From Denzel to Issa, Here’s What You Missed (& Should Be Watching) From ABFF 2024

All those years ago when I was glued to my laptop inhaling every episode of Issa Rae’s The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl web series, I don’t think I could have imagined that over a decade later, I would be watching her on stage, flanked by Denzel Washington and Nicole and Jeff Friday, the co-founders of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), acting as the creative director of the festival and casually being one of the biggest stars in the world. It’s not that I didn’t believe she could do it — I bet big on the Issa Rae stock early — it’s that her career trajectory has been singular and spectacular to watch. Rae has changed the face of TV with Insecure and aside from now being peers with thee Denzel Washington, she’s also using her power in Hollywood to create opportunities for other Black creatives, and make sure that Black TV shows and films get the love — and longevity — they deserve.

That’s what ABFF is all about. For 28 years, the Miami-based event has celebrated emerging Black talent as well as films and TV shows by Black artists to give them the platforms other festivals don’t. This year was no different. From short films (ABFF opened with the HBO Short Film Award Showcase with films all made by Black women directors) to studio premieres, independent films, master classes, panels, talent showcases, networking and parties, the festival is one-of-a-kind and throughout its week-long festivities, one thing is always certain: it's easy to root for everybody Black at ABFF because, well, everybody is.

Season 2 of Hulu’s Reasonable Doubt is coming this summer and if ABFF's sneak preview was any indication, none of us are ready. The sizzling legal drama explores the many exploits of star criminal defense attorney Jax Stewart (powerhouse Emayatzy Corinealdi) who is just trying to be the very best version of herself on all fronts — to mixed results. The series, created by Raamla Mohamed and executive produced by Kerry Washington is dialling up the drama for Season 2 and adding a key player to the mix: Morris Chestnut. Even though Chestnut may be playing Jax's rival in the courtroom, she's trying to get her marriage to Lewis (McKinley Freeman) back on track. Sure, Jax was a total mess outside of work in Season 1, but that contradiction is exactly why we love her.

During the ABFF panel event for the series (hosted by yours truly), presented by Onyx Collective, creator, EP, and showrunner Raamla Mohamed and stars Corinealdi and Freeman unpacked the shocking twists of Season 1 and revealed an exclusive sneak peek from Season 2, premiering August 22 on Hulu. The official summary goes like this: "After trying to heal from her wounds from last season’s arduous trial and deadly affair, Jax Stewart is attempting to get her life back on track. That is until one of her closest friends reveals that she has killed her husband. Her friend is claiming self-defense, but an uncompromising prosecutor thinks otherwise. Needing all the help she can get, Jax brings in an ambitious defense attorney (Chestnut) to lead the case, but things get tense very quickly. Can Jax defend her friend, save her marriage and protect her energy while being catapulted into the biggest case of her career? Or will she lose it all?" Whew, what a tease. Between the clip that made the entire audience gasp (no spoilers!) and the palpable chemistry between Corinealdi and Freeman that shines onscreen, Reasonable Doubt S2 is must-see TV.

I will never stop yelling at everyone to watch this show! Last year, after episode 1 of Found premiered at ABFF, I wrote, "It’s a compulsive procedural that gets better with every case... The brilliance of Found doesn’t just lie in its important premise, but in its fully fleshed out characters, fast-paced drama, and mind-blowing twists as well." Two of those characters, Zeke and Lacy, are played by Arlen Escarpeta and Gabrielle Walsh and they have quickly become two of my favorites and the most beloved by fans. When Season 2 picks up, their lives are both in danger (I warned you about the twists, didn't I?). I can't tell you any more, but I will say that the show keeps up the pace and while its premise may seem limiting, Season 2 expands the world further to thrilling results.

In case you haven't been paying attention to my screams into the void about how good this series is, let me catch you up: Found is about Gabi Mosely (Shanola Hampton), a kidnapping survivor who now leads a team to search for missing people whose cases have failed to garner media attention. Those within Gabi’s focus often include people of color and marginalized groups. The catch: Gabi has a dark secret: She's been secretly solving cases with the help of Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), the man who kidnapped Gabi as a teen and is now himself a captive in Gabi’s basement. See? Twists!! The shock and awe continues into Season 2 when [spoiler!] Sir escapes and is on the run.

Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black may seem familiar; Perry seems to be making the same movie over and over again. But this time, he's got Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict. The film's stars came together at ABFF to discuss Divorce in the Black and give an exclusive first look at the trailer. According to ABFF, the movie follows Ava (Good), a young bank professional who is devastated when her husband Dallas (Hardrict) abandons their marriage she is determined to fight for until fate intervenes, revealing Dallas’ wicked deeds that have trashed their marriage, and once upon a time sabotaged Ava’s destiny to be loved by her true soulmate. Divorce in the Black will be released on Prime Video on July 11.

During their conversation, Good and Hardrict referred to ABFF as "home." Good elaborated with, "We love ABFF. This is the place where we are held down, where we are loved, where we are covered, where we are seen. It doesn't matter what we have going on but when we do have something going on, we are celebrated. I love coming to ABFF because to me you always gotta come home, you gotta come where you are respected and represented."

UnPrisoned executive producers, star Kerry Washington and creator Tracy McMillan, joined ABFF for the world premiere screening of Season 2 of their heartfelt dramedy starring Washington and Delroy Lindo. In season 2, the festival teased that the "Alexander family is still a mess. Paige’s therapy practice is in trouble, Finn’s anxiety is through the roof, Edwin is still figuring out how to get his life together outside of prison, and their relationships are more complicated than ever." Since the family needs help, they call in a professional (not Paige). The Alexanders turn to a “family radical healing coach” (played by John Stamos) and his unorthodox methods may be what the family needs to heal.

The series is a sleeper hit successful enough for a Season 2 but I still don't think enough people know of its brilliance. For Unbothered, writer Liv Facey shared that the show helped her forgive her father and repair their fraught relationship. "Beyond being one of the funniest shows I’ve ever watched, UnPrisoned took me on a therapeutic journey I didn’t know I needed to embark on," she wrote. The show will have you laughing one second and unpacking how to break generational family curses the next. It's really special and I hope when the new season drops, more people discover how rare, moving, and hilarious it is.

The only other time I've been in a room with Denzel Washington, I started weeping at the sound of his voice. I was covering the official Academy Awards luncheon with all of the nominees in 2022 and Washington was nominated for The Tragedy of Macbeth. Before I saw him, I heard him. And that voice — the one that raised us all through every line in his iconic filmography — hit me like a wave of nostalgia. The familiarity was so strong, it brought me to tears. So you can imagine how much of a wreck I was during ABFF's journey with Denzel Washington through the highlights of his illustrious career, in conversation with Chaz Ebert.

The conversation was wide-ranging. They talked about his talented kids “They all got it from their mom’s side... As long as I’ve known [Pauletta], she’s been a movie buff so she’s gotten those kids to watch movies.” Washington brought up his wife Pauletta multiple times in the cover and even joked that he was going to call her about 20 minutes before he actually did, like he couldn't stand to go an hour without calling his wife. On FaceTime, Pauletta immediately started ribbing her husband and gave him shit for putting her on camera when she didn't have her wig on. It was such a sweet, normal moment between two married people that it felt like eavesdropping on your parents, instead of an Academy Award winner and Pauletta Washington.

The part in the conversation that made me cry (aside from the pre-chat montage which featured the late Chadwick Boseman tributing Washington) was the legendary actor talking about one of my personal favorite movies of his: The Preacher's Wife. Washington co-starred in the 1996 Christmas film with Whitney Houston decades before she passed. When recalling his time with Houston, Washington got emotional. "I felt like I always wanted to protect her," he said, choking up. After cracking a joke to break the silence, he said, “I always felt like I wanted to protect her. You know? She wanted to be so tough, but she really wasn’t. That’s all.”

It's like Denzel has always been the dad anyone would wish for. That paternal spirit was on display when Washington made a point to call Rae back up to the stage (she introduced the conversation) to get photos. He called her name and waited patiently until she made her way up to do the photocall. "Where's Issa?" he asked over and over until she got up to her spot between Washington and the Fridays. I definitely wouldn't have predicted all those years ago that Rae and Denzel Washington would be on a first-name basis, but it was exhilarating to see two different generations of Black Hollywood side-by-side, ushering in the new class of Black artists at ABFF. That's why this festival is so special and will be around for decades to come. The next Issa Rae and Denzel Washington are waiting to get up on that stage.