ABFF Pop Up Atlanta takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25, at AMC Madison Yards 8, with eight ticketed events led by a “Brown Sugar” talkback with Taye Diggs and a screening of the “P-Valley” Season 3 premiere episode. Buying all eight costs $140 before fees.
The American Black Film Festival listed the schedule on its Atlanta event page. The stop is the third of four this fall on the festival’s Pop Up tour. New York City hosted the previous stop on Oct. 10-11, and Houston follows on Nov. 7-8.
Saturday Schedule and Ticket Prices for ABFF Pop up Atlanta
Saturday opens at 11 a.m. with a screenwriting masterclass presented by NYFA. Randall Dottin teaches it. Tickets cost $20 plus fees. At 2 p.m., AARP sponsors a screening of “Brown Sugar” followed by a talkback with Diggs. That ticket also costs $20 plus fees. At 5:50 p.m., Starz presents the premiere episode of “P-Valley” Season 3, followed by a conversation with series creator Katori Hall and star Nicco Annan. That ticket is $20 plus fees.
The day closes at 8:45 p.m. with the 2026 HBO Short Film Showcase, which runs one hour and 12 minutes and includes a talkback with director Modupe Thompson. Tickets cost $15 plus fees. Five shorts play in the block: “Spilled Milk,” “We Had Fun,” “Facade,” “The Truth About Space” and “FLY.”
A viewer who attends all four Saturday events pays $75 before fees. The last event ends about 9:57 p.m., so a viewer who attends everything spends nearly 11 hours between the first start and the last finish.
Sunday Lineup, Film Runtimes and the Grand Jury Prize Winner
Sunday is built around feature films. At 11 a.m., the festival screens “Three Colors: Pan-African,” the 2026 Grand Jury Prize winner. The film runs two hours and three minutes, and a conversation with Elijah Davis follows. Tickets are $15 plus fees.
At 2:30 p.m., Ally presents a financial workshop titled “Built to Last: Your Money Story, Your Legacy.” Tickets are $20 plus fees. At 5:15 p.m., director Armani Ortiz joins a screening of “Otra,” the festival’s Directing Award winner. The film runs one hour and 50 minutes. Tickets are $15 plus fees.
At 9 p.m., the festival closes with “Funny Feelings,” which runs one hour and 38 minutes. The festival lists it as a 2026 Grand Jury Prize and Directing Award nominee, and the filmmakers attend.
Tickets are $15 plus fees.
Sunday adds up to $65 before fees. The three features total five hours and 31 minutes of screen time, which is 331 minutes. The three film tickets cost $45 together, which works out to about 14 cents a minute of screen time. Combined with Saturday, the eight events cost $140. Four tickets cost $20 and four cost $15, so the average ticket is $17.50. The festival’s page lists prices as plus fees and does not state the fee amounts.
Where Atlanta Fits in the ABFF Pop up Tour Calendar
The Pop Up tour is a series of weekend events from the producers of the festival. The tour’s home page says each stop brings award-winning independent films, industry masterclasses, network previews, celebrity conversations and networking to a city.
The fall schedule has four stops. Washington, D.C., ran Sept. 25-27 at the Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market. New York City ran Oct. 10-11 at AMC Lincoln Square 13. Atlanta follows on Oct. 24-25 at AMC Madison Yards 8, and Houston closes the run Nov. 7-8 at Regal Edwards Houston Marq’E.
The tour covers nine event days across 45 days, from Sept. 25 through Nov. 8. New York to Atlanta and Atlanta to Houston each leave a 14-day gap between stops. Ally and HBO are the national presenting sponsors. AARP and Starz are official sponsors. NYFA is a supporting sponsor, and AMC Theatres is the screening venue partner. Shuntel Renay and Kourtney George serve as social correspondents.
The HBO Short Film Showcase and Its Oscar Qualifying Role
The Saturday night block connects to the Academy Awards process. In its announcement of the 2027 festival, ABFF said it is an Academy Award-qualifying festival and that the winner of the HBO Short Film Award qualifies for the Live Action Short Film category. The festival selects five finalists each year.
The five shorts in Atlanta match that finalist count. The 72 minutes of programming across five films averages about 14.4 minutes per short. HBO is the festival’s founding sponsor. According to the festival, it returns for the 30th year of the HBO Short Film Award Showcase.
What the Tour Signals before ABFF Moves to Los Angeles
The Pop Up stops lead into a bigger change. ABFF moves its main festival to Los Angeles in 2027. The 31st edition runs May 20-23, 2027. Screenings will take place at AMC The Grove. Industry programming moves to SLS Beverly Hills, and marquee events go to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. A complimentary daytime shuttle will connect the venues.
The festival also announced new sections for 2027, including ABFF First Look: The Studio Showcase, ABFF Sports and a noncompetitive section called Crossroads. Festival passes went on sale Sept. 1, and individual tickets arrive in April 2027, according to the festival’s 2027 overview.
Actor Kerry Washington is the 2027 ambassador. “ABFF has spent three decades championing Black storytellers and helping their voices be heard,” Washington said in the festival’s Sept. 29 announcement.
Jeff Friday, who founded ABFF in 1997 and is CEO of the live events company NICE CROWD, said in the same announcement, “We’re incredibly proud to welcome her as our 2027 Ambassador.” Nicole Friday is president of NICE CROWD. The festival’s numbering follows its age. Founded in 1997, it reaches its 31st edition in 2027, 30 years after its start. Tickets for the Atlanta weekend are on sale now through the Atlanta event page.
