The 5th annual film festival was huge success and a celebration of independent African-American cinema. The festival screened 55 amazing films from around the globe. .
The "N" word panel moderated by Harvard Law Professor Charles Ogletree was extremely informative and well received.
The receptions and parties sponsored by Bombay Sapphire were a huge success!
Don Cheadle's film "Talk To Me" was screened to a sold out audience. If you have not had the opportunity to see it, we urge you to go and support this excellent film.
Acclaimed actor Delory Lindo gave a spirited discussion on the art of acting and filmmaking after the screening of his film "Wondrous Oblivion"
See you next year August 6th-9th at our 6th annual event!
Stay tuned for 2008 festival updates on our site in October!
www.mvaaff.com

NY-Run & Shoot Filmworks, Inc., producer of the 5th Annual Martha's Vineyard African- American Film Festival (MVAAFF), announced the winners of the HBO-sponsored film competition which took place Saturday, August 11, 2007. Over 250 submissions were received from around the world and 54 films were chosen for the festival in the categories of short, feature, documentary and screenplay. Other highlights of the MVAAFF included the screening of Talk To Me (Focus Features) to a sold-out crowd as well as a screening on Wondrous Life followed by a Q & A discussion with acclaimed actor Delroy Lindo
"We are extremely proud of everyone who participated in this magnificent event. All of our sponsors, repeat attendees, guest speakers and filmmakers helped to make this one of the best film festivals of the year," said MVAAFF co-founders Floyd A.B. Rance III and Stephanie Tavares-Rance. "The quality and number of films we receive each year is confirmation that our festival is not only vital, but it also plays a key role in getting mainstream Hollywood to recognize the untapped talent within the African-American film community."
The 2007 winners of the HBO Film Competition are:
Best Short: Ties That Bind, directed by Angela Gibbs A successful woman finds out what it takes to break the ties that bind her to a painful past when her mother falls ill and requests to see her
Best Documentary: Lest We Forget-The Black Holocaust, directed by Adam Starr and J Justin Ragsdale This documentary provides a captivating look into the African slave trade
Best Feature: Algeny, directed by Andrew BurroughsA young man becomes a pawn when a pharmaceutical company discovers that he has a unique immune system and they literally want his blood
The 2007 Bombay Sapphire Audience Favorite winners are:
Best Short: The Lockdown Club, directed by Layla Mashauu The Lockdown Club is about six very different high school students being held captive in their English classroom during a school shootout
Best Documentary: The Souls of Black Girls, directed by Daphne S. ValeriusProvocative documentary that questions whether or not women of color are suffering from a "self- image dis-order" as a result of media images
Best Feature: I'm Through With White Girls, directed by Jennifer Sharp This film is about an African American man who likes indie rock and dates white girls, but then decides to go on "Operation Brown Sugar"
Best Screenplay: Time On My Hands, written by Reginald Johnson