ABFF Launches ABFF97, Enters Theatrical Distribution with AMC

By Tom Whitfield

The American Black Film Festival is moving into theatrical distribution. Its new initiative, ABFF97, will bring select independent films to major U.S. markets through curated theatrical releases, with AMC Theatres as the inaugural provider.

The named markets are concrete: Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Charlotte and Philadelphia. Named for the festival's founding year, 1997, ABFF97 extends ABFF's 30-year record of championing emerging filmmakers beyond the festival circuit.

"For three decades, ABFF has helped discover filmmakers and connect their work with audiences," said Jeff Friday, founder of ABFF and co-founder and CEO of Nice Crowd. "As the theatrical market builds momentum, we see an opportunity to bring more independent films into that growth. ABFF97 extends our role from discovery to distribution, drawing on the audience relationships and cultural reach we have built over 30 years. With AMC as our initial theatrical provider, we have a strong foundation to bring these films to market."

What does ABFF97 actually do?

According to the announcement, the initiative will:

• curate select films and develop theatrical release strategies;
• lead marketing, publicity and audience engagement;
• design releases that build visibility, demonstrate audience interest and strengthen opportunities for subsequent licensing and distribution across other platforms.

Priority consideration goes to films that have screened at ABFF. Films from outside the festival will be considered as the platform grows. The inaugural slate and release schedule will be announced at a later date — which means, for now, the announcement contains no titles, no dates and no number of films per year.

The claim of momentum rests partly on the ongoing 2026 ABFF Pop-Up Tour, which has completed stops in Washington, D.C. and New York, with Atlanta and Houston to follow in the coming weeks. The announcement says audience response on that tour "reinforced interest in experiencing independent films on the big screen" and informed the expansion. No attendance figures or box-office data accompany that claim.

What changes for independent filmmakers?

In practice, a festival that once stopped at discovery now controls a distribution pathway. Filmmakers whose work screens at ABFF gain a route to theatrical release in ten major markets without a traditional distributor — provided their film is selected. The commercial mechanics remain unspecified: the announcement does not say how revenues will be split, how many releases are planned annually, or what selection criteria apply beyond festival priority.

The structure does signal durability. These releases are positioned as proof of audience demand, intended to strengthen downstream licensing across other platforms — a pipeline logic that treats the theatrical run as evidence for later deals.

What comes next

The 2027 edition of ABFF runs May 20–23 in Los Angeles. Nice Crowd, the live events company founded by Nicole and Jeff Friday that produces ABFF, describes its remit as festivals, awards shows and destination experiences in major U.S. and global markets.

Until the inaugural slate is announced, ABFF97 is a framework with a theater chain attached. The first titles and dates will show whether the festival's audience relationships convert into ticket sales.