The psychological thriller “Strung,” directed by Malcolm D. Lee and starring Chloe Bailey, will open the 30th annual American Black Film Festival in Miami Beach.
According to the film’s logline, Bailey stars as a talented violinist who “takes on a prestigious new role as music tutor to a mysterious elite family, sparking a psychological war for her safety and sanity.” Lynn Whitfield, Lucien LaVicount, Anna Diop and Coco Jones round out the Peacock & Blumhouse film’s lively ensemble cast.
Following its world premiere at ABFF, “Strung” will begin streaming on Peacock on June 26th. Written by Alan McElroy, ‘Strung’ is produced by Peachtree & Vine and Blumhouse in association with Blackmald Productions, with Tyler Perry, Jason Blum, Tim Palen, Lee and Dominick Tellson serving as producers. Philip Whaley, Sean S. Sutton, Alan McElroy and Gisele Johnson-Morris will serve as executive producers.
A scene from “String.”
Ilse Kitshoff/Peacock
“As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the American Black Film Festival, the return of Malcolm D. Lee with his latest film, Strung, feels especially appropriate at this moment,” said Nicole Friday, president of Nice Crowd and producer of ABFF. “Malcolm has been a part of ABFF’s journey, and his return under our ‘Homecoming’ theme feels like a full circle experience. It’s a special way to mark this milestone by opening the festival in Miami Beach.”
Variety previously announced that Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Regina King will be an ambassador for this year’s festival, which runs from May 27th to 31st. As previously mentioned, the 30th anniversary edition has a “Homecoming” theme and focuses on honoring 30 years of celebrating and recognizing Black talent. Among the festival’s alumni is recent Oscar winner Ryan Coogler, whose career got an early start by winning the annual HBO short film competition.
But ABFF doesn’t just focus on the past. The festival is also looking to the future of the film business with the launch of the ABFF 9:16 Microdrama Project, an innovative new initiative aimed at identifying and expanding great vertical content from creators of color.
