The Black & Unlimited Fatherhood Project is a national competition created to champion independent filmmaking while providing a platform to showcase a wide range of stories about Black fatherhood.

NICE CROWD’s American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and Walmart’s Black and Unlimited have partnered to create a multi-faceted initiative to celebrate Black fatherhood and amplify the presence of Black men in their families and communities.

The American Black Film Festival (ABFF), founded by Jeff Friday in 1997, is the leading festival of its kind showcasing Black stories. Since its inception, the festival has been dedicated to supporting Friday’s conviction that Black artists deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts. Having premiered the work, and supported the careers, of many of today’s most successful filmmakers and actors, the ABFF has become the standard-bearer of excellence for Black American creativity.

Awards & Prizes

AWARDS & PRIZES:
- Three (3) winners will each receive the following:
- A cash award of ten thousand dollars ($10,000)
- One (1) round-trip domestic economy airline ticket from home city within the U.S. to - Miami, Florida (must be available to attend the American Black Film Festival in Miami - Beach, Florida from June 12-16, 2024)
- One (1) standard hotel room for four (4) nights (June 12-16)
- A one-time $300 meals and incidentals honorarium for the entire stay
- Festival credentials for the film’s director (plus one (1) guest upon request)

In addition, each film will be featured on ABFF PLAY, the festival’s online global platform, and Walmart’s Black and Unlimited YouTube page.

Rules & Terms

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
- Films must be submitted by the Director or person authorized to submit on their behalf.
- Open to U.S. citizens who reside in the United States and are over the age of 21.
- Films must be a narrative story centered on the theme of Black fatherhood.
- Films must have a running time no longer than 30 minutes inclusive of credits.
- Films must be original and owned by the entrant.
- Films must have completed post-production on or after January 1, 2021.
- Films must be in the English language or contain English-language subtitles.
- Films must not have any exclusive distribution deal, or license, for broadcast, cable,
streaming or other entity for online exhibition.
- Filmmakers may submit up to two entries.
- Each entry must include a signed release form and be received no later than the
deadline of March 10, 2024, at 11:59 PM PST. Downloadable from ABFF.com.
- Employees of NICE CROWD or Walmart (including permanent and temporary
employees), their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household
are not eligible to participate.

SUBMISSION CHECK LIST (each submission must include the following to be considered complete):
Finished Film
Logline
Short Synopsis
Film Credits
Photo Stills from the film (2-3 images, minimum 300 dpi, landscape orientation)
Director’s Bio
Director’s Headshot
PDF of your signed Release Form (downloadable from ABFF.com)
$25 Submission Fee

IF YOUR FILM IS SELECTED:
- You will be required to deliver a final version of your film in MP4 format no later than May 1, 2024.
- You must be available to attend the American Black Film Festival in Miami Beach, Florida from June 12-16, 2024.
- You may also be required to participate in additional press activities.