To drive forward one of the key themes of the ABFF Global Series an industry Panel made up of top black British and international filmmakers, festivals and awards directors will discuss the contribution that black film festivals and award shows provide by building platforms to showcase and support black filmmaker journeys. PANEL: Jeff Friday; Founder, ABFF | Charles Thompson MBE; Founder, Screen Nation | Julius Amedume; Film Director (UK) | Marshall Tyler; Film Director (US) MODERATOR: Sabrina Clarke-Okwubanego; Co-Founder, Niche on Demand In 2016 the Oscar Film Academy committed to double its membership of women and minorities by 2020. Over the last 20 years, black film festivals and award shows have provided platforms for filmmakers and actors of African descent who have later gone on to gain recognition and win awards at the Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTA. Film festivals and award ceremonies that focus on recognising and showcasing underrepresented groups have widened the selection of films seen on screens by audiences hungry for stories that provide them with a new perspective or represent their experience. The panellists will discuss the strategies they deployed to create a space for storytellers from the African diaspora to access Hollywood; how investors can identify projects from new voices and emerging filmmakers can create their own 'blue oceans' to get their stories seen and heard. Network with the panellists in the bar after the event. Supported by a donation from BFI NETWORK Find out more about them here https://network.bfi.org.uk/film-hub-london The rest of the ABFF Global in association with Screen Nation program boasts an impressive line-up with the Gala Premiere screening of action thriller Black and Blue starring movie star Naomie Harris alongside Tyrese Gibson. The line-up also features popular US actress Meagan Good’s directorial debut feature (with Tamara LaSeon Bass) of her crowd-funded sisterhood indie film, If Not Now, When. The added bonus for UK audiences is Good (Think Like A Man, Think Like A Man Too, Shazam) will be attending the film’s UK premiere. There is also a preview screening of award-winning British feature Farming, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s much-anticipated autobiographical directorial debut, starring Damson Idris, Kate Beckinsale, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. ABFF, Sept 27 - 29.