This past weekend South Beach hosted Film Life, Inc.’s 15^th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF). From July 6-9, guests enjoyed screenings and cocktail parties amongst other activities, including a boot camp. The ABFF’s red carpet was graced by Eric Benet, Don King, Mekhi Phifer, Anthony Anderson and Terrell Owens, just to name a few.

ABFF is made possible by its dedicated sponsors, one of which has been supporting the festival from the beginning. Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO), the festival’s founding sponsor, continued its loyalty to the event this year. HBO also held their 14^th annual short film competition, in which five finalists’ films competed for the $20,000 prize.

Grey Goose, who has been a Premier Sponsor for the past four years, returned to host cocktail parties, a closing party, and even presented an award. Team Sizzle Worldwide, the Baltimore Ravens’ Terrell Suggs’ film production company, came on board as a Premier Sponsor this year as well. Other sponsors included Cadillac, AT&T, CNN and American Airlines.

The weekend closed with ABFF Honors, where Emmy Award-winning producer and director Keenan Ivory Wayans was awarded the Entertainment Icon Award. Since 1997, the three-day festival has been showcasing Black cinema and promoting cultural diversity in film. With its 15^th anniversary being such a success, it’s safe to say the ABFF will continue to grow and celebrate Black film and culture for years to come.

Photo credit: Meg Pukel, www.megpukel.com

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