The Netflix satirical conspiracy caper film They Cloned Tyrone starring Golden Globe winner John Boyega (Small Axe, Attack the Block, Star Wars), Teyonah Parris (The Marvels, WandaVision) and Oscar winner Jamie Foxx (Ray, Just Mercy) will open the 2023 American Black Film Festival (ABFF). Emmy-winning writer, producer and actor Lena Waithe is ABFF’s 2023 Festival Ambassador.
They Cloned Tyrone is the directorial debut of Juel Taylor, the writer behind Creed II, and follows a series of eerie events that thrusts an unlikely trio (Boyega, Parris, and Foxx) onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper. They Cloned Tyrone will have a limited theatrical release prior to launching on Netflix July 21, 2023.
The 2023 lineup showcases a number of world premieres including Murder City, produced by filmmaker Oz Scott and Kevin Garnett, starring Michael Colter; Jagged Mind, directed by Kelley Kali; and Phels High, starring Omari Hardwick, Allen Maldenado and Elise Neal. Producers Oz Scott and Kevin Garnett, also bring their highly anticipated feature film Cinnamon, starring Pam Grier and Damon Wayans.
This year’s 27th edition of the festival takes place live in Miami Beach June 14-18, followed by a virtual segment June 19-25 .
NARRATIVE FEATURES (U.S. & International)
A Song from the Dark
After the mysterious death of her husband, a woman with a dark family secret hires a spirit-hunter to expel a spirit tormenting her family.
UK | 103 min
Director: Ogo Okpue
Writer: Ogo Okpue
Producer: Ogo Okpue
Cast: Vanessa Vanderpuye, Nse Ikpe Etim, Wale Ojo, Garcia Brown, Paul Coster
Cinnamon
Jodi, a gas station attendant with killer pipes and big dreams (Hailey Kilgore), falls hopelessly in love with a hustler (David Iacono), only to fall foul of a local crime lord (Pam Grier) and her murderous family.
USA | 91 min
Director: Bryian Keith Montgomery, Jr.
Writer: Bryian Keith Montgomery, Jr.
Producers: Oz Scott, Kevin Garnett
Cast: Damon Wayans, Pam Grier, Hailey Kilgore, David Iacono
Jagged Mind *World Premiere
When Billie starts dating a mysterious new girlfriend, she is plagued by blackouts and strange visions that lead her to discover she’s stuck in a series of time loops.
USA | 88 min
Director: Kelley Kali
Writer: Allyson Morgan
Producers: David Worthen Brooks, Arbi Pedrossian, Jenna Cavelle, Daniela Ruiz, Kelley Kali, Congyu E
Cast: Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Shannon Woodward
Million to One *World Premiere
Dre Shaw reluctantly puts his life as a social media rising star on hold to return home for his brother’s wedding, only to go from family liability to savior.
USA | 73 min
Director: Harold Jackson
Writer: Harold Jackson
Producers: Harold Jackson, Elena Lake, Laketa Bailey, Tsedey Aragie
Cast: Rob Gordon, Ashley Rios, Michael J. Patterson, Briana Cortesiano
Murder City *World Premiere
After losing his job on the police force, Neil (Mike Colter) is forced to work with the city’s most ruthless kingpin, Ash (Stephanie Sigman), to settle the debts of his estranged father, Graham (Antonio Fargas).
Mexico | 85 min
Director: Michael D. Olmos
Writer: Michael D. Olmos
Producers: Oz Scott, Kevin Garnett
Cast: Mike Colter, Stephanie Sigman, Antonio Fargas, Medina Senghore
Phels High *World Premiere
Loyalty among friends isn’t always the case, when your life is on the line.
USA | 85 min
Director: Kevin J. Nelson
Writer: Kevin J. Nelson
Producers: Kevin J. Nelson, Michael Arcell, Rovelt Laforet
Cast: Omari Hardwick, Elise Neal, Michael Hyatt, TJ Atoms, Allen Maldonado
Playing Sam *World Premiere
When a Latina actress struggles to stand out from the stereotypical role, she channels her turbulent love life to book the character of her dreams.
USA | 89 min
Director: Ramon Pesante
Writers: Ramon Pesante, Jenni Ruiza
Producers: Jessica Hernandez, Jenni Ruiza, Elaine del Valle, Michelle Johnson, Marc Reign, Burton Lewis
Cast: Jenni Ruiza, Marc Reign, William McDermitt, Phyllis Salaberrios
Summer of Violence *World Premiere
Refusing law school to pursue poetry, a sheltered college grad, cut off from her father’s money, struggles to survive while living in Denver during the “Summer of Violence” in 1993.
USA | 104 min
Director: Nicki Micheaux
Writer: Nicki Micheaux
Producers: Efuru Flowers, Nicki Micheaux, Sean Riggs
Cast: Kasey Inez, Damon Gupton, Jahking Guillory
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia *World Premiere
“Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia” is a full-length documentary focusing on the effects of gun violence on young men, women and mothers living in Philadelphia.
USA | 69 min
Director: Kyra Knox
Producer: Kyra Knox
Executive Producers: Allen Iverson, Mark Mims
Cast: Garry Mills, Wynter Bess, Kalil Camara, David King
Betye Saar: Ready to be a Warrior
Filmed over the course of 8 years, this documentary is a love letter to famed LA artist Betye Saar as she navigates life as a Black woman artist.
USA | 77 min
Director: Angela Robinson Witherspoon
Producers: Angela Robinson Witherspoon, Abdul Malik Abbott
Cast: Betye Saar, John Legend, CCH Pounder, Alison Saar, Lezley Saar
Birthing Justice
America’s medical establishment has turned giving birth into a battleground for Black women and their babies
USA | 86 min
Director: Monique N. Matthews
Writers: Jacoba Atlas, Monique N. Matthews
Producer: Sasheen Artis
Cast: Allyson Felix
Black Barbie: A Documentary
Through intimate access to a charismatic Mattel Insider, Beulah Mae Mitchell, “Black Barbie” delves into the cross-section of merchandise and representation as Black women strive to elevate their own voices and stories, refusing to be invisible.
USA | 100 min
Director: Lagueria Davis
Writer: Lagueria Davis
Producers: Aaliyah Williams, Lagueria Davis
Cast: Beulah Mae Mitchell, Kitty Black Perkins, Stacey McBride-Irby, Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins, Gabourey Sidibe, Julissa Calderon
Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land *World Premiere
From Executive Producer Al Roker, Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land answers the question: Why has Black ownership of farmland dwindled to alarmingly low numbers and examines the causes, effects, and solutions to the issue of Heirs’ Property.
USA | 96 min
Director: Eternal Polk
Writer: Eternal Polk
Producers: Chimene Williams, Denise Hurst Green, Francisco Newman
Executive Producers: Al Roker, Eternal Polk
Higher Power *World Premiere
“Higher Power” uses the stories of Black Washingtonians fighting to enter the legal cannabis industry to reveal the stark reality of 700,000 disenfranchised Americans living in Washington, D.C. and the urgent need for D.C. Statehood.
USA | 64 min
Director: Dewey Ortiz Jr.
Writers: Rafi Aliya Crockett, Dewey Ortiz Jr.
Producer: Rafi Aliya Crockett
Cast: Eleanor Holmes Norton, Queen Adesuyi, David Gross, Jason Alrich, John Che Larracuente
Locked Out
Owning a home—the cornerstone of generational wealth—is increasingly out of reach for people of color. In Detroit, a group of Black women fight against scammers, evictions, and traditional banks to help make “The American Dream” a reality for all.
USA | 87 min
Directors: Kate Davis, Luchina Fisher
Producer: Rupert Maconick
Cast: Soummer Crawford, Geraldine Smith-Bey, Niaja Rutledge
National Battle of the Bands, Salute To HBCU Marching Bands *Festival Premiere
History, Culture, Pomp, and Circumstance. From football halftimes to battles in the stands. So, you think you know all there is to know about HBCU Marching Bands…? Well think again!
USA | 42 min
Director: Reggie Scott
Writer: Reggie Scott
Producers: Reggie Scott, Derek Webber
Cast: Derek Webber, Dr. Charles McClelland, Chauncey Hamlett, Dr. Julian White, Dr. Michael Magruder, Donovan Wells, Warren Duncan, Kedrick Taylor, Jared White
Riding Legacy (An Oklahoma Black Cowboy Story)
Cowboy culture as the past, present, and future of Black Oklahomans.
USA | 60 min
Directors: Kian Taylor, James “Videohero” Ridley
Writer: Nicole Jocleen
Producer: Nicole Jocleen
Cast: Danell Tipton, Tory Johnson, Kandra Demery, Ronnie Davis, Da’Mon Hopkins
The Five Demands
“The Five Demands” tells the dramatic but little-known story of the 1969 student strike that changed the face of higher education.
USA | 74 min
Directors: Greta Schiller, Andrea Weiss
Producers: Greta Schiller, Andrea Weiss
Executive Producer: Stanley Nelson
Cast: Henry Arce, Francee Covington, Dorothy Randall Gray, Charles Powell