Lena Waithe will function the ambassador of subsequent 12 months’s American Black Film Festival (ABFF). The twenty seventh version of the fest is about to happen June 14 to 18 in Miami Beach adopted by a digital occasion June 19-25 on ABFF PLA. A press launch introduced the information.
As ambassador, the Emmy-winning author, actor, and producer will increase consciousness for the fest’s mission to raise Black expertise and amplify emergent voices in cinema. Former ambassadors embrace “Insecure” creator and star Issa Rae, Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry, and “Empire” alumna Taraji P. Henson.
“I am excited to collaborate with the festival to shine a light on unique and groundbreaking stories and the creatives behind them,” mentioned Waithe, who lately appeared within the within the fifth and last season of Pamela Adlon’s “Better Things.”
Festival producer and ABFF president Nicole Friday praised the multi-hyphenate for her advocacy for underrepresented storytellers in Hollywood. “Lena is a powerhouse in the film and television industry and a trailblazer for emerging creative artists,” she mentioned in a press release. “Her commitment to elevate diverse voices personifies ABFF’s commitment to diversify Hollywood.”
Previously, Waithe was a recipient of the Industry Renaissance Award on the 2020 ABFF HONORS, an accolade celebrating “content creators whose exemplary work in film and television contributes to changing perceptions of people of color in the entertainment industry,” the discharge explains.
Waithe made historical past on the 2017 Emmys when she grew to become the primary Black girl to win Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for her work on “Master of None.” Her different small display screen credit embrace “The Chi” and “Twenties,” each of which she created. She penned “Queen & Slim,” Melina Matsoukas’ characteristic directorial debut a few Black couple who go on the run after killing a white cop in self-defense.
The ABFF is an annual occasion championing excellence in movie and TV content material by and about of us of African descent, and is “dedicated to the belief that diverse artists deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts,” per the competition’s web site.
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