It seems that much confusion has developed between filmmakers and the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). This film festival is scheduled to take place from Friday October 25th to Monday, the 29th of this month. However, there have been zero announcements about what films are screening at the film festival. Encouraging or even expecting filmmakers to prepare for something at the last minute is unprofessional. There may be good reasons why there is no list or notifications up yet. There could have been some kind of last minute changes or a very important emergency. Still, filmmakers and those who plan to attend should not be left to wonder what is going on.

A member of one Black Filmmaking group stated that these announcements were scheduled to be made September 17th. It is now the middle of October and it seems that there are still not any announcements about the upcoming American Black Film Festival. One the festival’s website, there is a schedule of events. However, the individual films are not listed. How is someone supposed to know what’s playing and on which night?

Filmmakers who are waiting to find out if and when their film will play at the American Black Film Festival have less than two weeks left. That does not give one time to prepare for travel and promotion if they are out of town. Even for locals, this can make it difficult to get the word out about upcoming movie screenings.

That concerns me, especially when other filmmakers have submitted films, been accepted and have plans to attend. I will have to stay up to date on this film festival before submitting my own films. This does not seem like the American Black Film Festival, because it is one of the more popular festivals for African American films. However, I haven’t attended or even submitted a film before. Therefore, other filmmakers who have worked with this festival in the past and are working with the organizers now know much more than I do. Hopefully, there will be some kind of announcement or notifications sent to filmmakers very soon.

The American Black Film Festival website states that films will be announced on the 22nd of October. That does not make a lot of sense, but who knows? Maybe everything will turn out well. Good luck to all filmmakers who have questions or concerns about what is going on with their film at this film festival. Maybe it was a down year. Things (No profanity here) happen.

*This post is part of the Film Festival Wednesdays Series. Enjoy and Stay Tuned for more news on film screenings and awards. Make sure to check out independent films in your town and online! Support Independent filmmaking!

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