*The American Black Film Festival is packing its bags for Los Angeles. After years of holding its signature event in Miami, ABFF will stage its 31st edition across the greater Los Angeles area from May 20-23, 2027 — marking the festival’s first return to the city since 2010.
The move is actually something of a homecoming. ABFF previously held the festival in Los Angeles from 2007 through 2010 before returning to Florida, where it remained through May 2026. Now the influential showcase for Black filmmakers and storytellers is heading back to Hollywood’s doorstep with new programming and multiple venues spread across the city.
Variety first reported the relocation, which represents a significant new chapter for a festival built around expanding access and opportunities for Black creatives in entertainment.
ABFF Will Spread Across Los Angeles
Rather than being concentrated at a single location, ABFF 2027 will use several recognizable Los Angeles iconic destinations.
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Film screenings will take place at AMC’s location at The Grove, while the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will host marquee events. The SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills will serve as the center for industry programming, and the Original Farmers Market will be home to activations and community experiences.
ABFF founder Jeff Friday, who is also CEO of festival coordinator NICE CROWD, framed the move as part of the festival’s continuing mission to open doors.
“For more than three decades, we’ve built ABFF with the belief that access can change the trajectory of a career and that creating space for new voices strengthens our entire industry,” Friday said.
“As we look to the future, our responsibility is to keep pushing forward, expanding what’s possible, and creating greater opportunities for the next generation of storytellers. That’s what this next chapter represents.”
New City, New Programming
The geographic move is not the only change coming in 2027.
ABFF is introducing several programs, including ABFF First Look: The Studio Showcase, giving studios, independent filmmakers and streaming platforms an opportunity to present upcoming projects.
Also debuting is ABFF Sports, focused on the intersection of sports, media and entertainment, along with Crossroads, a new noncompetitive film section exploring identity, culture, community, resilience and belonging through American experiences.
Nicole Friday, president of NICE CROWD, said maintaining ABFF’s sense of community remains central even as the festival evolves.
“ABFF has always been defined by the people who come together and the sense of community we’ve built over the years,” she said. “As we look ahead, we want to build on that foundation, creating new opportunities for filmmakers, audiences, industry leaders, and partners to connect while preserving the spirit and sense of belonging that have always made ABFF special.”
Filmmakers Can Already Submit Their Work
Submissions for the 2027 festival are now open across multiple categories.
Competitive sections include U.S. Narrative Feature, International Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature and Episodic Series.
ABFF is also continuing its noncompetitive ABFF 9:16 Microdrama Project, devoted to vertical, mobile-first serialized storytelling from creators of African descent.
The Voices of Culture section, meanwhile, will showcase short-form work from filmmakers of African descent but will be selected through invitation or internal curation.
One of ABFF’s longest-running opportunities is also returning. The HBO Short Film Award enters its 30th year in 2027. Five finalists are selected to screen before a jury, and the winning filmmaker qualifies for consideration in the Live Action Short Film category of the 100th Academy Awards, subject to Academy rules and requirements. Submissions for that award will open separately at a later date.
A Return Nearly Two Decades in the Making
For ABFF, Los Angeles is familiar territory, but the festival returning there after 17 years gives the move considerably more weight than a simple venue change.
The festival spent four editions in Los Angeles from 2007 through 2010. Its return now places ABFF events in close proximity to major studios, agencies, filmmakers and other entertainment-industry players while maintaining the mission Jeff and Nicole Friday say has defined the festival for decades.
And that may be the bigger story behind the move: ABFF is returning to Los Angeles with more than a new address.
It is expanding the ways filmmakers can participate while putting its next generation of storytellers directly in one of the centers of the industry they are trying to enter.
Come May 2027, ABFF will be back in L.A. — and this time, it arrives with a new chapter already underway.
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