2015 American Black Film Festival Opens With A ‘Dope’ Harlem Team

June 6, 2015

dope is dopeThe 19th  annual  American  Black Film  Festival  (ABFF) opens with the premier of  DOPE, with a Harlem team of co-executive  producer Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, musician and actor A$AP Rocky, and the evening will be hosted by living legend Doug  E.  Fresh. 

The premier opens on Thursday,  June  11,  at the SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street, NYC.  With   its  New  York  City  premiere,  Dope   is  one  of   the  buzziest  and most  talked  about  film  releases  of  the  2015  summer  season.

ABFF  CEO  and  Founder Jeff  Friday  says,  Dope  couldn’t  be  a  more  fitting   film  to open  the  festival. Film  director ’s  critically  acclaimed  film,  Dope,  has  taken  a  classic genre  and  told  a unique  story  within  it,  combining  all  the  elements  that  make  a great  film-­‐-­‐outstanding  writing,   directing,   cast   and  music. Our   audience  will   truly enjoy   the journey,”   The  mission  of   the  ABFF is to  promote  quality  Black  films  to  a wide range  of  audiences,  and  to  encourage  investment  and  artistic  collaboration.

“We  are  excited  to  continue  enhancing  our  ongoing  partnership  with  the  American Black  Film  Festival  by  sponsoring  this  year’s  Opening  Night  Film.  I  would  like  to give  a  big  thank-­‐you  to  our  good  friends  at  Open  Road  Films  for  collaborating with us   to   bring   their   fantastic   film,  Dope,   to   the   festival   audience.  Having a film   of this   caliber,   as  well   as   exclusive  previews  from  the  MPAA’s  member  studios’ upcoming  slate  of  films,  will  ensure  a  wonderful  experience  for  all  those  in attendance,”  says  MPAA  CEO  and  Chairman  Senator  Chris  Dodd.

Dope  is  a  coming-­‐of-­‐age  comedy/drama  for  the  post  hip-­‐hop  generation;  its  main characters  are  obsessed  with  ‘90s  hip-­‐hop.   Malcolm   (Shameik   Moore)   is   warily   surviving   life   in  The   Bottoms   in   Los   Angeles,   while   juggling   college applications,  academic  interviews  and  SATs.  His  dream  is  to  attend  Harvard.  A chance  invitation  to  an  underground  party  leads  him  into  a  gritty  adventure  filled with  offbeat  characters  and  bad  choices  that  could  allow  him  to  go  from  being  a geek  to  being  dope  to  ultimately  being  himself.  Open  Road  Films  will  release  the film  nationwide  on  June  19,  2015.

Other Dope  stars include Shameik  Moore,  Tony  Revolori,  Kiersey  Clemons,  Blake  Anderson,  Zoë Kravitz,  Chanel   Iman  and  Quincy  Brown  and  is  produced  by  Forest Whitaker  and  Nina  Yang  Bongiovi  (Fruitvale  Station).  Pharrell  Williams,  Michael   Y. Chow   (Fruitvale   Station),   Rick   Famuyiwa   (The   Wood,   Brown   Sugar)   and   David   Lonner   are   executive  producers.  Sean  “P.  Diddy”  Combs  is  co-­‐executive producer,  and  Mimi  Valdes  and  Caron  Veazy  are  co-­‐producers. Also, Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson, has been selected as the 2015 American Black Film Festival’s (ABFF) celebrity ambassador.

Following  the  screening,  the  ABFF  will  host  an  old-­‐school  hip-­‐hop  after-­‐party  to celebrate  Dope  at  Stage  48,  605  West  48th  Street,  NYC.  The  evening  will  be hosted  by  the   legendary  Harlem’s Doug  E.  Fresh  and  perfectly  mixed  sounds provided  by former   Boogie   Down   Productions   member   DJ   D-­‐Nice.   There   will   be   special   performances   by   iconic   hip-­‐   hop   artists  throughout  the  party.  Dope will  also have  an  encore  screening  during  the  festival  on  Sunday,  June  14,  at  the AMC Empire  25  Theatre  on  42nd  Street  in  New  York  City.

To  learn  more  about  the  American  Black  Film  Festival,  visit  www.abff.com.  Follow  @ABFF  on  Twitter  and  @AmericanBlackFilmFestival  on  Instagram.


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