Why 'A League Of Their Own' Is A Throwback For Today: 7 Things To Know About Upcoming Show [ABFF 2022]

Penny Marshall's 1992 classic, A League Of Their Own, is getting an updated TV adaptation, inviting a new generation of women to lean into the beloved story. Like the film, the Prime Video series is set amid the Second World War and centers on several women with aspirations of playing for the Rockford, Illinois Peaches, an All-American Women Professional Baseball team.

However, the television version of A League of Their Own explores the women's lives well beyond the field. Chanté Adams and Abbi Jacobson lead the series as Maxine and Carson. The first two episodes of the series were screened at the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and Shadow and Act was on hand for the screening and discussion with Adams and co-creator Will Graham. 

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A New Class Of Filmmakers: ABFF and HBO Short Film Award Finalists Bring Their Stories To Life

The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) has returned to Miami Beach for its 26th year, running from June 15 to June 30. The festival had been virtual for the past two years amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Now, diverse filmmakers, creatives, journalists, and movie-lovers have come together once again to celebrate Black stories and storytellers.

For its 25th year, HBO is presenting its Short Film Award. Regarded as one of the world's most prestigious short film showcases, The Short Film Award has helped launch the careers of directors like Ryan Coogler and Stefon Bristol. This year, five finalists—Sherif Alabede, Elisee Junior St Preu, Gia-Rayne Harris, Destiny Macon, and Rebecca Usoro—are competing for the award and a cash prize of $10,000.

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Netflix's 'Civil' Couldn't Be More Urgent Or Timely [ABFF 2022]

For more than two decades, Attorney Benjamin Crump has been at the forefront of advocating for Black Lives in America. His cases have included the families of Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Andre Hill, and countless others. When the American Justice system has refused to be an equal playing field, Crump and his team have proceeded with civil charges so that the families could obtain some monetary justice where the criminal justice system failed to work for them. 

Now, with her latest Netflix documentary Civil, Becoming filmmaker, Nadia Hallgren takes viewers through one year of Attorney Crump's life. The documentary follows Crump, who has continually advocated for Black life and humanity, not just in cases of police brutality but also in fighting back against racist banking structures and businesses who placed profit over the protection of Black life. 

Ahead of the Civil premiere as the opening night selection of the American Black Film Festival, Shadow and Act spoke with Crump and director Hallgren about the documentary and why the film has never been more timely. 

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American Black Film Festival 2022: Things You Can See And Get Into At This Year's Event

For its 26th year, American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is returning to Miami Beach. For the past two years, Founder and CEO Jeff Friday and his business partner and wife, Nicole Friday, President & General Manager of ABFF Ventures LLC, have held their renowned festival virtually amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Now, with the world getting back into the swing of things, the Fridays and 2022 Ambassador Issa Rae are inviting journalists, actors, entertainment VIPS, film and TV lovers, and anyone else who’d like to join back to the in-person festivals. It will be a celebration that consistently recognizes stories for us and by us.

This year, ABFF will run from June 15-19, and Shadow and Act will be in attendance for all of the screenings, talks, and various events. American Black Film Festival began in 1997 after Jeff Friday attended a slew of mainstream festivals where diversity and inclusion were hard to find. From that moment forward, the Fridays have worked diligently to ensure that Black stories and creators are recognized. 

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Jeff and Nicole Friday Celebrate 25 Years Of The American Black Film Festival

More than 100 years after the birth of cinema, Hollywood is finally making an effort to create projects that center narratives from the African Diaspora. American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Founder and CEO Jeff Friday and his business partner and wife, Nicole Friday, President & General Manager of ABFF Ventures LLC, decided to carve out a space specifically for Black talent more than two decades ago. In doing so, they ensured a legacy for Black cinema and established longevity without waiting on Hollywood. This year, ABFF will celebrate 25 years of recognizing and honoring the stories made for and created by us.

Continue reading at ESSENCE.

ABFF 2015 Review: 'In My Father’s House' Is a Powerful Work on Family, Abuse and Fatherhood

Statistics say that 75% of Black children are born in single-family households, a number that has increased exponentially since the 1960s. Directors Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern’s surprisingly bold documentary "In My Father’s House" follows Che ‘Rhymefest’ Smith as he embarks on a journey to find his absentee father, a man that he never knew. After buying the house that his father grew up in, Che is suddenly desperate to learn about the man who is responsible for his existence.

At first glance, the subject seems rather tiresome and cliché. Another Black man without a father, Che defied the odds and left behind his rough Chicago neighborhood and found major success in music. (He co-wrote “Jesus Walks” with Kanye West and “Glory” with Common and John Legend.) However, when Che finally does reconnect with his father, he finds him living on the street a few blocks from his home. Brian Tillman is a destitute man; he’s an alcoholic who has been living on the streets of Chicago for the past twenty years. And yet, despite his circumstances, Brian brings light humor and warmth to an otherwise devastating subject matter. He’s charismatic and extremely intelligent, but also somehow broken, either by the cycle of Black oppression or something equally as sinister.

A Chicago native, it was thrilling to see the real Chi-town on screen. The film showed neighborhoods and places that were familiar to me, it didn’t focus on the glitz and glam of downtown. The documentary felt authentic because it didn't smooth over the grit and ugliness of the city. Like "Hoop Dreams" (1994) and "Cooley High" (1975) the city wasn’t simply a backdrop in the story. The harsh winters, segregation and violence all honestly played a part in the story. Brian lived and thrived on the streets and the camera was right there with him.

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Image: 'In My Father's House' Film

ABFF 2015: Taraji P. Henson Gets Candid on Fear, Having a Baby in College, Hollywood Struggles, Career Goals, Oscar, 'Empire' + More

Taraji P. Henson has been well known and loved in the Black community since her portrayal of Yvette, in John Singleton’s "Baby Boy" (2001). However, it was the unprecedented success of Fox’s hip-drama "Empire" that made her a household name around the world. This past weekend, at the 19th Annual American Black Film Festival. ABFF’s 2015 Ambassador Taraji P. Henson sat down with Gayle King to talk about her long running career, dating, raising her son and what she wants most of all.  Here are some of the highlights, and Shadow and Act attended.

Here are some highlights from the conversation:

On going From Electrical Engineering to Acting

- What had happened was I auditioned for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in the tenth grade, and I didn’t get accepted.  My best friend did, isn’t that horrible? I took it to heart. I thought that meant I could not act, so I stopped acting. When it was time to go to college I knew I had to go to school, so I just said electrical engineering because it sounded like I could make a lot of money.  But, I was terrible at math. Acting was still in me, but I was just afraid.

On Fear

- When I was at A&T I had to pass the fine arts building to get to my English Class. One day, I walked passed and they had an audition for a play and I was like 'I’m gonna do it.' And I got my monologue, and I remember standing on that stage and the only thing I kept hearing in my head was ‘No’. I was nervous and my hands were shaking, it was horrible. And they said, we’ll put up on the bulletin board the next day who gets the call back. I was so riddled with fear that I never went back to see if I got the call back.

On Growing Up

- I grew up in the hood and I wasn’t the coolest. I was an artist. I was a little quirky and to the left. I dressed a little crazy. But you know, I would set trends I would do kooky things like wear clips in the front of my hair and next thing you know, Peaches and them got clips in the front of their hair.

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Image: Chuck Hodes/Fox