The American Black Film Festival is set to close its first national Pop Up Tour with a vibrant weekend of screenings, conversations, and masterclasses in Los Angeles. NICE CROWD, the organisation behind the festival, has confirmed a full slate of events scheduled for December 13 and 14 at AMC The Grove 14. The tour extends the festival’s reach beyond its long-standing Miami Beach home, offering audiences across the country a chance to experience its creative energy and community spirit. The 2025 edition carries national support from Ally Financial.
The Los Angeles stop brings a mix of independent cinema, industry dialogue, celebrity appearances, and training sessions. The weekend opens with a presentation from creature and character creator Craig Caton of the New York Film Academy, who will guide audiences through the craft behind Hollywood’s most memorable on-screen beings.
Actor and producer Tika Sumpter will host a candid afternoon conversation on women, work, and financial confidence. Joined by Ally’s Head of Money Wellness, Jack Howard, she will reflect on personal agency, creative choices, and the value of building a career with intention.
Prime Video will offer an advance look at the new season of its crime drama CROSS, followed by a discussion with showrunner Ben Watkins and cast members Matthew Lillard, Johnny Ray Gill, and Stacie Greenwell. The exchange will explore new turns in the story of Detective Alex Cross and the themes shaping the series.
HBO’s Short Film Showcase returns with five finalists from this year’s ABFF competition. The selection highlights a range of voices and styles, from character drama to sharp comedy, and includes works by Princess Adenike, Nick Buchheit, DeeDee Casimir, Sam Henderson, and Luke Harris.
Programming on Sunday begins with Swimming Against The Current, presented by AARP, which tells the uplifting story of the Harlem Honeys and Bears senior synchronized swim team. This is followed by an in-depth conversation with director and executive producer Salli Richardson-Whitfield, whose body of work spans major television dramas and acclaimed feature projects. She will sit down with Nicole Friday of NICE CROWD to discuss her creative path, her leadership approach, and her commitment to stories that reflect lived experience.
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The weekend will close with Hoops, Hopes & Dreams, a documentary presented by Andscape that revisits how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights organisers used basketball courts to reach young voters, drawing a line from their strategy to modern political movements.
This year’s Pop Up Tour has already visited New York, Atlanta, and Dallas. Its Los Angeles finale is expected to draw filmmakers, students, industry professionals, and film lovers eager to connect with the stories and talents shaping contemporary Black cinema.
Sponsors and partners include Ally Financial, AARP, Amazon MGM Studios, Andscape, New York Film Academy, AMC Theaters, and IMDbPro.
ABFF was founded in 1997 by Jeff Friday and has grown into a leading global platform for Black storytelling, with a record of discovering new talent and advancing representation in film and television. NICE CROWD, led by Nicole and Jeff Friday, continues to build on this legacy through festivals and cultural events staged across the United States and abroad.
Event details and tickets are available through the ABFF Pop Up website. Media credential applications and press materials are also accessible online.
