The 2012 installment of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) ended on Saturday, and I doubt that I'm wrong when I say that S&A is the only press outlet (or one of very few) with a presence at the festival that actually reviewed the films during the course of the festival, and did so consistently because, well, it's a FILM festival isn't it?
Google Byron Hurt's Soul Food Junkies for example (which screened last week at the ABFF, and also won the award for Best Documentary); you'd think you'd find a wealth of reviews of the award-winner for Best Documentary, and undoubtedly one of the best films at the festival this year, AND it was the film's world premiere; but no, the only one you'll find is the review Vanessa wrote for S&A.
Or how about S. Epatha Merkerson's Contradictions Of Fair Hope, which also screened at the festival succesfully last week? That's right; the answer is the same. The only ABFF review of the film that currently exists is the one Vanessa penned for this site.
Or Leila Djansi's Ties That Bind starring Kimberly Elise. Go ahead and search for ABFF reviews of the film; what do you know? We're 3 for 3.
And the beat goes on…
What you might find in your ABFF search are lots and lots of photos of celebs attending events at the festival, lots of red carpet coverage and the like, but you'd be lucky to find as many reviews of the FILMS that actually screened at the FILM festival, which I find somewhat perplexing.
And now that I've posted this, don't be surprised if reviews suddenly start turning up all over the place 🙂
But not only did Vanessa review just about every film she saw (she'll be posting 2 more in the next 24 hours – for Elza and Otelo Burning), she also squeezed in a number of video interviews with some of the talent that was present. From Russ Parr to Michael Beach to Eddie Griffin, Letoya Luckett, and Christian Keyes.
She also covered awards night, on Saturday, when the winners were announced and presented with their trophies.
It's a lot of work folks – especially for one person, crammed into 3 days! And you'd be remiss if you didn't take the time to check out all (or at least some) of her ABFF 2012 posts, because, quite frankly, the coverage is complete.
And if you're a filmmaker whose film was reviewed, you really should be sharing that review with your base (whether on Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere) – especially if the review was positive.
But I'll stop talking now; follow the links below to much of our coverage of the ABFF this year:
– 2012 ABFF Exclusive Video: Christian Keyes & LeToya Luckett Talk Rom-Com 'Note To Self'
– ABFF 2012 Review: Leila Djansi's Emotionally Rich, Thought-Provoking 'Ties That Bind'
– ABFF 2012 Review: Compelling Political Drama 'Better Mus' Come' Misses A Few Chances
– ABFF 2012 Exclusive Video: Michael Beach & Eddie Griffin Talk 'A Fool and His Money' & More
– 2012 ABFF Review: Eye-Opening 'Contradictions of Fair Hope' Gives Lesson in Identity & Dignity
– ABFF 2012 Exclusive Video: Russ Parr Talks 'Undershepherd' Reception & Distribution Hopes
– 2012 ABFF Review: Must-See 'Soul Food Junkies' Is An Amusing, Enlightening, Important Doc
