Comcast Showcases Stories From Independent Black Filmmakers During Black History Month

Comcast today announced a Black History Month celebration with a special focus on stories from independent black filmmakers. As a part of the celebration, Comcast is offering a destination on Xfinity On Demand highlighting the best in black entertainment, making it easier for customers to find movies, TV and music featuring their favorite black performers as well as discover and enjoy new content from up-and-coming directors, actors and musicians.

"Storytelling has always had both cultural and historical significance in the black community. This month we are curating and highlighting stories from independent black filmmakers and are showcasing this great content on our platform for all to experience," said Keesha Boyd, Executive Director, Multicultural Consumer Services. "Not every great story told had a box office opening, but with the power of Xfinity, we’re celebrating those stories by bringing them to millions of living rooms across the Comcast footprint."

The new destination will be accessible to all Xfinity TV subscribers from the main menu of Xfinity On Demand, and will feature a range of TV collections highlighting shows with "Black Lead Actors and Full Cast," "Reality Shows," "Talk Shows & Clips"; a variety of movie collections such as "Faith & Family," "Comedies," "Documentaries" and "Films By Black Directors" plus music categories including "Hip-Hop," "R&B Soul," and "Reggae" The Xfinity On Demand destination also offers quick and easy access to networks like BET and TV One.

In honor of Black History Month and the 20th anniversary of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), Xfinity is sponsoring a new ABFF series titled "For the Love…" which profiles black directors and actors and their love for film and TV. Directed by three-time ABFF winner Alton Glass, the 4-5 minute segments feature stars like: Eric LaSalle, Mara Brock Akil, Salim Akil, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Robert Townsend, Chris Spencer and Elise Neal. This series will be available for free to Xfinity TV customers via Xfinity On Demand and will also be accessible for free to all consumers via Xfinity’s Celebrate Black TV website for the month of February.

"I salute Comcast Xfinity in its commitment to providing this platform for Black artists and storytellers. I am grateful for the opportunity to showcase compelling films that premiere at the American Black Film Festival to a broader national audience," stated Jeff Friday, ABFF Founder.

Throughout the month, Xfinity will also offer several other short-term collections of programming for Black History Month, including:

A selection of films curated by ABFF, including independent films that have been shown at ABFF, Comeback Dad, The Night Before, All About You, Womack and Raising Izzie.
A collection of "true story" films, all of which are rooted in historic events and real stories, including Glory, Selma, Malcom X, Hotel Rwanda, Pride, Lean on Me, Ray and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
A special spotlight section on Spike Lee -- who received an honorary Oscar for his body of work last fall -- featuring a selection of his popular and memorable films.
A collection of Whoopi Goldberg films highlighting her iconic roles from drama to comedy.
Created by Comcast, His Dream, Our Stories is an unprecedented collection of personal accounts from more than 100 civic leaders, elders, clergy, and activists about the Civil Rights Movement. In February 2015, Comcast updated the site with new interviews and an extended collection of videos that feature key moments in civil rights history. In partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative, this special programming features "Moments in Civil Rights History with D’Army Bailey" -- a collection of historical events in the civil rights movement. Both collections are highly acclaimed and are on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. and the National Civil Rights Museum.

All programming will be accessible from the "Black History Month" folder under the Xfinity On Demand main menu. Content will also be featured on Xfinity’s Celebrate Black TV website and on Xfinity On Demand, with select content available on mobile devices via the Xfinity TV Go app.