ASPiRE's 'ABFF Independent' Season Five

ASPiRE’S ACCLAIMED SERIES ABFF INDEPENDENT RETURNS FOR A NEW SEASON

Season Five Premieres Thursday, August 4 at 9 p.m. ET

ATLANTA – July 20, 2016 – Hosted by Grammy® Award-winning music producer, recording artist and actor David Banner, ABFF Independent is a weekly one-hour show that presents the best independent shorts and documentaries from emerging Black artists. The series will return for its fifth season on Thursday, August 4 at 9 p.m. ET on ASPiRE.

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The new season of ABFF Independent will feature films that cover a wide range of emotions and experiences, including humor, love, desperation and determination. Themes include: The Roads Not Taken, Child’s Play, Embracing Your Gifts, Love Changes and Black Stories Matter among others.

“ABFF Independent is a great platform to share the vision and talent of up-and-coming filmmakers with the ASPiRE audience. We’re excited to have David Banner back as the host this season, bringing these filmmakers’ stories to light with his distinct voice and energy,” said Melissa Ingram, vice president, channel operations and business affairs, ASPiRE. “This season contains more memorable characters, entertaining scenarios and life-changing moments that move you, teach you and leave you wanting more.”

ABFF Independent is executive produced by Jeff Friday, ABFF Founder and Founder/CEO, Film Life, Inc. The series is produced in partnership with the American Black Film Festival, which is the largest African-American film festival. Season five of ABFF Independent is sponsored by McDonalds, Pepsi and General Motors. ASPiRE has ordered nine hour-long episodes.

About The American Black Film Festival (ABFF)

The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event dedicated to showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. The festival is committed to the belief that Black artists and content creators deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts. ABFF founder Jeff Friday, conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to promote diversity in the motion picture industry. Today, the ABFF is recognized as the preeminent pipeline to new Black talent, both in front of and behind the camera, and is regarded as one of the leading film festivals in the world. The festival is produced by ABFF Ventures (a partnership between Film Life, Inc. and Black Enterprise). Celebrating its 20th year, the 2016 ABFF will take place June 15-19, 2016, in Miami, Florida. For more information, visit www.ABFF.com.

About David Banner

David Banner — born as Lavell Crump in Jackson, Mississippi — is a Grammy® Award-winning music producer, recording artist, philanthropist, civic activist and actor who recently appeared in Lee Daniel’s The Butler and in Tim Story’s movie Ride Along. Banner also is founder of A Banner Vision, a multimedia company that specializes in providing emotionally engaging music for iconic commercials, video games and films. In 2015, Banner released his new album “The God Box.” His foundation, Heal the Hood, Inc., supports youth development and recreation programs in Mississippi, and provides relief and recovery
assistance to lower income people of the Gulf Region affected by natural disasters.

About ASPiRE
ASPiRE is the television entertainment network that presents authentic portrayals of Black and urban culture through stories of Heritage, Heart and Humor. ASPiRE offers a diverse programming mix of movies, series and specials featuring music, comedy, drama, faith/inspiration, theater/performing arts, lifestyle and news/information. The network was launched on June 27, 2012 by Magic Johnson Enterprises, which acts as a catalyst for driving unparalleled business results for its partners and fosters community/economic empowerment by making available high-quality entertainment, products and services that answer the demands of ethnically diverse urban communities. ASPiRE is available in 24 of the top 25 African-American markets including New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.aspire.tv, facebook.com/aspireTV, @tvASPiRE on Twitter and @ASPiRETV on Instagram.

About Magic Johnson Enterprises
Magic Johnson Enterprises acts as a catalyst for driving unparalleled business results for its partners and fosters community/economic empowerment by making available high-quality entertainment, products and services that answer the demands of ethnically diverse urban communities. For more information, visit http://magicjohnson.com/enterprises

Connect with David Banner and ASPiRE

Website: www.aspire.tv
Facebook: facebook.com/aspireTV
Twitter: @tvASPiRE @davidbanner | #ASPiRE #ABFFIndependent
Instagram: @ASPiRETV @davidbannerlikespictures | #ASPiRE #ABFFIndependent
Google +: Aspiretv

Tags: ABFF Independent, ASPiRE

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If I had to explain Big Ced in one word I would decline to answer. Someone as ever-changing, ever-growing, ever-learning, as Big Ced can’t be colored with one box of crayons. I have known Ced for about two-thirds of my life and in each phase he has challenged himself to do something NEW! Fearless, honest, talented, and real (not in any order) Ced is Hip-Hop;Ced is entertainment; Ced is the one-percent of decent human beings in a business that constantly attempts to compromise your moral foundation. Ced is a producer (Bet not many know that) Writer…Speaker and perpetual student. Big Ced is a brother…a friend…a leader and a teacher! To those who know him, Big Ced is a blessing!

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