Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Love Jones’ Stars Nia Long and Larenz Tate Set as American Black Film Festival Ambassadors (EXCLUSIVE)
Nia Long and Larenz Tate will serve as ambassadors for the 2025 American Black Film Festival.
This year’s ABFF, presented by Nice Crowd, will be held in Miami Beach June 11-15, followed by an online segment June 16-23 on ABFF PLAY.
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In their role as ambassadors, the “Love Jones” stars will help bring awareness to the festival’s mission of showcasing Black content and fostering opportunities for creators of color to succeed in the film and TV industry. Plus, ABFF has set a special screening of their hit 1997 classic romance, dubbed “ABFF Remembers: Love Jones,” an intimate conversation and musical tribute celebrating the legacy of the film. Long and Tate will reunite to reflect on the making of the film, their experiences on set and their enduring friendship.
“Their work in ‘Love Jones’ remains iconic, and they have long been trailblazers in the industry,” stated Jeff and Nicole Friday, founders of Nice Crowd, announcing the actors’ involvement. “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.”
In fact, Jeff Friday was inspired to launch ABFF (originally known as the Acapulco Black Film Festival) after seeing “Love Jones” at another film festival. Since its inception in 1997, the ABFF has been dedicated to “supporting Friday’s conviction that Black artists deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts.”
Long and Tate join a lineup of stars that have served as ambassadors to the festival, including Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Halle Berry, Magic Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Common, Taye Diggs, Taraji P. Henson, Mary J. Blige, Tracee Ellis Ross, Lala, Regina Hall, Morris Chestnut, Omari Hardwick, Idris Elba, Jay Ellis and the late John Singleton.
Long is a four-time NAACP Image Award-winning actor, Grammy-nominated performer and author, who next stars in Lionsgate’s “Michael,” the highly-anticipated biopic of Michael Jackson. She was also selected to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and her upcoming memoir will be published by Gallery Books.
Tate currently stars as Congressman Tate in “Power Book II: Ghost” on Starz and his film resume includes “Menace II Society,” “Dead Presidents,” “Crash” and “Girls Trip.” 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.
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