Five Years of ABFF In 1997, The Acapulco Black Film Festival stepped onto the festival circuit in remarkable fashion. Kicking off its annual celebration with only a handful of films and 400 attendees, ABFF bestowed elegantly designed Black Film Awards in the shape of the Chi-Wara to Hollywood’s talented tenth. ABFF’s Chi-Wara, designed by San Francisco’s Cheryl Riley of Right Angle Designs, was crafted of hand-carved mahogany in numbered and signed limited editions. In ’97 and ’98, there was an undeniable grandeur to the awards ceremony indicative of Riley’s handsomely hewn work of art. In 1999, ABFF began doling out Lucite columns to its award recipients. I still remember Larenz Tate’s face upon accepting his award in ’99 for Best Actor – he seemed to have a look of “what happened to the mahogany joint?” No one could have foreseen that ABFF’s shift from bestowing a Chi-Wara, an image symbolic of cultivating seeds that enrich and sustain, to presenting lifeless plastic would later come to resonate in aspects of its festival. Yeah, yeah, yeah, ABFF still plasters the Chi-Wara on all of its gear, but is doing so sufficient to impress upon those that now rock the emblem of the covenant upon which ABFF was founded – to celebrate Black cinema and its professionals as well as serve as a marketplace for Black films – not to determine how fast to shake it at Acapulco hot spots. Love Come Down I have been an ardent supporter of ABFF for a while. I’ve beseeched friends, colleagues and strangers to venture south of the border for a week of sun, fun and film, leaving some to question my motivation. But as an early adopter, who traveled to Acapulco in ’97 with trepidation and left enlightened and empowered, I had reason to admire the event. Moreover, I know that brand building takes time, lots of pesos and a major misstep in the process of doing so can undermine years of laboring to distinguish an event as first of its class. As such, I was confident that ABFF 2001 would live up to its advanced billing. Some would say that I set myself up for disappointment. A few may point to an earlier edition of the MOSAEC Newsletter in which I boldly declared that ABFF’s 5th annual would outshine past festivals and would be one to remember. Memorable? Yes. Spectacular? Not even close. Far from meeting my expectations, the festival slipped several notches. There was a dullness to the festivities that sapped ABFF of its usual vibrancy. Moreover, it lacked the esprit d’corps of individuals overwhelmingly pursuing their craft and exhibiting a sincere interest in diverse cinematic visions. With a view toward regaining its allure, festival organizers must take a hard look at what went wrong and seek to reinvigorate the event or risk long-term damage to its reputation. Ways to do this include managing the festival’s aura by creating substantive programs that further elevate the art and business of film without overemphasizing the social. Lift Creating a sustainable professional aura requires tapping into the energy of its successful offerings that reflect the promise of ABFF. This year, these included:
- The Microsoft Workshop – Conducted by facilitators that incorporated feedback to improve the experience for attendees, this workshop will only provide more value in the future for filmmakers wishing to use the web as a marketing tool.
- The Writer’s Workshop – Featuring Carol Munday Lawrence holding it down and breaking it down for those looking to succeed in the Hollywood writing game.
- The Martell Bleu Light Lounge – A timely and appropriate capper to a day of workshops, films and panels. It was especially nice of Martell’s rep to keep the cognac flowing during the NBA Finals.
- The HBO Short Film Competition – Opening the festival in brilliant fashion, this event spotlighted newcomers cleverly capturing visions that reflect how small gems broaden the craft of filmmaking
- The Actors Boot Camp – For two years Sgt. Major Bill Duke drilled acting plebes in an effort to prepare them to battle Hollywood’s gatekeepers. This year Duke was M-I-A and, initially, so was a suitable replacement. On Day 1 of the Boot Camp, recruits found Mekhi Phifer and LisaRaye front and center prepared to give them the benefit of their “vast” experience. While Mekhi Phifer, managed to impart wisdom and maintain his professional integrity, LisaRaye reportedly chose the occasion to pepper her commentary with scatological terms in an attempt to “keep it real.” Luckily, noted stage and screen actor Roger Guenveur Smith arrived on Day 2 to commandeer the troops, but not in time to prevent some recruits from storming festival headquarters and demanding refunds.
- The Industry Panels – In an age where interactivity is hot and pontification is not, a forum that limits audience participation bites. In the future, select moderators that possess the dynamism to generate lively discussion among panelists and encourage adequate audience participation. Doing so will facilitate the exchange of information between the Hollywood cognoscenti and cinema’s new jacks and janes. Care is also necessary in selecting celebrity participants. Avoid panelists that lack the decorum to show up sober to a panel. The ‘boy, now resident of an upscale ‘hood, showed a blatant disregard for ABFF, its sponsors and attendees by arriving at the Black Hollywood 2000 panel late and tipsy. Baby boy, in the future, get a watch and put the tequila down!
- The Coca Cola Film Score Competition – Seeking to define its marketing relationship with ABFF, Coca Cola sponsored the inaugural Film Score Competition to recognize achievement in music composition. Unfortunately, the event failed to effectively brand itself as a top-notch affair in terms of execution, entertainment value and audience appreciation. The event hit rock bottom when a stunt scripted to titillate half of the audience ended up offending the other half. Finding a formula that works begins with presupposing a higher level of audience musicianship. Although the choreographed performances enlivened the show, revamping the program to give greater attention to the contestants and less to audience instruction is necessary. But most of all, fire the comic and anyone else who believes that resorting to the base humor of a brazenly clad female stage escort is appropriate in a professional setting.
- The Island Hopper Comedy Show – Admittedly, I skipped most of this event to cheer on the Sixers. However, I arrived in time to catch the headliner conclude the show. To put it succinctly, Bruce Bruce was wack wack. Few clever variations on the “beat your kids” jokes remain. B2’s disciplinary comedy missed the mark and failed to yield more than polite chuckles. Here’s wishing him better laughs as he assumes the mantle of BET’s Comic View.
- Acapulco After Dark – Giving attendees a nightly opportunity to groove at the area’s hottest discos has resulted in many people attending the festival just for the parties and not for the professional offerings. That said, a few of the bashes were far from smashes. The DJ’s predictable play list probably had something to do with it.
