ABFF: Lena Waithe, ‘They Cloned Tyrone’ take over opening night

Nicole Friday also announced a major development from ABFF Ventures, with the entertainment company officially rebranding and changing its name to Nice Crowd.

ABFF is back! Lena Waithe, “They Cloned Tyrone,” and more were the main events of the opening night of the American Black Film Festival, which once again has descended upon South Beach, Miami. TheGrio had a front-row seat to all the action, including an on-theme red carpet, words from Nicole Friday and a speech from Waithe.

As theGrio previously reported, each year the American Black Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, is dedicated to “recognizing Black talent and showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent.” 

This year, the festival kicked off its festivities on June 14 at the New World Center in Miami Beach with a premiere screening of “They Cloned Tyrone,” starring John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx.

In her opening remarks, Friday shared her excitement for the festival and some rebranding news. ABFF Ventures has rebranded and is now Nice Crowd, with Friday and Jeff Friday remaining company president, CEO, and founder, respectively. “This is an exciting day for us,” she gushed to the audience. “We are excited to continue what we do here at the festival,” she continued, while also teasing other events in the works, including a new comedy festival, “Because They’re Funny,” in Washington later this year.

Waithe, the official festival ambassador this year, took to the stage with heartwarming comments for festival-goers. “I am so grateful to Nicole and Jeff Friday for having me here,” she said. “Thank you for all that you guys do to bring us all together. These are turbulent times in our world, in our industry, and this festival is extremely important because it reminds us all to come together, lift each other up and see each other, for real.”

“I was backstage with this amazing cast and I am friends with them,” she said referring to the “They Cloned Tyrone” cast. “To see them live their dreams and do the thing they were put on this planet to do is a blessing, and that’s what this festival is all about. It’s about your dreams becoming your reality.”

She added, “Chasing dreams is fun. Catching them is hard.”

Following Waithe’s remarks, the cast and creative team of “They Cloned Tyrone” came out to introduce the film, having dazzled the red carpet earlier in the evening. In hilarious fashion, Boyega donned not one, not two, but three looks on the carpet, nodding to his various clones in the sci-fi film, which earned rapturous laughs and cheers during the screening Wednesday night. While Boyega and Parris were in attendance, Foxx, who theGrio previously reported suffered a medical complication this year, was not.

Check out the trailer for “They Cloned Tyrone” below:

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