16th Annual American Black Film Festival | Miami 2012

ABFF

I’m here in Miami at the 16th annual American Black Film Festival. I’m excited, and I hope you are excited as well.

ABFF!  It’s where it’s happening.

This is Robert Townsend. I’m glad to be here in beautiful South Beach, again, with a bunch of great movies. Our ambassador this year is Tracee Ellis Ross.

The 16th Annual American Black Film Festival!

Really!?

Yes!

That blows my mind, and thats so weird because I just turned 18! Oh my god!  Anyway…

This is home for me because this is actually the theater where I started at..

We do want to come out, number 1, although it is an honor to be here.

And the winner is… ?????

HBO is in the talent making business and you’re really doing a great job here, folks

Hi!  It’s Adina Porter, I’m of True Blood and The News Room-

I’ve taken this step, I’ve taken that step, I have something to show,  but I just don’t know where…this is where!

Hi I’m Karen Kirkland, I’m the executive director of the Nickelodeon Writing Program, and we are here at the ABFF!!!

I’m Don Lemon from CNN, and I’m here at ABFF, and I couldn’t be happier to be here, everyone has been so great.  There’s also (as a side)  championship game going on so the city is electric.

We all have one goal and that’s to help film makers make the best product they can make.

I don’t want people from the city to think that the festival is just for people in the film business! It’s for people who love movies.

We’re having so much fun already! This is amazing, like, so amazing!

We’ve really kind of embraced …….in terms of story telling.

Hey what’s going on! I’m Quinn Walters, I’m Addison Henderson, and we are the Q&H Show!

Hey what’s up everybody, this is Roger Bobb, director and producer of Raising Izzie, and this is my 16th ABFF.

I first red the script right here at ABFF a year ago so it’s just a true blessing to come here a year later with my first feature film so..

This is Vanessa Williams.

And My name’s Rockmond Dunbar.  We’re both new to ABFF 2012.

I hope that in the future on a consistent basis we can say look, there’s movies out there by us and for us and for people to realize that we represent a global market.

Look how people are interacting with are brand! People will remember Gold Peak Tea, ……and all of the things that we do together and so we’re excited the way consumers engage in what we do, and to further support ABFF.

I think its important to support not only black cinema but cinema in general.

For three years we’ve funded ourselves, its called Dark Girls, and deals with colorism in our own community. Thats the brown paper bag test in light vicious, dark, and “bla, bla, bla”. So we made the film for the impact that it’s having on our children today .

Hi, I’m Vonet Woods and I’m at the 16th Annual ABFF.

Hi I’m Marian Mara  and I’m hanging here at the ABFF 2012!

Ive gotta tell ya I’m so excited to be here, this has been just a huge awakening for me, and I don’t know where I’ve been the last sixteen years because this is like the best kept secret.

Thats the ultimate!  When you have a screen play competition and you can make not just one, but two scripts the second one is “Somebody’s Child” which will premier in August which we just wrapped, both on GMC television. We meet people that we didn’t intend to meet here. I think we will see a new show come out of a meeting we had yesterday. I’d be very surprised if we don’t see it on Aspire?? by the end of the year.

My philosophy is that you can only be your best when you surround yourself with the best, and that’s what ABFF means to us

Eddie Griffin and Michael Beach……

“This is one of my oldest ….in the world, and I didn’t know he was coming till last night, so-you know the good new is everyone’s poppin, this is a great week , a great time.”

Hi my names Don Butler, Vice President of marketing for Cadillac here at the 16th annual American Black film Festival, excited to be a part and play a role as  Americas … luxury brand.’’

And any time they mentioned anything about film at Black Enterprise, I say what about Jeff Friday.

If you’re trying to get your content out, if you’re a film person, or if you’re behind the scenes, or an actress, you know, lets start with some webisodes, lets start with you know, this which is not as lucrative as the big screen but its a way that you can do it on your iPhone and get your content out there and hopefully meet with people that are here at the ABFF and get it distributed as well.

were actually making an impact on people’s lives, and to me, when a festival can do that says a lot

I did not wear this lavender shirt for nothing!

My name is Chris Spencer, this is ABFF, and- I’m out

It’s been an amazing four days. We’ve had some fantastic movies, the panel discussions have been riveting, a lot of stars around, Miami beach has been great, and sunny, and I think our last count is 5000 people here so I want to thank all of you for joining us for the 16th annual American Black Film Festival and I hope to see you next year in June 2013. Take care!