For those of you who love classic Black film, the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is happy to announce that the cast of Love Jones will be honored for the film’s 20-year anniversary.
That’s right; ABFF Honors will bring up Nia Long, Larenz Tate, Bernadette Speakes, Isaiah Washington, Leonard Roberts, Lisa Nicole Carson and Ted Witcher to the stage to receive the “Classic Cinema Tribute.”
Written and directed by Theodore Witcher, the film tells the story of Darius (Lorenz Tate) and Nina (Nia Long), who fall in love under the backdrop of Chicago’s underground poetry/jazz scene. Considered one of the 90s’ greatest romantic films, it shined a light on the Black dating experience for 20-something professionals.
“I think Love Jones showed Black love in a way that we hadn’t seen on film in a very long time, specifically our generation of young people,” Long said in an 2012 ESSENCE interview.
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“It wasn’t the typical romantic comedy where it was about the jokes. I think the comedy was appreciated through the real-life situations. I also think it was pretty – the way it was shot, the lighting, the vibe of the movie was just very sexy and very cutting-edge. I think the film came out before its time, and I feel really lucky to be a part of something that has continued to resonate with people through all these years.”
This year, the ABFF will also honor Denzel Washington, Issa Rae, F. Gary Gray, Terrence Howard and Queen Latifah.