Blogging Black Miami

ABFF ANNOUNCES 2012 DATES

Black Gold – Struggle for the Niger Delta to Compete for the Grand Jury Prize at ABFF

Black Gold: Struggle for the Niger Delta will compete for the Grand Jury Prize at the 15th Annual American Black Film Festival, July 6-9, 2011 in Miami, Florida. The movie was nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Screen Play in the Narratives Film Competition. Director, Jeta Amata brings to the screen, a powerful story of greed, murder and corruption in the volatile oil rich Niger Delta region. 

The scope and significance of the story has attracted a noteworthy cast, including several from Hollywood: Billy Zane (Titanic), Mbong Amata (The Amazing Grace), Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Hotel Rwanda), Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break),  Eric Roberts (Dark Knight) and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs).  Based on true events, Black Gold is already following in the footsteps of Hotel Rwanda for its social and environmental statement on corruption and the violation of human rights in the Niger Delta, as current headlines on the international news carriers: CNN, BBC and Al Jezeera reveal.

“It is a region where good and evil has been blurred by shady government officials, greedy oil companies and violent rebels fighting over the control of the scarce oil resources that run the world. Now the people are seeking peaceful resolution to their grievances”, states director Amata.

Black Gold is Jeta Amata’s long awaited follow up to his award winning feature, The Amazing Grace. Black Gold was shot in his native Nigeria and the US to tell the story of a an unlikely hero, a Nigerian woman who courageously stood up to unite the warring factions and rallied the world to take notice, putting her life on the line.

“We believe that Black Gold will shed light on the degradation of the environment caused by oil exploration in the Niger Delta and hope that the multi-national oil corporations and the government will clean up their act.”, states producer, Wilson Ebiye.  

The movie will screen Thursday, July 7th at 3 p.m. (with a talk-back) and Friday, July 8 at 10:30 a.m. at the Colony Theatre on Miami Beach. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or by calling (305) 674-1040 starting July 6.

 

 

Keenen Ivory Wayans to be Honored at ABFF on Miami Beach

 

Documentary on Miami through the eyes of two Miami history icons

Miami-Dade Public Library System Celebrates
40 Years of Library Excellence with film screening and panel discussion on the WPBT2 Documentary Parallel Lives

 

MIAMI, FL-- In celebration of Miami-Dade Public Library System’s 40^th anniversary, a special screening of the WPBT2 documentary Parallel Lives will be shown on Thursday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Main Library – 101 W. Flagler Street.  Parallel Lives tells the story of two remarkable women - Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields and Arva Moore Parks - who both grew up in Miami, but led very different yet amazingly complementary lives. Their experiences of the city, its history, and its culture were seen through vastly different lenses - one was white; the other black.

Following the screening will be a panel discussion with the film’s stars and its producer Mark Baker. The panel will be moderated by Helen Aguirre Ferré, an award-winning journalist and host of the WPBT2 Public Affairs series Issues. Musical entertainment will be provided by Mr. Jon Saxx.

 

WHAT:          Film Screening and Panel Discussion of WPBT2’s Documentary Parallel Lives

WHEN:          Thursday, May 26, 6:30 p.m. 

WHERE:        Main Library, 101 W Flagler Street – 305-375-2665

                                                                

For more information, contact 305.375. BOOK (2665) or visit www.mdpls.org

See also: WPBT2

 

FILM LIFE’S AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 15 YEARS, ANNOUNCES DATES AND CALL FOR ENTRIES

HBO® Continues as Founding and Premier Sponsor

NEW YORK, NY-- Film Life, Inc., announces the 15th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) to be held in Miami, Florida, July 6-9, 2011. The ABFF is an industry retreat and competitive showcase of independent Black film. Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO®), returns for the fourteenth year in support of the festival's mission to strengthen the Black filmmaking community through resource sharing, education, artistic collaboration and career development.  

The 2011 festival will feature the return of the acclaimed Actors Boot Camp led by actor/director Bill Duke, and Robert Townsend’s “The Ultimate Pitch” Master Class as well as film screenings, celebrity conversations, panel discussions and hospitality events. “For a decade and a half, the ABFF and its sponsors have been committed to showcasing the works of the best and brightest independent filmmakers, while entertaining and enlightening our audience,” said ABFF Founder Jeff Friday. “It has been a true privilege to be part of the continuing evolution of Black cinema,” Friday added.

“HBO® is proud of its long-standing partnership with the ABFF. Our combined efforts have given much needed exposure to 65 emerging filmmakers to date,” said Dennis Williams, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at HBO®.  “We are committed to the representation of diverse stories and bringing attention to talented individuals whose voices might not otherwise be heard were it not for the ABFF and the HBO® Short Film Competition,” Williams added.

ABFF submissions are now open in the Narrative and Documentary Feature sections. Call for entries for the Short Film Competition and Mobile Entertainment sections are scheduled to open February 1. Festival Awards include: The HBO® Short Film Award; Grand Jury Prizes for Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Film and Best Performance by an Actor, as well as the ABFF Audience Award for Best Mobile Content. Festival prizes range from $5,000 to $20,000. Discounted festival passes and tickets are on sale through January 31 at www.abff.com

A Message from Tyler Perry - Something's Gotta Give [VIDEO]

Hey there, I know I haven't written in a while, but I've been crazy busy with 154 performances since the top of the year. I filmed two movies this summer and I haven't had a break. It's all too much! Something's gotta give here. I'm exhausted. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about FOR COLORED GIRLS.

We are only a little more than 3 weeks out from FOR COLORED GIRLS, which opens on November 5th. Wow, time is flying! I wanted to talk to you for just a second about this film. There has been a lot of Internet chatter about me doing this film. I've heard everything from, "I'm glad he's doing it!", to "How dare he touch this!". Believe me, I know that this is sensitive material and I handled it that way. If you don't believe me see for yourself on November 5th.

If you know anything about the book or play, FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF, which is what my film is based on, then you know that it is one of the most powerful literary works of this century. But, if you know it, you are also thinking like I was,"How can I make this into a movie?"

After reading the play a thousand times and listening to these poems a million times, it hit me. There was only one way to approach it. So what I did was, I put these characters in the situations around the poems, so that they could speak the dialogue of the book without it sounding like a poem. And I have to tell you, I wasn't sure that it could be done. But,after listening to Phylicia Rashad, Thandie Newton, Kerry Washington, Macy Gray, Kimberly Elise, Tessa Thompson, Whoopi Goldberg, Loretta Devine, Anika Noni Rose and Janet Jackson say these words it was awesomely seemless.

The stories are about eight women who live in NYC and we follow them through their lives; follow them through loving, losing, giving too much of themselves, being hurt and betrayed, but most of all, we follow each of these women as they ind love for themselves.

This movie is powerful. It is incredible. The performances in it are astonishing, but most of all this film will leave you lifted.

I don't know if you know this either, but never in the history of a feature film has there been an ensemble of this many black women. That alone is worth celebrating. I hope you are planning to see it on November 5th.

By the way, you don't have to be a colored girl to be able to relate to and enjoy this movie.

See ya soon,

TP


To respond to this message, please go to
http://www.tylerperry.com/messageboard

 

American Black Film Festival, June 23 -27, Miami Beach

The City of Miami’s Community Redevelopment Agencies(CRA) to Participate as Host Sponsors of the 14th Annual American Black Film Festival as Part of their Film Industry Outreach -- June 23-June 27, 2010

CRA to Host Trolley Service for American Black Film Festival participants June 24 and June 25, 2010, to the Overtown, Omni and Park West Redevelopment Districts.

MIAMI, FL – The City of Miami’s Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRA) have signed on as Host Sponsors for the 14th annual American Black Film Festival(ABFF)that will be held June 23-27, 2010, in Miami Beach.  As part of their $50,000 sponsorship, the CRA hopes to create strategic partnerships with the film industry and attract filmmakers to consider filming and doing business in the Community Redevelopment Areas that include Overtown, Park West and Omni.

The CRA will roll out their film initiative with an impressive program that includes a trolley service for the ABFF participants on June 24 and June 25 from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. The trolley will pick up festival-goers from The Ritz-Carlton South Beach hotel and take them to destination points of interest in Overtown, Park West, Omni and downtown Miami. The CRA will also sponsor 15 students from the Overtown area to attend the American Black Film Festival’s master classes. The students will have an opportunity to take master classes on the Art of Filmmaking with director Spike Lee; on cinematography with Cliff Charles, director of photography(When the Levees Broke, Good Hair); and screenwriting, led by Loyola Maramount professor Dean Steve Duncan. In addition, the CRA has put together a filmmakers tour and roundtable discussion that will be held at Big Time Productions facility. The goal is to find out what incentives need to be in place for filmmakers to consider filming in the Community Redevelopment Areas.

The American Black Film Festival culminates with the CRA’s signature community showcase of the soon–to-be-released movie Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming, which will be held on Sunday, June 27, from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm. This is a free-ticketed event for the community. The writer, director and actor will be in attendance for a talk-back after the movie.

“We are extremely excited and proud to once again be a Host Sponsor for this year’s American Black Film Festival. Our partnership with Film Life Inc. allows us the unique opportunity to highlight our diverse culture in Miami and promote our growing film industry within the CRA district. We look forward to the events and to attracting future film projects  to Miami,” said Commissioner Richard P. Dunn II, Chair of the City of Miami Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency.

“The City of Miami is extremely proud to host some of America’s top film makers as part of the American Black Film Festival. The event has a rich tradition and is a prime example of the City’s and the CRA’s commitment to supporting and enriching the arts,” said Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, Chair of the Omni Redevelopment District Community Redevelopment Agency.

“The City of Miami’s Community Redevelopment Agencies are proud to be a Host Sponsor for Film Life’s 14th annual American Black Film Festival. This year we are aggressively reaching out to  filmmakers to create a dialogue on how we can be a resource to attract more film projects to the Miami’s Redevelopment Areas,” states CRA Executive Director James Villacorta.

“We are excited about the continued support of the City of Miami’s Community Redevelopment Agency. We remain committed to our community outreach program in Miami and look forward to a successful program this year of helping to facilitate partnerships with the film community and the CRA”, states Jeff Friday, CEO, Film Life Inc.

Win FREE passes to see Queen Latifah and Common in "Just Wright"!

By now you’ve probably seen commercials about the soon to be released movie, "Just Wright", starring Queen Latifah, Common and Paula Patton. You can win free passes to the advanced screening of the movie in Aventura but first here’s the synopsis:

JUST WRIGHT stars Queen Latifah (BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE) as Leslie Wright, a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the dream job of working with NBA All-Star Scott McKnight (Common – DATE NIGHT). All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, forcing her to choose between the gig of a lifetime and the tug-of-war inside her heart. Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is instead drawn to the affections of Leslie’s gorgeous childhood friend Morgan (Paula Patton - PRECIOUS), who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife. Is Leslie destined to play the role of “best friend” forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him? Set against the exciting world of championship basketball, the game of love takes on the battle of the sexes in the romantic sports comedy JUST WRIGHT, starring three of Hollywood’s most charismatic personalities as they navigate the full-court-press of love. Visit http://www.foxsearchlight.com/justwright/

 

 

Now, doesn’t that seem like a really nice movie? I’m definitely checking it out and will share my review with you later. In spite of Common and Latifah being two of my favorite rap artists, I’ll be honest in my critique. From the trailer, it’s obvious there’s on-screen chemistry between the three main stars.

Win Free Screening Passes

Local screening,7:30 pm, Thursday, May 13, 2010, AMC Aventura 24. For your chance to receive screening passes, log on to WWW.GOFOBO.COM/RSVP and enter RSVP Code: LKYB0B32. Passes are available on a first-come-first-serve basis and do not guarantee admittance because the theater is typically overbooked. Arrive early for a better chance at seating. This film is rated PG for adult language, adult situations. Holler back and let us know what you think about the movie. In theaters Friday, May 14, 2010.

 

Documentary screening on Susanne Wenger: The Lady from Osogbo

The Africana Studies Program and the African Students Union (University of Miami), the Community Builders Holistic Development Corporation (creator of Osun Village)
and the African Caribbean Cultural Arts Corridor

proudly host a  screening of the documentary film:

The Lady from Osogbo

At the College of Arts & Sciences, Wesley Gallery

1210 Stanford Drive, University of Miami,
Coral Gables, Fl 33146

on  April 6 at 6:30 p.m.

The Lady of Osogbo highlights the legendary Susanne Wenger and the Goddess of the rivers and sweet waters Oshun, who is celebrated by Miami's multicultural communities, and is the inspiration for the Oshun's Village concept, here in Miami.

The film chronicles the efforts of the Austrian Artist, Activist and High Priestess Susanne Wenger, who spent 50 + years in Osogbo, Nigeria, fighting the Government and Developers to preserve an Ancient Sacred Grove with extinct herbs and plants.

Panel discussion and questions after the film including panelists Chief Nathaniel B. Styles, Jr., Olosun-Godson of Adunni Olorisa (Susanne Wenger) and co-founder of the African Caribbean Cultural Arts Corridor &  Osun Village, Miami, and Artists and Priestesses Princess Doyin Faniyi Olosun and Princess Ladunni Keshinro, visiting from Nigeria

Live traditional Yoruba drumming will be provided by Prince Emmanuel Abiodun Aderele.

 

Click here for more information on Susanne Wenger.

 

 

 

Coconut Grove Grapevine: "The U" doumentary showing at City Hall

Check out information on public viewing of documentary on Coconut Grove Grapevine: "The U" doumentary showing at City Hall on the University of Miami football program.