Filmmakers gathered at the American Black Film Festival Pop Up’s final tour stop in Los Angeles on Dec. 13 and 14. (photo courtesy of the American Black Film Festival)

The American Black Film Festival Pop Up’s final tour stop in Los Angeles brought some of the best programming from Miami to Hollywood. The event was organized by Nicole Friday, co-founder and president of Nice Crowd, alongside co-founder and CEO Jeff Friday.

The ABFF Los Angeles Pop Up began on Saturday, Dec. 13, as Tika Sumpter took the stage for her panel “Beyond the Role: Wealth, Worth & Womanhood,” presented by founding sponsor Ally Financial, exploring the intersection of creative ownership, financial wellness and emotional wealth and how to build a life and career rooted in values, not validation.

Audiences then enjoyed an advance screening of the first episode of season two of the hit Prime Video series “Cross,” followed by a talk with showrunner and executive producer Ben Watkins and stars Johnny Ray Gill and Stacie Greenwell. A fan-favorite staple of the Miami flagship festival, audiences capped off the first day with an encore of the 2025 HBO Short Film Showcase followed by an in-depth conversation with filmmakers Princess Adenike, Oluseyi Olatujoye, Nick Buchheit, Yasmine Crawley, Luke Harris and DeeDee Casimir.

The second and final day of the ABFF Los Angeles Pop Up, Sunday, Dec. 14, kicked off with a screening of “Swimming Against The Current” followed by a talk with director Aminah Salaam, presented by AARP. Salli Richardson-Whitfield took the stage for a “Creator Conversation” discussing her creative process, leadership and commitment to authenticity and representation in shaping stories that create lasting impact.

The event continued with a screening of Andscape’s “Hoops, Hopes & Dreams.” The weekend closed with a double feature screening with director Affion Crockett introducing his film “KenDrake,” followed by “Good Shot” and a talk with director Joris Debeij.

For information, visit abffpopup.com.