and William Wells, directed by Kadeem Hardison

CAST: Kadeem Hardison, Marcus Patrick and Tiffany Hines

SYNOPSIS:  When two best friends want to find true love, a radio talk psychologist helps them throw the ultimate blind date party and serous social experiment.

THE LAST FALL

Written and directed by Matthew Cherry, produced by Ellis Hobbs, Monique Hobbs, Nikki Love and Scott Hebert

CAST: Lance Gross, Nicole Behari, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Obba Babatundé, Darrin DeWitt Henson, Michael Moss, Harry Lennix, Keith David

SYNOPSIS: An NFL journeyman struggles to deal with life’s complexities after his professional career is over at twenty-five.

LUV

Written and directed by Sheldon Candis and Justin Wilson, produced by Jason Berman, Datari Turner, W. Michael Jenson, Gordon Bijelonic, Joel Newton, James Rosenthal, Common and Derek Dudley

CAST: Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Michael Kenneth Williams and Meagan Good

SYNOPSIS: An orphaned eleven-year-old boy is forced to face an unpleasant truth about his beloved uncle during one harrowing day in the streets of Baltimore.

ELZA

Written and directed by Mariette MonPierre and Mama Keita, produced by Mariette MonPierre, Gerard LaCroix, Eric Basset

CAST: Stana Roumillac, Vincent Byrd Le Sage, Christophe Cherki, Sophie Berger

SYNOPSIS: A young Parisian woman of Caribbean descent returns to her native island of Guadeloupe in search of the father she has never known.

THE UNDERSHEPHERD

Produced and directed by Russ Parr, produced by Russ Parr, Eric Tomosunas, Scott Aronson and Isaiah Washington

CAST: Isaiah Washington, Louis Gossett Jr., Lamman Rucker, Malinda Williams, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Elise Neal, Robinne Lee, Clifton Powell, Keith David and John Wesley

SYNOPSIS: Two minister’s opposing decisions destroy their friendship as the ascension of evil verses the struggle of an honest church impact the entire community.

Film awards presented include: Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay, sponsored by Ciroc; Grand Jury Prize for Best Director, sponsored by Cadillac; Grand Jury Prize for Best Actor, sponsored by Gold Peak Tea; Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature, sponsored by BET Networks; and Best Documentary sponsored by CNN. Prizes will be presented at ABFF’s culminating ceremony, The Winners Circle on June 23.

The four films in the narrative features category compete for ABFF’s Grand Jury Prizes for:

Best Screenplay, presented by Ciroc

Best Director, presented by Cadillac

Best Actor, presented by Gold Peak Tea

Best Narrative Feature, presented by BET Networks

The specific nominees are as follows:

Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay, presented by Ciroc

Storm Saulter – BETTER MUS’ COME

Matthew Cherry – THE LAST FALL

Mariettte MonPierre and Mama Keita – ELZA

Russ Parr – THE UNDERSHEPHERD

Grand Jury Prize for Best Director, presented by Cadillac

Sheldon Candis – LUV

Matthew Cherry – THE LAST FALL

Russ Parr – THE UNDERSHEPHERD

Storm Saulter – BETTER MUS’ COME

Grand Jury Prize Best Performance by an Actor (Male or Female), presented by Gold Peak Tea

Common – LUV

Lance Gross – THE LAST FALL

Sheldon Sheppard – BETTER MUS’ COME

Isaiah Washington – THE UNDERSHEPHERD

Nicole Behari – THE LAST FALL

Kimberly Elise – TIES THAT BIND

Malinda Williams – THE UNDERSHEPHERD

Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature, presented by BET Networks

THE LAST FALL

ELZA

LUV

THE UNDERSHEPHERD

Grand Jury Prize for Documentary, presented by CNN

THE CONTRADICTIONS OF FAIR HOPE, co-directed by S. Epatha Merkerson and Rockell Metcalf

FORCE M.D.s RELIVED, directed by Frazier Prince

THINK NFL, LOVE DAD (The DeSean Jackson Story), co-directed by Byron Jackson and Kern Konwiser

SOUL FOOD JUNKIES, directed by Byron Hurt

Tickets: Walk up tickets will be on sale day of show only at the Colony Theater and Miami Beach Cinematheque prior to each screening. Ticket price is $12.00; there are no advance sales.

Full pass and ticket information for the 2012 ABFF can be found at www.abff.com.

HBO (Founding and Premier Sponsor); Gold Peak Tea (Premier); gmc Television Network, American Airlines, Cadillac, CNN and Ciroc (Official Sponsors); Grab Media, NBCUniversal, Nickelodeon, smartwater, Nielsen, BET Networks, Stella Artois and Wells Fargo (Supporting Sponsors); The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Miami Beach Visitor & Convention Authority and Miami Community Redevelopment Agency (Host Sponsors) and SAGIndie, One Village Entertainment, Miami Film Month, thirdREEL (Promotional Partners); Media Sponsors include: Black Enterprise, Uptown (Official Level); Jones Magazine and Precious Times (Supporting Level).

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.

FOCUS

FEATURES

JOINS WITH

AFRICA FIRST

FIFTH YEAR OF FOCUS FEATURES’ AFRICA FIRST PROGRAM ACCEPTING ENTRIES MAY 14th;

$10,000 IN FINANCING APIECE EARMARKED FOR NEW FILMMAKERS

NEW YORK, May 8th, 2012 – Celebrating its fifth year, Focus Features’ Africa First Program will accept entries beginning this Monday, May 14th and continuing through Monday, August 20th. Focus CEO James Schamus made the announcement today.

The uniquely conceived initiative, with funds earmarked exclusively for emerging filmmakers of African nationality and residence, is for the fifth consecutive year offering eligible and participating filmmakers the chance to be awarded $10,000 in financing for pre-production, production, and/or post-production on their narrative short film made in continental Africa and tapping into the resources of the film industry there. The program also brings the filmmakers together with each other and with a renowned group of advisors, major figures in the African film world, for support and mentorship. Past short films to come out of the Program have been showcased at the Sundance, Toronto, London, and Berlin Film Festivals; on The Africa Channel; and with the Museum of the Moving Image and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, among other venues worldwide. A compilation of films completed through the Program is available on DVD and across VOD and EST platforms. Complete details on Africa First – including application information – can be accessed year-round through www.focusfeatures.com/africafirst.

Africa First is supervised by Program Director and producer Kisha Cameron Dingle (…Sometimes in April), whose company, Completion Films, has a first-look and consulting deal with Focus, and who coordinates the Program’s submissions and evaluations with Focus director of development & production Christopher Kopp. In addition to on-site work in Africa, the winning filmmakers of Africa First will visit New York City in the fall of 2012 for a weekend of one-on-one workshop discussions with each other; members of the advisory board of experts in African cinema; such Focus executives as Mr. Schamus and president of production Jeb Brody, covering topics like international distribution and the economics of studio financing; and Mrs. Dingle and Mr. Kopp.

Mr. Schamus said, “In celebrating the fifth anniversary of Africa First this year, we are also celebrating the dynamic and talented group of filmmakers we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with during the Program’s tenure. The kudos and acclaim their films have generated around the world is gratifying, and we look forward to working with them again.”

In 2008, the Africa First Program selected these filmmakers and their respective films; Mr. Edouard Bamporiki (from Rwanda) for Long Coat, Ms. Jenna Bass (from South Africa) for The Tunnel, Mr. Jan-Hendrik Beetge (from South Africa) for The Abyss Boys, Ms. Dyana Gaye (from Senegal) for N’Dar (a.k.a. St. Louis Blues), and Ms. Wanuri Kahiu (from Kenya) for Pumzi [Breath]. The winning filmmakers for 2009 were Mr. Stephen Abbott (from South Africa) for Dirty Laundry, Mr. Matt Bishanga (from Uganda) for A Good Catholic Girl, Mr. Daouda Coulibaly (from Mali) for Tinye So, Mr. Matthew Jankes (from South Africa) for Umkhungo, and Ms. Rungano Nyoni (from Zambia) for The Adventures of Mwansa the Great. The 2010 filmmakers chosen were Ms. Chika Anadu (from Nigeria) for The Marriage Factor; Mr. Lev David (from South Africa) for Down; Ms. Jacqueline Kalimunda (from Rwanda) for Sky Burning Down; Ms. Ebele Okoye (from Nigeria) for The Legacy of Rubies; and Mr. Julius Onah (from Nigeria) for Nepa Don Quench. The filmmakers selected in 2011 were Ms. Oshosheni Hiveluah (from Namibia) for 100 Bucks; Mr. Cedric Ido (from Burkina Faso) for Twaaga [Invincible]; Mr. Mark Middlewick (from South Africa) for Late Night Security; Ms. Akosua Adoma Owusu (from Ghana) for Kwaku Ananse; and Mr. Zelalem Woldemariam (from Ethiopia) for Adamet [Listen].

This year, the submissions period begins on Monday, May 14th, 2012 and runs through Monday, August 20th, 2012. The five filmmakers selected will be notified by October 2012 and will retain the copyrights and the distribution rights to their completed shorts, with the exception of North American rights; Focus retains those, as well as the right of first negotiation to productions derived from the shorts, such as a feature-length expansion.

Completion is developing feature, documentary, and television projects. Its president, Mrs. Dingle, previously worked as director of development at Walden Media, and as an executive at New Line Cinema, where she oversaw the development and production of Spike Lee’s Bamboozled.

The Africa First advisory board members are Ms. Mahen Bonetti, founder and executive director of the African Film Festival; journalist and documentary filmmaker Ms. Jihan El-Tahiri; Ms. June Givanni, who for four years programmed the Toronto International Film Festival’s Planet Africa series; Ms. Sharifa Johka, film programmer and independent producer; Mr. Pedro Pimenta, producer and manager of training programs throughout South Africa; and Mr. Keith Shiri, founder/director of the Africa at the Pictures film festival in the U.K.

Focus Features and Focus Features International (www.focusfeatures.com) comprise a singular global company. This worldwide studio makes original and daring films that challenge the mainstream to embrace and enjoy voices and visions from around the world that deliver global commercial success. The company operates as Focus Features in North America, and as Focus Features International (FFI) in the rest of the world.

Current and upcoming Focus Features releases include Moonrise Kingdom, world-premiering as the opening-night film of the 2012 Cannes International Film Festival, the new feature from Wes Anderson, starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman; Lorene Scafaria’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley; Sam Fell and Chris Butler’s ParaNorman, the new 3D stop-motion comedy thriller from animation company LAIKA; Jamie Travis’ contemporary comedy For a Good Time, Call…, starring Ari Graynor and Lauren Anne Miller; Closed Circuit, the suspense thriller directed by John Crowley and starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall; Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land, the contemporary drama written by and starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski; the historical tale Hyde Park on Hudson, directed by Roger Michell and starring Academy Award nominees Bill Murray and Laura Linney; and Joe Wright’s epic love story Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law, and Aaron Johnson.

16TH ANNUAL

AMERICAN BLACK

FILM FESTIVAL

ON SOUTH BEACH

FILM LIFE’S 16th ANNUAL AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES “A CONVERSATION WITH” INDUSTRY POWER COUPLE, SALIM & MARA BROCK-AKIL

NEW YORK, April 25, 2012 – Film Life, Inc., today announced power couple Salim and Mara Brock-Akil as the featured guests for the “A Conversation With” discussion at the 16th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF).  Presented by BlackAtlas.com from American Airlines, this special panel will take place on Friday, June 22 from 12:00 Noon – 1:30 pm at the Ritz Carlton South Beach hotel.

The husband and wife team, Salim and Mara Brock-Akil, who founded Akil Productions, in 2000, instantly broke ground, when the company created CW’s hit, GIRLFRIENDS, which aired for eight years and became one of the longest running sitcoms on television.  In 2006, the sitcom THE GAME, also created by Akil Productions, premiered and aired for three seasons on the CW before being picked up by BET Networks.  Mara Brock-Akil is also credited as a Key Consulting Producer on ABC’s COUGAR TOWN.  

The dynamic duo’s feature film credits are just as impressive as their television success.  Salim Akil teamed up with Sony Pictures and Our Stories Films to direct the feature film JUMPING THE BROOM, starring Angela Basset, Paula Patton and Laz Alonso.  This film’s success led to the highly anticipated musical, SPARKLE, also produced by Akil Poductions.  Written by Mara Brock-Akil and directed by Salim Akil, SPARKLE stars Whitney Houston, Jordan Sparks, Mike Epps and Cee Lo Green.

Salim and Mara Brock-Akil continue to create, develop, and produce projects that entertain as well as bring individuals together and highlight shared human experiences.  This year, the Akil’s have a new one-hour drama, which they created and wrote, coming to BET Networks.  BEING MARY JANE, which will premiere on BET later this year, is a biopic about a woman in search of the missing pieces of her successful life as an influential news anchor.

Jeff Friday, Founder and CEO of ABFF states, “This year’s “A Conversation With” discussion is special because we have two guests with individual stories and experiences.” He adds,  “Yet, as a married couple, the Akils also bring a very unique perspective about surviving the many pitfalls of the industry and being successful as a team.”

By engaging guests in thought provoking conversations, “A Conversation With” continues to be a special highlight of the festival.  Past “A Conversation With” guests include: Paula Patton, Idris Elba, Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Jeffrey Wright and Cuba Gooding Jr.

HBO is the festival’s Founding and Premier Sponsor. Other sponsors to date include: Gold Peak Tea (Premier Sponsor); the gmc Television Network, American Airlines, Cadillac and CNN (Official Sponsors); Grab Media, NBCUniversal, Nickelodeon, smartwater, Nielsen and BET Networks (Supporting Sponsors); The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Miami Beach Visitor & Convention Authority and Miami Community Redevelopment Agency (Host Sponsors) and SAGIndie, One Village Entertainment, Miami Film Month, thirdREEL (Promotional Partners). Media Sponsors include: Black Enterprise, Uptown (Official Level); Jones Magazine and Precious Times (Supporting Level).

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 New York-based event marketing, production and film distribution company founded in 2000 by Jeff Friday (CEO).  For full details on this year’s festival, please visit www.abff.com.

For media inquiries, contact Lisa Sorensen at 646-330-5458 or lisa@ls-pr.com.

Background Music-Quincy Jones  “Gula Matari”

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