The Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF) has announced the initial line-up of official selections for the 9th annual competitive festival for Black filmmakers, to be held June 3rd – 8th , 2008 in Beverly Hills, CA. The slate includes 51 shorts, 11 student films, 2 animated films and 2 music videos. The roster of narrative and documentary features will be announced on April 14th.

HPFF, dubbed “The Black Sundance,” is an annual, six-day celebration of Black cinema, serving as a forum to showcase the talents of Black filmmakers and enhance appreciation for Black filmmaking. The festival has become a focal point for Hollywood’s African-American creative community, attracting producers, executives, screenwriters, film and television personalities, aspiring artists and diverse audiences from Southern California and around the world.

SHORT FILMS (51)

20 YEARS, written & directed by Kevin Gordon
A BABY WAY, written & directed by Courtney Franklin
A COLD DISH, written & directed by Eddie Smith
AKIRA’S HIP-HOP SHOP, written by Joe Doughrity
AN INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OF A SLAVE GIRL, written & directed by Karen Hayes
B.A.M., written by Neil Lewis, directed by Laron Austin
BENJAMIN, written & directed by Traci Nickerson
BLOOK OVER A BROKEN PAWN, written & directed by Chadwick Boseman
BURUNDI FILM CENTER: 5 SHORT FILMS, executive produced by Christopher Redmond (Canada)
CHOICES, written by Maurice Hines, directed by Michael David Ricks
CLASSIFIED, written & directed by Sherman Payne
COMMUNITY ALERT, written by Alvaro Visers, directed by Richard Islas
COONS, written & directed by Chris Cloyd
CURTAIN CALL, written & directed by Hezekiah Lewis
DISTRACTIONS, written by Kevin Craig West, directed by Michalina Almindo
DON’T GO, written & directed by D. Kevin Epps
DRAWING ANGEL, written by Craig Williams, directed by Rosalyn Coleman Williams
FELIZ CUMPLENOS, written by Roger Payano, directed by Frank Jackson
FIVE MAN CONFESSION, written & directed by Jeffrey Williams
HOMELESS DESTINY, written by Kathryn J. Taylor, directed by Trey Haley
HYPOTHETICALLY, written & directed by Jeffrey Snell
JAMERICAN, written & directed by Sharena Downey
KeANTHONY: A HUSTLAZ STORY, written by Marshall Dean, directed by John Tucker
LIFE IS…, written & directed by Tommie Tyhefe Bayliss
LIFTED, written & directed by Randall Dottin
LOVE CONQUERS ALL, written & directed by Kamali Minter
MAN II MAN, written & directed by Eddie Smith
MENTAL BLOCK, directed by Karen Palmer
MISTA NICE GUY, written by Stacy Pyles & Carol Shine, directed by Stacy Pyles
ONE WORD, written& directed by Shalako Gordon
PROMISES KEPT, written & directed by Jason Camp
RABIA, written & directed by Muhammad Ali Hasan
RAIN: A LOVE STORY, written by Anthony Brooks, directed by Elizabeth Shivers & Anthony Brooks
SIRI OKO OFU, written by Heather Murphy & Ebbe Bassy, directed by Heather Murphy
SNITH, written by Eric Richardson Hagans & Richard Johnson, directed by Eric Richardson Hagans
SPENT, written by Angela Perkins, directed by Boris Schaarschmidt
SUICIDE BOYZ, written & directed by Anthony Martin
TAXI FOR THE COMEDIAN, written & directed by Matt Blaize (United Kingdom)
TEARS ON A LETTER, written by Billy Shell, directed by Billy Shell & Patrice Marret
THE BUZZARD, written & directed by Troy Ransome
THE CLUB, written by Ilunga Adell, directed by Ian Foxx
THE CURRY CLUB, written & directed Rita Osei (United Kingdom)
THE DON OF VIRGIL JUNIOR HIGH, written & directed Deon Dayman
THE DOLL, written & directed by Dante James
THE QUICKIE, written & directed by Cosmos Kiindarius
TOOLE’S SUBSTITUTE, written & directed by Arvel Chappell III
VILE, written & directed by J. David Shanks
VISTA VIEW, written & director Kofi Oliver
WHAT A DIFFERNECE A DAY MAKES, directed by Guensly Delva
WHISTLE LESSON, written & directed by Nikki Young
WOMAN’S WORK, written & directed by Chad Benton

STUDENT FILMS (11)

A FATHER’S PROMISE, written & directed by Bradley Nesbitt
BIRTH, written & directed by Arvell Campbell III
CRENSHAW NIGHTS, written Peter Gelles, directed by Greg Navarro
HOPE, written & directed by Atiya Whellings
HUG, written & directed by Khary Jones
KEYS, written & directed by Christopher Babers
LUNCH MONEY, written by Deneen Reynolds, directed by Elvira Carrizal
MAMA ‘N EM, written & directed Omawale Akintunda
MY TURTLE’S NAME IS DUDLEY, co-directed by Johnny Gill & Patrick Jean-Joseph
SISTHAS IN THE NAME OF LOVE, written & directed by Kena Tangi Dorsey
URBAN GENESIS, written & directed by Larry Bryant

ANIMATION (2)

OBARA & THE MERCHANTS, written by Michelle Bodden, directed by Manauvskar Kublall
PORN EDITOR, written by Brian Shackelford, directed by Yehudi Mercardo

MUSIC VIDEOS (2)

GIVE IT TO ME, directed by Tim Mosley (Timberland)
REVOLUTION, written by Trevor Parkam, directed by Aled Ordu

Founded in 1998 by Executive Director, Tanya Kersey, HBFF’s mission is to foster and develop the vision of independent filmmakers by bringing their projects to the attention of the filmmaking industry, media and mainstream audiences through a public exhibition and competition program. Since its inception, HBFF has attracted over 40,000 attendees and screened a total of 596 independent films from across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean, hosting 203 world premieres. The festival’s adjunct Infotainment Conference features over 20 panels and workshops and more than 100 speakers, covering a broad range of entertainment industry topics.

Additionally, HBFF has created the HBFF Cinema Lounge and HBFF Film Finance & Distribution Summit, complementary platforms to showcase and develop filmmaker projects. The HBFF Cinema Lounge is a casual, monthly networking event, screening 4 to 5 short films which are followed by a discussion panel and Q&A between audience and filmmakers. The annual HBFF Film Finance & Distribution Summit boasts a senior roster of seasoned industry professionals offering their insights on a broad range of film finance and distribution topics.
The Hollywood Black Film Festival’s mission and goal is to play an integral role in discovering and launching independent films and filmmakers by bring them to the attention of the industry, press and the public.

Visit www.HBFF.org for festival updates.