The 2022 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) announced the Best of the ABFF Award winners. The lively and inspirational presentation hosted by three-time Emmy-nominated actor and author Dondré Whitfield was an on-point wrap to the exhilarating five-day festival with producer/director/actress Issa Rae the Festival Ambassador. The 26th annual festival returned live to Miami, this June 15-19 with independent films, the Best of the ABFF Awards, and more programming on its custom-designed online platform ABFF PLAY (https://abffplay.com/).
The Best of ABFF Awards include winners in the official film selection categories — narrative and documentary features, web series, and the 25th HBO Short Film Award Showcase. Its talent pipeline program is comprised of national casting and writing competitions.
The Jury Award winners are:
- Best Narrative Feature – Our Father, the Devil Produced by Ellie Foumbi, Joseph Mastantuono; Directed by Ellie Foumbi Prize: $2,500, presented by Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Best Director, Narrative Feature – Kali Baker-Johnson, Feel Like Ghosts Prize: $5,000, presented by Cadillac
- Best Screenplay, Narrative Feature – Feel Like Ghosts Written by Kali Baker-Johnson Prize: 2,500, presented by TV One
- John Singleton Award – Best First Feature – Our Father, The Devil Directed by Ellie Foumbi Prize: $5,000, presented by Netflix
- Best Documentary Feature – A Woman on the Outside Produced by Kiara C. Jones, Zara Katz, Lisa Riordan Seville; Directed by Zara Katz, Lisa Riordan Seville Prize: $2,500, presented by Prime Video
- Best Web Series – Mine Directed by Randall Dottin, Luisa Dantas Prize: $2,500, presented by Comcast NBCUniversal
- HBO Short Film Award – Another Country Directed by Sherif Alabede Prize: $10,000 for the winner, $5,000 each for four finalists presented by Warner Bros.
Discovery The Talent Pipeline Program winners are:
- ALLBLK’s Shoot Your Shot Casting Call – Javon Terrell Prize: Role in upcoming ALLBLK Original series Judge Me Not
- Warner Bros. Discovery Writers Initiative, One-Hour Drama Deion Higginbotham – The Saints Prize: $5,000
- Warner Bros. Discovery Writers Initiative, Half-Hour Drama Diara Newman – Townhall Prize: $5,000
The Fan Favorite as determined by the ABFF’s audience presented by American Airlines will be announced on the ABFF social platforms on July 1.
ABFF sponsors and partners include Warner Bros. Discovery & HBOÒ (Founding); Cadillac, City of Miami Beach, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Prime Video (Presenting); American Airlines, Comcast NBCUniversal, Meta, Bounce TV, Black Experience on Xfinity, UPS, IMDb (Premier); ALLBLK, Prudential Financial, Variety, TV One, Netflix, Starz, Disney+, Onyx Collective (Official); Accenture, Motion Pictures Association (MPA), A&E, The SpringHill Company, The Boston Globe, Color Of Change, Confluential Films, Arrington & Phillips, Fulton Films, BET Her, Morgan Stanley, Miami Beach VCA, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Supporting); Endeavor Content and DC Office of Television (Industry).
The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event dedicated to recognizing Black talent and showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. Dedicated to the belief that diverse artists deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts, ABFF founder Jeff Friday conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to strengthen the Black entertainment community by fostering resource sharing, education, and artistic collaboration. Now in its 26th year, the festival has become a cornerstone of diversity in Hollywood, providing a platform for emerging Black artists – many of whom have become today’s most successful actors, producers, writers, directors, and stand-up comedians. The ABFF is a property of ABFF Ventures LLC, an entertainment company specializing in the production of live events that promote Black culture and achievement.
For more information about ABFF, visit www.abff.com. Follow @ABFF on Twitter and @AmericanBlackFilmFestival on Instagram and Facebook.
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