ABFF to Honor Denzel Washington
On Tuesday, the American Black Film Festival announced that their 28th annual event will feature a groundbreaking retrospective honoring the career of Denzel Washington, who won two Academy Awards.
“Take audiences on a trip through Academy Award-winning actor and director Denzel Washington’s cinematic career, showing his incredible talent and ongoing impact on the film industry," states the press release for the Retrospective: Celebrating the career of Denzel Washington program. "At various points during the festival, the program will screen some of his most famous films and host themed activations."
In a discussion honoring "his achievements on screen but also his significant cultural impact off-screen as a director, producer, humanitarian, husband and father," Washington will make an appearance onstage for the festival's last night.
Washington is producing the Netflix adaptation of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson and will feature alongside Paul Mescal in Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 in November. The film is directed by Malcolm Washington and stars Samuel Jackson and John David Washington, Washington's son.
The American Black Film Festival will be held in Miami from June 12–16 in person, with a webcast running from June 17–24 on ABFF PLAY. This next Saturday, June 15, is Washington's program.
“The Denzel Washington Retrospective will inspire and enlighten the festival’s captive audience, offering a comprehensive look at the career of one of the most respected and talented artists of all time,” the release continues.
“ABFF has become a cornerstone for diversity in Hollywood showcasing Black creativity and stories through a one-of-a-kind platform for mainstream audiences and beyond,” the release adds, and this year’s lineup will feature “diverse narrative and documentary filmmakers” hailing from the United States, Nigeria, France and Canada. The narrative features lineup also includes programming from action, psychological thriller, romance, biography, drama, comedy and coming-of-age genre stories which deal with mental health, trafficking, homelessness, gang violence, gentrification and LGBT advocacy.