# The 2025 American Black Film Festival announce Nia Long and Larenz Tate as 2025 ABFF Ambassadors

- Link: https://exclusiveaccess.net/the-2025-american-black-film-festival-announce-nia-long-and-larenz-tate-as-2025-abff-ambassadors/
- Published: 2025-01-30T15:16:05-05:00
- Author: EAN

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Photo by Earl Gibson

The 29th annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) announced today that Nia Long
and Larenz Tate, stars of the 1997 iconic romantic drama Love Jones will serve as
Ambassadors to the festival. As Ambassadors, Long and Tate will help bring awareness
to ABFF’s mission of showcasing Black content and fostering opportunities for creators
of color to succeed in the film and TV industry, while inspiring and empowering 
the next generation of storytellers. This year’s festival will take place live in
Miami Beach June 11-15, followed by an online segment June 16-23 on ABFF PLAY (https://
abffplay.com/).

In addition to their roles as Ambassadors, Long and Tate will participate in the
ABFF Remembers: Love Jones – an intimate conversation and musical tribute celebrating
the legacy of the film. The beloved co-leads will reunite to reflect on the making
of the film, their experiences on set, and the enduring friendship that has flourished
over the years. Adding to the magic, the event will feature curated selections from
the film’s iconic soundtrack, a musical masterpiece in its own right. Jeff Friday
first saw Love Jones at another film festival, an experience that inspired him to
create the American Black Film Festival. Since the early days, Long and Tate have
been ardent supporters of the festival.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nia and Larenz as Ambassadors to the American Black 
Film Festival,” said Jeff and Nicole Friday, Founders of NICE CROWD. “Their work
in Love Jones remains iconic, and they have long been trailblazers in the industry.
Their contributions to ABFF’s mission have been immeasurable, dating back to the
festival’s early days in Acapulco in the late ’90s. We are honored to count them
as dear friends.”

Nia Long is an Award-winning actor, Grammy-nominated performer and author, who is
known for her iconic work and legendary roles across both film and television which
has garnered her four NAACP Awards. Long next stars in Lionsgate’s Michael, the 
highly anticipated biopic of Michael Jackson, coming out October 3, 2025. Her upcoming
memoir will be published by Gallery Books.

Larenz Tate is a Chicago-born actor who became a cultural icon with his roles in
both television and film. He currently stars as Congressman Tate in Power Book II:
Ghost on Starz, after first appearing in the Power universe in Season 4 as the ambitious
Councilman Rashad Tate. Tate’s career includes groundbreaking roles in films like
Menace II Society and Dead Presidents, which vividly depicted the struggles of Black
men in South Central Los Angeles, and his celebrated performance in Love Jones (
1997), a cult classic. He’s also starred in Crash, Girls Trip, and TV series such
as House of Lies and Rescue Me. Tate is also an entrepreneur, co-founding TateMen
Entertainment with his brothers to develop and produce content that champions Black
storytelling. The company launched the hit podcast Bronzeville, which has garnered
over 20 million downloads. Tate remains a strong advocate for supporting emerging
filmmakers and creators in the industry.

Founded by Jeff Friday in 1997, the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is the leading
festival of its kind showcasing Black storytelling. Since its inception, the ABFF
has been dedicated to supporting Friday’s conviction that Black artists deserve 
the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts. Having premiered the work
and encouraged 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.

ABFF sponsors and partners to date are Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO® (Founding),
Comcast NBCUniversal, Walmart, Ally (Presenting), Greater Miami Convention & Visitors
Bureau (GMCVB) (Host), City of Miami Beach (Major), Sony Pictures Entertainment,
American Airlines (Official), Getty Images, NYFA, (Industry), Variety, LA Times (
Media).