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Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesJust Mercy star Michael B. Jordan is teaming up with American Black Film Festival creators Jeff and Nicole Friday to launch the very first The Film Life Foundation, with Jordan and Black Lives Matter co-Founder Opal Tometi serving as its co-ambassadors
The Film Foundation is a “first-of-its-kind festival” merging art and activism to drive today’s necessary conversations forward toward lasting social and political change,” Jeff and Nicole Friday said in a statement obtained by Deadline.
In a separate statement, Jordan says he’s “honored to serve as an inaugural ambassador for the Social Justice Now Festival.”
“It was both a professional and personal achievement to have had the opportunity to portray the great Bryan Stevenson in Just Mercy and with the help of festivals like this we will continue to bring those stories to life,” he adds. “Now more than ever it is important that we shine a light on those who have been marginalized by our society.”
The festival will feature a program of “narrative documentary features, short films and new media projects that align with discussions on topics such as police brutality, criminal justice reform, income disparity, healthcare reform and voter reform led by the preeminent voices in their respective spaces,” according to the entertainment website.
Additionally, it will include online petitions, educational resources, and other interactive components as they put an emphasis on activating around the November 2020 election.
The festival will accept submissions starting August 27 in the categories of narratives, documentaries and new media projects that align with the themes of social justice and explore issues of racial justice, implicit bias, Black identity and human rights. The deadline for entries is September 12.
By George Costantino
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