The
American Black Film Festival starts Wednesday and runs through Sunday in
Miami Beach and will include a series of industry panels for aspiring black
filmmakers featuring TV and studios execs from AOL Time Warner, ABC and
fest-founding sponsor HBO, among others.
The event, formerly located in Mexico and known as the Acapulco Black Film
Festival, moved State side this year.
Audience voting will
determine the winner of the Blockbuster Audience award for feature film, which
carries a $ 15,000 prize. In competition at the fest will
include LTG’s Executive Director Neema Barnette's Hip Hop female prison
drama, “Civil Brand” that sports an impressive cast. LisaRaye,
N’Bushe Wright, Mos Def, DaBrat, Monica Calhoun, Clifton Powell, Tichina Arnold,
Lark Voorhees, MC Lite and LTG’s Artistic Director,
Reed McCants all
give riveting performances. Neema is elated at the early positive response of
the film. “I screened excerpts of the film in
New York at the African American Women in Cinema Festival and since
then emails and
phone
calls have been pouring into Lions Gate as well as the Live Theatre Gang website
that has sponsored posters,
flyers and a trailer to help promote the film at ABFF.”
When
asked how she assembled such an impressive cast, Barnette recalled, “The film
was shot with a low budget, we only had fifteen days so I had to call in
favors. I worked with Mos Def on the “Cosby Mysteries” and because of the
subject matter; he was enthusiastic and willing to come on board. N’Bushe
Wright was also in a television movie I directed for CBS and when she found out
I was doing the feature she joined the cast as well and that’s the way it was
for the entire cast. We all know that prison is big business. This film allows
audiences a peep inside of the possible abuses that can go on if left
unmonitored”. Eighty Five percent of the
young prison population are
people of color; however it’s a topic that should
spark interest in all.”
Screening times are Wednesday, June 26th at 10:45am, Thurs. June 27th at 12noon, Friday June 28th at 10:45am and Saturday, June 29th at 12:30pm with panel discussion with director and cast following. For additional information, you can log onto the ABFF website or check back with The Live Theatre Gang for updates.
Bob
Rich
Editor