The American Black Film Festival took Miami Beach by storm, presenting a full day of world-class screenings, panels and events with Kerry Washington, Nia Long and more.
MIAMI BEACH, FL - JUNE 13: Unprisoned Season 2 Premiere with Kerry Washington during Day 2 of the American Black Film Festival on June 13, 2024 in Miami Beach, FL. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton / ABFF)
The day of the American Black Film Festival kicked off with the world premiere screening of “Unprisoned” season 2, followed by a Q&A with Washington.
During the post-screening Q&A, moderated by Bevy Smith, Washington spoke about the importance of therapy, even saying, “I think if Jesus was alive and walking today he would be in therapy.”
Washington acknowledged the Scandal fans in the audience and even said, “I’m happy to answer all your questions. If you want to know what it was like to kiss Tony Goldwyn, I’ll tell you,” before explaining that it was just “my job.”
Later in the day, Nia Long participated in a conversation titled Money & Mindfulness, which was followed by “Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black” exclusive first look with Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict and an exclusive message from Peryr himself.
“You can come down here and be celebrated, be heard, get your films shown, you can network,” Hardrict remarked on the importance of ABFF. “It’s a beautiful thing seeing people hear every year. Jeff Friday has done this for us.”
One of the day’s final screenings was “Ol’ Dirty Bastard,” a documentary about the founder of Wu-Tang Clan. The film was executive produced by his son YDBwho wore a custom jacket in tribute to his father.
Closing out the white-hot second day of ABFF was Miami-Icon and rap princess Trina, who participated in “Trina: Uncensored.” Trina shared stories about the music industry, the role of women in Hip Hop, her cultural impact, personal loss and more.
Throughout the day, interactive panels and conversations tackled a wide range of topics from representation, content acquisitions, and storytelling through voice acting.