The American Black Film Festival, known for launching the careers of filmmakers including Ryan Coogler, Issa Rae and Ava DuVernay, is bringing its first ever two-day pop-up event to Dallas this weekend at AMC NorthPark 15.
The American Black Film Festival launched in 1997 to provide opportunities to emerging artists and talented people who don’t have access to the industry.
The ABFF Pop Up Tour will offer film screenings, celebrity conversations and a masterclass for aspiring creatives. The tour is part of a new national initiative by Nice Crowd, the event company behind the 30-year-old film festival. The event also serves as a lead-up to the 30th anniversary celebration of ABFF next May in Miami Beach, Fla.
Nicole Friday, president and co-founder of Nice Crowd, said the pop-ups expand access to the industry for storytellers who may not be able to attend the main event in Florida.
“We wanted to really bring some of the same energy and excitement of the festival to four cities where we could celebrate culture and creativity with regional talent and connect them to national industry opportunities,” Friday said.
The tour launched in New York last month, continued in Atlanta and will wrap up in Los Angeles in December.
Including Dallas in the lineup, Friday said, was intentional.
“It's a vibrant creative hub,” she said. “Dallas folks have been asking for us to bring a little bit of ABFF to the city, and so we're excited to be in Dallas.”
The two-day event will feature a masterclass presented by the New York Film Academy called “Break It Down: How to Bring Any Script to Life,” taught by actor Gerrard James. It will also include a conversation on sports and storytelling with WNBA stars Syd Colson and Theresa “TP” Plaisance.
The HBO Short Film Showcase on Saturday will spotlight five finalists from this year's ABFF, followed by a discussion panel with filmmakers Princess Adenike and Sam Henderson.
On Sunday, attendees can catch several independent films and award-winning shorts, including The Fisherman, winner of best narrative feature and best director at the 2025 ABFF, and Fatherless No More, a documentary about a former NFL player turned pastor mentoring inmates at Riker Island.
“If you are a writer, actor, there's a masterclass. if you're a film connoisseur and you love independent films, there's something for you,” Friday said. “If you want to know about sports and the business of sports, I think there's something for that audience as well.”
Details:
Nov. 15-16. 11 a.m. AMC NorthPark 15, 8687 N Central Expy #3000, Dallas. Tickets range from $15-$30 based on each event.
Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.
This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, The University of Texas at Dallas, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.
