Regina King and Dawn Staley shine at ABFF day two
The American Black Film Festival’s second day brought panels, film talks and short film honors to Miami Beach
The American Black Film Festival kept its momentum going on day two in Miami Beach, filling the schedule with filmmaker conversations, a cast panel for an upcoming Peacock film and the year’s most prestigious short film showcase.
Regina King opens the morning and closes the afternoon
The day started at the Official Filmmaker Breakfast, where Regina King joined Lina Polimeni, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Eli Lilly, for a 45-minute conversation moderated by Dr. Stacy Smith of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
King then returned later in the day for a Legacy Talk titled A Conversation with Regina King. The session marked her homecoming to the festival and traced her path from early television roles through her Academy Award win and her growth as a director. The format was intimate, giving the audience a rare extended look at how she thinks about her work and her place in the industry.
Strung cast takes the stage
Between King’s two appearances, the cast of Strung gathered for a panel called From Script to Screen. Chloe Bailey, Coco Jones, Lynn Whitfield and Lucien Laviscount joined director Malcolm D. Lee and producer Dominique Telson to discuss how the film came together. The group walked through the storytelling decisions behind the project and what drew each of them to the material. Strung premieres on Peacock on June 26.
Dawn Staley on building a legacy
Olympian, Hall of Famer and championship-winning head coach Dawn Staley took the stage for a conversation titled Built First: How Legacy Is Created. Staley spoke about what it takes to lead with clarity and conviction, and what legacy actually requires beyond winning. Her appearance added a dimension to the day that went beyond film and television, grounding the festival’s broader theme of Black excellence across fields.
Short film showcase crowns its finalists
The day closed with the 29th annual HBO Short Film Award Showcase, hosted by Bevy Smith. Five filmmakers competed for the top prize: Jared Leaf with Spilled Milk, Modupe Thompson with Facade, Jeremiah Towolawi with The Truth About Space, Linda Lô with We Had Fun and Carlton Daniel Jr. with FLY. The grand prize winner receives $10,000, and each of the four runners-up takes home $5,000.
Now in its 30th year, ABFF continues to run through the week in Miami Beach, drawing more than 7,000 attendees across five days of screenings, panels and industry events.
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