HBFF's Films, Panels and Programming

THE HOLLYWOOD BLACK FILM FESTIVAL

 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2 – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2013 

                         

(October 1, 2013 – Hollywood, CA) – Tanya Kersey, Founder and Executive Director, is excited to launch the 2013 season of the Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF) with an exciting line up of films, panels, panelists and festivities over a four day period.  HBFF happens October 2 – 6, 2013 and will be hosted at The W Hotel, 6250 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028.  The opening night will be October 2 at 7:00 PM. All films will be screened around the corner at the Montalban Theater, 1615 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA.

Winnie Mandela the Opening Night Film at 7:00pm, starring Academy Award® winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) and Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow), is an epic story of love, sacrifice and courage. Moving from a remote tribal village to the sprawling metropolis of Johannesburg, South Africa, a proud young Winnie soon found love with a rising political star.

When Nelson was imprisoned for protesting the brutal Apartheid government, Winnie worked tirelessly to win his freedom and to carry on his message of peace and equality. Her struggle to keep the Mandela dream alive was rewarded by years of persecution and imprisonment, including 18 months of solitary confinement. Throughout, her resolve to fight for her freedom, her family and her country never wavered. Her leadership and unconquerable spirit caught the attention of the world and earned her the name "the mother of the nation.” Immediately following the screening, the after party will take place at the W Hotel at 9:00pm.

Festival goers can look forward to FREE Events: Beauty Lounge, Friday and Saturday, October 5-6, 11:00AM -5:00PM. Guests with all access passes will enjoy complimentary mini­services by some of Hollywood’s hottest hair stylists, makeup artist, eyebrow artists, lash specialists and nail artists. Featuring Hairstylists: Erica, Lena Jaye, Melody, Brooklyn, Darico Jackson, Fabio, Donnell; Eyebrows: Kayla Weiss; Make up and Lashes: Brandie White, Skin So Fancy; Nails: Adam Tran. Celebrity Co­host: Tabitha Brown.

Monologue Slam with Twinkie Byrd and Celebrity Friends, Saturday, October 5 at 7:00PM

Led by veteran casting director Twinkie Byrd, a panel of celebrity judges will participate in a lively Q&A discussion about all things acting ­­ career development, audition tips & techniques, and much more. Following the panel discussion, the 11 contest finalists will perform their monologue in front of a panel of celebrity judges and a live audience. The panel will also give each actor feedback on their performance.

The HBFF has an impressive list of panelists which include notable names such as: Writer/Director Malcom Lee (The Best Man Holiday, The Best Man, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Roll Bounce, Everybody Hates Chris,); The CW Network and Casting Director Twinkie Byrd (Fruitvale Station, Black Nativity, Sparkle, Jumping the Broom, Notorious, Stomp the Yard);

Creator/Executive Producer Bentley Kyle Evans (TV One’s Love That Girl, Martin, A Thin Line Between Love and Hat, The Jaime Foxx Show); Brian White (And Then There Was You, Stomp the Yard, Burn Notice, Daddy’s Little Girls); Brandon T. Jackson (Beverly Hills Co TV Movie, Roll Bounce, This Christmas); Brely Evans (Sparkle, Just Wright, Note to Self, For Love or Money, For Richer or Poorer TV Series); Debra Martin Chase (Martin Chase Productions, two-time Emmy nominated motion picture and television producer, former lawyer who is the first African American woman to have a solo producing deal at a major studio);

Four Key Sessions you don’t want to miss:  A Conversation with Writer/­Director Malcolm Lee, Thursday, October 3 at 3:30pm; A Conversation with Producer Debra Martin Chase, Friday, October 4 at 5:30pm; Masters Class: Producers Prospective

(All projects face the same basic challenges – from developing material, finding the money, building strong collaborative teams, and ultimately, taking the project from script to screen. This is a roundtable discussion with seasoned and successful film and television producers and production executives who share their experience and offer concrete advice on producing for film and television), Saturday, October 5 at 4:00pm; Acting Up (Actors discuss their careers, the industry, and the building blocks needed to successfully develop a full­time acting career) Saturday October 5 at 5:15pm;

The HBFF closes with the world premiere of CodeBlack Films, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, Directed by George Tillman, Jr. and written by Michael Starrbury, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete stars Academy Award® and Golden Globe® winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls), Golden Globe and EMMY® Award winner Jeffrey Wright (Boardwalk Empire, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Quantum of Solace), Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks (Sparkle), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World) and Anthony Mackie (Runner Runner, Pain & Gain). Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen and Bob Teitel produced the film with Alicia Keys, Susan Lewis, Clay Floren, Aimee Shieh, Julio Depietro, Keith Kjarval, Mary Vernieu, and Amy Nauiokas executive producing. The film also features new music by Grammy® Award-winning multiplatinum recording artist Alicia Keys.

 The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete is a beautifully observed and tremendously moving film about salvation through friendship and the way transformation sometimes can happen just by holding on long enough. During a sweltering summer in New York City, 13-year-old Mister’s (Skylan Brooks) hard-living mother (Jennifer Hudson) is apprehended by the police, leaving the boy and nine-year-old Pete (Ethan Dizon) alone to forage for food while dodging child protective services and the destructive scenarios of the Brooklyn projects. Faced with more than any child can be expected to bear, the resourceful Mister nevertheless feels he is an unstoppable force against seemingly unmovable obstacles. But what really keeps the pair in the survival game is much more Mister’s vulnerability than his larger-than-life attitude. Visit www.MisterandPeteMovie.com for film information & updates. Follow the social conversation at #MisterAndPete

The festival wrap-party will follow at the W Hotel from 9:30PM- 2:00AM.

For more information on the 2013 Hollywood Black Film Festival, and see a full line up of events, visit www.hbff.org.

About the HBFF

Founded in 1999, The Hollywood Black Film Festival aims to enhance the careers of emerging and established North American filmmakers through a public exhibition, competition program and industry panels.  Known amongst the entertainment industry’s powerbrokers as, “The Black Sundance,” the festival brings independent works of accomplished and aspiring black filmmakers to an environment encompassing the mainstream Hollywood community and Southern California film-going audiences. The festival’s goal is to play an integral role in discovering and launching independent films and filmmakers by bringing them to the attention of the industry, press and public.

HBFF Sponsors

HBFF 2013 is made possible by the generous support of our sponsor. They include Wells Fargo, Nike, CodeBlack Film , Writers Boot Camp, Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, Act One, Final Draft, Entertainment Partners, Breakdown Services, Sheeq Cosmetics, Inside Jokes Comedy Club and Lounge, Lightspeed EPS (Entertainment Production Software), and Dustin Felder Actors Studio.  Additional thanks to the W Hotel and The Montalban.