ABFF 2026 Reveals 30th Anniversary Lineup Featuring Jamie Foxx and Marsai Martin

The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) has announced the official lineup for its 30th annual edition, scheduled to take place in Miami Beach from May 27 to May 31, 2026. The milestone anniversary celebration will operate under the theme Homecoming, focusing on the discovery and creative excellence of Black storytellers on a global scale.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker and actor Regina King will serve as the ambassador for the 2026 festival. The event will open with the premiere of Strung, a psychological thriller directed by Malcolm D. Lee and starring Chloe Bailey.

The 30th anniversary slate includes 16 world premieres across narrative features, documentary features, and series. The selections represent more than 10 countries, including the United States, France, Brazil, Italy, Cameroon, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria.

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the American Black Film Festival, this year’s slate reflects the spirit of homecoming—honoring the stories and creative vision that have shaped our legacy while welcoming a new generation of filmmakers.

Nicole Friday, Nice Crowd President

High-Profile Premieres and Narrative Competition

Among the most anticipated projects is Girl Dad, a drama produced by Jamie Foxx and directed by Solvan Slick Naim. The film stars Marsai Martin and Courtney B. Vance as an estranged father and daughter who attempt to reconnect in Los Angeles over a used refrigerator.

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Other star-studded premieres include Montmartre, a cross-cultural romance starring Jesse Williams and Ito Aghayere, and That’s Her, a romantic comedy featuring Coco Jones, Loretta Devine, and Kountry Wayne.

The U.S. Narrative Feature Competition, a juried section for films directed, written, or produced by persons of African descent, will feature several world premieres competing for the Grand Jury Prize. These include:

• Funny Feelings: A comedy about two performers confronting unresolved feelings during a career-defining special.
• Otra: A one-shot Latino musical involving a man who strikes a deal with a Guardian Angel to win back a former love.
• Southside Kev: A story about a teenager in South Jamaica, Queens, struggling for street respect while maintaining his innocence.
• Girl Dad: The aforementioned drama about a queer teenager and her estranged father.
• Three Colors: Pan-African: A triptych of stories correlating with the red, black, and green of the Pan-African flag, exploring themes of liberation, unity, and prosperity.

U.S. Narrative Feature Showcase

The festival’s showcase section highlights independent voices through a curated selection of feature-length films. Notable entries include Voices: The Musical, which follows a bellhop and his friends after a soul duo overdoses before a big break, and Hoop Street, a story about a street-baller seeking a college scholarship.

Other films in the showcase include A Story About You, Sr., and 93 ‘til, the latter of which depicts two Philadelphia artists falling in love during a single day. The section also features Waking Up Horny, a story about a psychologist facing a series of sexual misadventures, and Homage, centered on a reformed street figure helping a friend recently released from prison.

The showcase concludes with That’s Her, a tale of a corporate playboy torn between a temp and an executive, Bust!, about a former basketball player’s comeback via a sportswear company, and Athena A.I., a 2035-set thriller where an artificial intelligence hijacks a dinner party.

International and Documentary Selections

The International Narrative Feature Competition will showcase global perspectives, including Garden of Silences from Brazil and Italy, which follows an oncologist returning to Brazil to confront a past marked by dictatorship. Other international entries include Lights Out from Cameroon, Seahorse from Canada, and Small Gods from the United Kingdom.

The Documentary Feature Competition will present non-fiction stories including Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story, which documents the 60-year career of the Harlem photographer, and The Foolishness of God: A Forgiveness Journey with Desmond Tutu.

The festival will conclude with the Best of ABFF Awards on Saturday, May 30, 2026, where winners from the competitive sections will be announced.