2008 American Black Film Festival to Explore Black Sexuality and Romance in American Cinema
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on July 11, 2008 under American Black Film Festival (ABFF) | 
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Film Life’s 12th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) will take place August 7-10, 2008, in Los Angeles, CA, with Exploring Black Romance and Sexuality in American Cinema as its theme. “The majority of American films, from PG to R have romance and sexuality either prominently featured or as the subtext. Black romance and sexuality are rarely part of the storyline in these films and realistic portrayals of how and whom we love are few and far between. We intend to explore the question ‘is Black romance taboo or too hot to handle?’” said Jeff Friday, CEO of Film Life, Inc. and founder and producer of the American Black Film Festival. “When you look at the leading actors or actresses in those films you will discover a disturbing fact, the story line rarely involves people of color. An internet search on IMDB found that of the roughly 350 films earning more than $100 million at the box office 50 of them had love scenes but not one of those scenes involved a person of color,” added Friday.
The ABFF is the premier international marketplace for films that showcase the best new work by and about people of African descent. The mission of the festival is to encourage collaboration and support between Hollywood and the independent film community through resource sharing, education, artistic collaboration and career development. “The ABFF takes its role as the voice of Black independent cinema very seriously,” said actor Anthony Mackie, who serves as the 2008 ABFF Ambassador. “If we are afraid to initiate the dialog, ask the questions and demand the answers, who do we expect will do it?” he continued. Read more of this article »