25th American Black Film Festival Premieres With ‘King Richard’ Starring Will Smith

The 2021 American Black Film Festival ABFF will open its milestone 25^th year with Warner Bros. Pictures’ eagerly anticipated film King Richard. The expanded 2021 festival will be available as a free, worldwide digital experience November 3-28 via its online platform ABFF PLAY. King Richard will be available by special invitation to a limited audience.

King Richard stars two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith, who also is the film’s producer, as Richard Williams, the determined father of Venus and Serena Williams. The story follows the journey of their family, whose unwavering resolve and unconditional belief ultimately creates two of the world’s greatest sports legends. Also starring are Aunjanue Ellis as the girls’ mom, Oracene Wlliams, Saniyya Sidney as Venus Williams and Demi Singleton as Serena Williams, with Tony Goldwyn and Jon Bernthal as coaches Paul Cohen and Rick Macci. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men) from a script written by Zach Baylin, King Richard will be released in U.S. theaters and stream exclusively on HBO Max, November 19.

“It is with pride and excitement that we mark our 25^th year opening with Warner Bros.’ King Richard, a film that is a touchstone of ABFF’s legacy of showcasing extraordinary Black talent and inspiring storytelling reflecting the brilliance of diversity in Hollywood,” said Nicole Friday, president and general manager, ABFF Ventures LLC. “We’re especially gratified to have the film’s director, Reinaldo Marcus Green, a previous finalist in HBO’s prestigious Short Film Competition, return to ABFF as feature film director — demonstrating the importance of the HBO pipeline in advancing the careers of Black artists. This event is simply a grand slam on every level.”

ABFF Ventures, LLC today announced Oscar-winning actress and director Halle Berry as ambassador for the 2021 American Black Film Festival (ABFF). Along with her ambassador functions, Berry will headline ABFF’s popular talk series, an intimate one-on-one conversation that will spotlight her distinguished 30-year career. This year’s festival will be a worldwide virtual experience hosted on the festival’s custom-built platform ABFF PLAY November 3–28.

The ABFF 2021 worldwide virtual experience will include over 100 independent films from 35 countries, spotlight screenings, talks and networking events featuring creators, artists and industry executives. Access to the festival is free. To register, visit https://abff.com.

For festival information visit and follow @ABFF on Twitter and @AmericanBlackFilmFestival on Instagram and Facebook. Join in on the conversation by using #ABFF.

ABFF sponsors to date include Warner Media, HBO® (Founding) Cadillac, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Amazon Studios (Presenting); Comcast NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Entertainment, American Airlines, AT&T, Facebook, IMDb (Premier); ALLBLK, HBOMax, City of Miami Beach, Netflix, Prudential Financial, TBS, Yahoo!, Starz, Warner Bros, Disney Television Studios, National Geographic, Variety (Official) Accenture, AspireTV, Motion Picture Association (MPA), Morgan Stanley, OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) (Supporting). Media partners include BIN: Black Information Network, TheGrio and Rolling Out.

ABOUT ABFF
The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event dedicated to recognizing Black talent and showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. Dedicated to the belief that diverse artists deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts, ABFF founder Jeff Friday conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to strengthen the Black entertainment community by fostering resource sharing, education and artistic collaboration. Now in its 25th year, the festival has become a cornerstone of diversity in Hollywood, providing a platform for emerging Black artists – many of whom have become today’s most successful actors, producers, writers, directors and stand-up comedians. The ABFF is a property of ABFF Ventures LLC, a division of Jeff Friday Media (JFM).

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Tags: #ABFF2021, ABFF, black film, film festival, King Richard, Movies, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Will Smith

About the Author

Crystal Willis Crystal Willis is an Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, Entertainment Publicist and CEO of The Omni Firm. She is also a Transformational Life Coach and Founder of The Crysalis. Her personal story has been seen by millions of people on media outlets like Marie Claire Magazine, PBS, Blaze TV, Daily Signal and more.