Free American Black Film Festival Community Day film screenings

The 2023 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) will celebrate Father’s Day with their annual Community Day event. This family-inspired celebration takes place on Sunday, June 18, 2023 from noon to 5 p.m. at the historic Lyric Theater, 819 NW 2nd Ave, Miami.

To attend, visit Eventbrite and register for a free admission ticket here.

ABFF’s Community Day, now in its 9th year of partnership with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), provides a place where festivalgoers and the local Miami community can experience dynamic programming from emerging artists and established industry creatives.

American Black Film Festival

This year’s program will feature two special screenings from Max, hit comedy series Rap Sh!t and the all-new animated Young Love. The Rap Sh!t screening will be followed by a talkback with creator and executive producer Issa Rae and show runner Syreeta Singleton. Following the Young Love screening, Oscar-winning director Matthew A. Cherry will discuss his highly anticipated upcoming series.

Issa Rae (photo courtesy of Harris Public Relations)

The schedule of events for the 2023 ABFF Annual Community Day is as follows:

Noon to 1 p.m. – Community Day Marketplace and Red Carpet

1 – 2 p.m. – Screening of two episodes of Rap Sh!t (TV-MA)

2 – 2:45 p.m. – Talkback with Issa Rae and Syreeta Singleton

Rap Sh!t follows two estranged high school friends from Miami, Shawna and Mia, who reunite to form a rap group.
Cast: Aida Osman (Shawna), KaMillion (Mia), Jonica Booth (Chastity), RJ Cyler (Lamont), Daniel Augustin (Maurice)

30-minute Intermission

3:15 – 4 p.m. – Screening of Young Love

4 – 4:30 p.m. – Talkback with Matthew A. Cherry

Young Love expands on the animated short Hair Love, which centered around the relationship between an African American father, his daughter Zuri, and the most daunting task a father could ever come across – doing his daughter's hair for the first time. Filled with comedy and heart, the all-new animated series Young Love is an honest look into the world of the Young family – including millennial parents Stephen and Angela, their daughter Zuri and her pet cat Rocky – as they juggle their careers, marriage, parenthood, social issues and multi-generational dynamics, all while striving to make a better life for themselves.

Issa Rae, who served as ABFF’s 2022 Festival Ambassador, created and starred in the Peabody award-winning HBO series Insecure, which garnered multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominations and wins. Via her production banner HOORAE, Rae has also produced audience favorites A Black Lady Sketch Show, Sweet Life: Los Angeles and the upcoming Project Greenlight on Max.

Chicago native, Matthew A. Cherry is a former NFL wide receiver turned filmmaker who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers and the Baltimore Ravens. In 2020 his short film, Hair Love earned him Academy Award for Best Animated Short. In addition to previously consulting for MonkeyPaw Productions and executive producing Spike Lee’s highly acclaimed BlacKKKlansman, Matthew has also directed multiple episodes of television, including Black-ish, Saved By The Bell, Abbott Elementary, The Wonder Years, Clean Slate and more. Additionally, Matthew's first feature film, The Last Fall, was inspired by his own experiences playing in the NFL and starred Lance Gross and Nicole Beharie.