Opening Night of ABFF with Issa Rae, Jeff & Nicole Friday, Bevy Smith & More

Creative director, Issa Rae, and Nice Crowd President & COO, Nicole Friday, kick off the momentous opening night of the 28th American Black Film Festival on Wednesday.

Taking center stage is the 27th HBO® Short Film Award Showcase. The HBO® Short Film Award is regarded as one of the country’s most prestigious short film showcases.

The ABFF is an Academy Award-qualifying festival for the Short Film category and five filmmakers were selected as finalists to screen their short films and compete for a chance to win $10,000.

For the first time, the HBO Short Film Award Showcase at ABFF features films made by all Black women directors:

• Chocolate with Sprinkles, a sweet family fantasy/drama, starring Reno Wilson, directed and written by Huriyyah Muhammad

• Muna, United Kingdom story of British-Somali teenager explorations of grief and culture directed and written by Warda Mohamed

• Once Upon a Dime, profound perspective of the unhoused community, directed and written by Lauren Julia

• The Brown Dog, an animated short narrated by the late Michael K. Williams and directed by Nadia Hallgren and Jamie-James Medina

• The Rebel Girls, 1960s civil rights story directed and written by Felicia D Henderson and executive produced by Mara Brock Akil