TV One Launches 2nd Annual ABFF Screenplay Competition; Deadline April 22

Offering budding writers the chance to showcase their talent and win the opportunity to see their project come to life, TV One announces its second annual sponsorship of the American Black Film Festival's Screenplay Competition.

Created to encourage and promote the production of creative, site contemporary, engaging and relatable screenplays, the 2016 TV One Screenplay Competition will highlight three new writers who will vie for a $5000 cash prize and a chance to have their screenplay produced into an original, made-for-TV movie, which will debut in 2017 on TV One and at the 21st American Black Film Festival (ABFF).

"Renewing our Screenplay Competition with the American Black Film Festival, an organization dedicated to showcasing quality content which reflects and appeals to African American audiences, aligns beautifully with TV One's commitment to represent all facets of the Black cultural experience," said D'Angela Proctor, TV One's SVP, Original Programming & Production. "We are looking for a contemporary story that is entertaining and heart-felt; one that is especially relatable to the Black community.

The three 2016 TV One Screenplay Competition finalists will receive an all-expense paid trip to this year's festival in Miami (June 15-19) and will observe a scene from their script being performed by professional actors in front of a live audience during TV One's "Celebrity Scene Stealers" event (Friday, June 17). This year's winner will be announced at "The Best of ABFF" Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 18. Applicants have until Friday, April 22, to submit their screenplays for consideration. Official rules and submission information is available on ABFF's website.

TV One's 2015 ABFF Screenplay Competition winner Kiki McKnight will debut her original film DEADBEAT Dad Rehab (working title) at this year's festival on Saturday, June 18. The film, which will also premiere on TV One in July, centers around four men who are in denial of their poor parenting skills and attend a rehab for DEADBEAT dads that uses unusual methods to help them become true fathers and real men.

For more information about TV One's upcoming programming, including original movies, visit the network's companion website at www.tvone.tv. TV One viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv) using the hash tag #Represent, #ABFF20 and #ABFFBackToTheBeach and catch clips and promos on TV One's YouTube Channel.

The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event dedicated to showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. The festival is committed to the BELIEF that Black artists and content creators deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts. ABFF founder Jeff Friday, conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to promote diversity in the motion picture industry, and strengthen the Black filmmaking community through resource sharing, education, artistic collaboration and career development. Today, the ABFF is recognized as the preeminent pipeline to new Black talent, both in front of and behind the camera, and is regarded as one of the leading film festivals in the world. The ABFF is a property of ABFF Ventures, LLC., which is a partnership between Film Life, Inc. and Black Enterprise.

Launched in January 2004, TV One (www.tvone.tv) serves 57 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies and music designed to entertain and inform a diverse audience of adult Black viewers. The network is the exclusive home of News One Now, the only live daily news program targeting Black viewers. In December 2008, the company launched TV One High Def, which now serves 14 million households. TV Oneis solely owned by Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK, www.radio-one.com], the largest radio company that primarily targets Black and urban listeners.