Directing
Commercial and Narrative work
COMMERCIAL WORK
NEWS UPDATES
I'm thrilled to announce that my feature screenplay for LIFT was honored as a finalist in the prestigious TSL Free Screenplay Competition, standing out among an extraordinary 16,000 scripts submitted from around the globe. This recognition is a testament to the compelling narrative and unique vision that LIFT brings to the table. Thank you The Script Lab for supporting this incredible journey!
Finalist, The Script Lab - TSL Free Screenplay Contest 2024
LIFT has been selected as a quarterfinalist in the prestigious ScreenCraft Feature Competition 2024.
Quarterfinalist, ScreenCraft Feature Competition 2024
Exciting news! 🎬 "LIFT," the captivating feature screenplay co-written by Abraham and the talented John Hibey, has earned a shoutout on the prestigious Black List for being one of the industry's top-rated scripts! 🌟 💪🏾🚀 #LIFT #BlackList
Abraham's latest short film, titled "Ghost Walker," has recently been accepted to the LA Dances with Films 2024 Festival! The short film, written, directed, and starring yours truly, will make its world premiere at The Chinese Theater in the TV Pilot competition section. Dates and schedules can be found here.
KCET's 24th season of the Fine Cut Festival of Films will showcase the best of Southern California's young filmmakers. Starting Sept. 22 at 10 p.m. PT, six episodes will air collections of short films from student finalists, including my film "Lift". Over 350 submissions were received from 40+ SoCal schools, with films ranging from animated cowboy tales to documentaries on Latino representation in Hollywood. Three winners will be chosen in animation, narrative, and documentary categories, plus the Jack Larson Southern California Student Filmmaker Award. The awards ceremony is on Sept. 13, hosted by Variety’s Michael Schneider and Angelique Jackson. The judging panel comprises nine industry experts.
Abraham is a part of the 2022 Cohort of Filmmakers part of the Jim Cumming's and Vanishing Angle Shorts to Feature Lab!
A bit about the Lab:
This week long filmmaker lab takes place in Malibu and hosts 10 filmmakers with aspirations of turning their short film into a feature.
They join the Thunder Road team as well as professionals from all facets of the film industry for honest, off the record conversations about the future of film and how to make your feature the best film that it can be.
Along with a general education on the short to feature transition from our team, professionals with form-fit experience and filmographies will be paired with each filmmaker to provide the best path forward for each project. This Lab becomes a lifetime of support and mentorship.
LIFT, written & directed by Abraham Amkpa is a story about two Nigerian weightlifters who must compete against each other in order to gain US citizenship.
Thus far, the film has been accepted into the Oscar Qualifying film festival Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, New Filmmakers LA, and The Micheaux Film Festival to name a few!
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LIFT TEASER
Abraham was recently interviewed by Movie Maker magazine! His full interview with New Voices in Film can be found here.
THE LOOP, written & directed by Abraham Amkpa and Malcolm Serrette, has been selected to be part of Palm Springs International's ShortFest Film Market and HollyShorts bitpix platform. It will be accessible on both digital market places to accredited industry and members of the press for potential distribution and press write-ups.
