Beyond February - Black Film Month

Allstate was proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of the 2008 American Black Film Festival (ABFF). In the past 12 years, the ABFF has delivered its mission to strengthen the Black filmmaking community through resource sharing, education, artistic collaboration and career development. Allstate helped support this mission for the second year through our corporate sponsorship. Which is exactly what Beyond February is all about—supporting the community all year long, not just during Black History Month.

Click here for highlights from our 2008 Sponsorship.

Ask Jeff Friday, Founder of the American Black Film Festival

Black film is a growing enterprise and means different things to different people. So what's on your mind when it comes to black film? What makes a film black—the director, actors, themes? How do you make a film? Where does one get the funding? How do you hire actors? Everyone has questions, so we brought in someone who has answers. Just send in your questions by 10/08/08 and Jeff Friday will answer them. We'll post his answers to this page on 10/15/08.

Click here to post your Jeff Friday questions.

Want to learn more about Jeff Friday? Click here to view his bio.

Dennis Haysbert

From television to film to social causes, Dennis Haysbert is well-regarded throughout the film community. Whether he is playing Jonas Blane in "The Unit" or staring as Nelson Mandela in the upcoming motion picture Goodbye Bafana, his presence is commanding. Dennis uses his influence not just on film but in the community as well. He is the spokesperson for the National Leadership Commission on AIDS, as well as The Western Center on Law and Poverty.

Top Black Films

The Color Purple. Shaft. Glory. Cooley High. Imitation of Life. These are all great films that have African-American issues at the heart of the story. Here's what the judges of the Beyond February Be Reel contest ranked as their top black films of all time.

Click here to view the list.