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ABFF 2001 - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back, cont'd
Voice of the Voiceless
Wading through a sea of poseurs to connect with sincere folk capable of engaging
in professional discourse hasn’t always defined ABFF. In past years, ABFF primarily
attracted a top tier audience that was committed, focused and passionate about Black film.
To maintain its reputation as an event that brings together film executives, industry
talent and connoisseurs, ABFF must sustain a professional vibe throughout the festival. In
addition, to develop a thriving marketplace that more film buyers patronize, ABFF must
tinker with its product offerings or risk failing to capitalize on its organizational
strengths.
Possibilities include adding more substance to the schedule - more films, evening
screenings, a formal pitch day, a screenwriting competition and the music composers
workshop suggested by James Mtume. Also, allow attendees the opportunity to recognize
excellence in non-fiction filmmaking. Creating a documentary competition enables the
audience to separately honor the ability to tell true stories in a compelling manner.
Furthermore, instituting an alternative awards track of category specific grand jury
prizes presents additional opportunities to recognize filmmakers that push the cinematic
envelope instead of producing commercial drivel
that appeals to the masses on a basic level.
Augmenting the festival in these ways may also attract more studios to the event. The
allure of any marketplace, film or otherwise, is influenced by location as well as the
quantity and quality of product available for purchase. Persuading studios that ABFF is
the place to discover the next hot property or that they will achieve a return on their
investment from attending the festival requires a targeted, multi-pronged approach. To the
extent that the benefit of attending ABFF (from an acquisition executive’s
standpoint) fails to exceed the costs of doing so, ABFF’s desire to create a frenetic
marketplace similar to Cannes will remain unfulfilled. Nevertheless, sustaining an
environment bursting with film savvy consumers, committed film professionals and
rich film content can only help in that regard.
Revitalizing ABFF will take time and energy, but the rewards of doing so are plenty. The
jury is still out on whether I’ll be in attendance in the future. ABFF has been
marked in pen on my calendar at the start of the past few years. Next year, it will be in
pencil followed by a question mark.
M
July 2001
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