NEW YORK -- (SPW) --

Home Box Office, Inc. announced it is now accepting entries for its 12th Annual HBO(R) Short Film Award, to be given out during Film Life’s 13th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) in Miami’s South Beach, June 24-27, 2009. The competition honors the writing and directing talents of Black filmmakers and has been presented as part of the ABFF’s competitive film showcase since it was established by HBO in 1998.

Five films will be chosen based on artistic excellence from among all entries by a panel of industry professionals, with the finalists participating in a special screening and final round of competition at the festival. A grand prize of $20,000 will be presented by HBO to one winner, with the 4 runners-up each receiving $5,000.

“As creators and producers, HBO has built a reputation for being the home for authentic storytelling and experiences,” said Olivia Smashum, executive vice president, Affiliate Marketing at HBO. “Our long-standing partnership with the ABFF allows us to extend our efforts beyond what is shown on the network. We look forward to discovering more new talent through our competition this year.”

“HBO has been an ardent supporter of the ABFF since its inception,” said Jeff Friday, CEO of Film Life and ABFF Founder. “The HBO Short Film Competition has been an invaluable vehicle for identifying some of our most talented filmmakers, and we are very thankful for their partnership and support,” added Friday.

The HBO Short Film Award is open to U.S. and international filmmakers of African descent, 18 years of age or older, who have directed and/or written a short film of 20 minutes or less. All films must have been produced after January 1, 2008 in English or contain English subtitles. Deadline for entries is April 7, 2009, and all entries must arrive at the ABFF office postmarked by that date.

Additionally, all entries must qualify as a festival premiere with no previous festival screenings through the scheduled ABFF screening date of June 26, 2009. Short films that have won awards at other festivals or those that have previously been submitted to the HBO Short Film Award, under its current or any former title, are not eligible. Films must also not have had previous cable broadcast screenings.

Submissions will be accepted on DVD only, accompanied by official HBO/ABFF entry form, $40.00 submission fee and other pertinent materials. The mailing address is ABFF, c/o Film Life, P.O. Box 1975, New York, N.Y. 10113. For entry forms and rules and regulations, visit www.abff.com.

The 2008 HBO Short Film Award grand prize was presented to director Rashaad Ernesto Green for his film “Premature,” the story of a streetwise teenager who finds herself pregnant with no one to turn to for help.

Founded in 1997, the American Black Film Festival is an industry retreat and competitive marketplace for films by and about people of African descent. The festival’s mission is to facilitate distribution opportunities for quality films and introduce the top echelon of emerging artists to the industry at large. Since its inception, the ABFF has premiered over 500 films, positioning it as the leading film festival for Black and urban content. The ABFF is a property of Film Life, Inc., a New York-based event marketing, production and distribution company founded in 2002 by Jeff Friday (CEO).

Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., providing two 24-hour pay television services — HBO(R) and Cinemax(R) — to over 40 million U.S. subscribers. The services offer the most popular subscription video on demand products, HBO On Demand and Cinemax On Demand, as well as HBO on Broadband, HD feeds and multiplex channels. Internationally, HBO branded television networks, along with the subscription video on demand products HBO On Demand and HBO Mobile, bring HBO services to over 50 countries. HBO programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide.

Contact:

Ghana O. Wilson 646-375-2144 ext 5 Ghana@thefilmlife.com

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