Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival held an unforgettable closing Saturday night, marking the end of a 10-day celebration. The Film Festival runs in August with an impressive slate of films, documentaries, panel discussions, and exclusive events focused on amplifying Black voices, storytelling and culture. The MVAAFF is an Oscar-qualifying annual film festival established in 2002 by Run & Shoot Filmworks principals Floyd and Stephanie Rance.

Peacock’s Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, will stream on Peacock on September 5th. The limited series is based on iHeart’s true-crime podcast about an armed robbery on the night of boxer Muhammad Ali’s 1970 comeback fight in Atlanta against Jerry Quarry.

The evening included a lively star-studded panel, screening, and closing night party. Festival Founders, Floyd and Stephanie Rance welcomed the packed audience and introduced the programming starting with The Power of Legacy and Influence: A Conversation with Will Packer.

Will Packer, showrunner, creator, and executive producer Shaye Ogbonna along with star-studded cast members Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle, and Chloe Bailey, engaged in discussions moderated by journalists Danielle Cadet and Tiffany Cross. 

Throughout his 30-year career, Will Packer’s movies have grossed over $1 billion at the box office. Mr. Packer spoke about bringing Black representation to the big screen, “The fact that I have had films that happen to center people that look like you, that look like me and... have been financially successful is what Hollywood has to pay attention to,” Mr. Packer told the crowd.

Despite the 1970 heist being a crucial moment in Atlanta’s history, the cast remarked on how few people are aware of the historical eventit. Many members of theThe cast and crew – even those from Atlanta –, many of whom are from Atlanta, didn’t know about the heist until joining the project.they were introduced to the project. “If this was a story about people that didn’t look like us, you might have already heard it,” Taraji P. Henson said. “This was one of the biggest heists that happened in American history —, the biggest in the state of Georgia. I had never heard of it.”

Don Cheadle plays J.D. Hudson, one of the first Black detectives in Georgia’s newly desegregated police force. He spoke about the challenges of portraying a Black police officer and the nuanced relationship between Black communities and law enforcement. “...It’s kind of a myth that [Black people] don’t also want safety and security for our families,” Mr. Cheadle said. “We want to be protected and safe in our streets, too.”

At the end of the Q&A, Mr. Packer reminded the audience that Black people have the power to impact the movie industry by continuing to show interest in projects that represent them. “Hollywood responds to you,” Packer said. “They will continue to make the things that you continue to show up and show out for,” Mr. Packer said. “...You know how we are when we get revved up about something.”

After the screening, Peacock hosted the Closing Night Party of the festival at The Loft with notable guests, including singer song-writerr, Ledisi, actor Glynn Turman, President of MSNBC, Rashida Jones, actress Lynn Whitfield, best-selling author and television personality Elaine Welteroth., and more who celebrated with the cast and executive producers.

ABOUT FIGHT NIGHT: THE MILLION DOLLAR HEIST
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, based on the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast, follows the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life but ultimately transformed Atlanta into the “Black Mecca.”

When a hustler named Chicken Man (Kevin Hart) hosts an afterparty to celebrate the fight with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest, the night ends with the most daring criminal underworld The limited series is based on iHeart’s true-crime podcast about an armed robbery on the night of boxer Muhammad Ali’s 1970 comeback fight in Atlanta against Jerry Quarry.

The evening included a lively star-studded panel, screening and closing night party. Festival Founders Floyd and Stephanie Rance welcomed the packed audience and introduced the programming, starting with The Power of Legacy and Influence: A Conversation with Will Packer.

Will Packer, showrunner, creator, and executive producer Shaye Ogbonna, along with star-studded cast members Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle and Chloe Bailey, engaged in discussions moderated by journalists Danielle Cadet and Tiffany Cross. 

Throughout his 30-year career, Will Packer’s movies have grossed over $1 billion at the box office. Mr. Packer spoke about bringing Black representation to the big screen, saying “The fact that I have had films that happen to center people that look like you, that look like me and... d heist in Atlanta’s history. Suspected of masterminding the crime, Chicken Man is hellbent on clearing his name, but he must first convince his old adversary, J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle) — one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force – to bring those responsible to justice.

The star-studded cast includes Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle and Chloe Bailey. Ms. Henson, Mr. Cheadle and Ms. Bailey joined Mr. Packer and executive producer Shaye Ogbonna.
Creator / Writer / Showrunner / Executive Producer: Shaye Ogbonna (Penguin, The Chi, God’s Country)
Showrunner / Executive Producer: Jason Horwitch (Echo 3, The Calling)
Executive Producer / Star: Kevin Hart
Executive Producers: Will Packer and Sabrina Wind forWill Packer Media, Bryan Smiley and Mike Stein forHartbeat, Conal Byrne and Carrie Lieberman foriHeartPodcasts, Jeff Keating ofDoghouse Pictures, LLC Lars Jacobson, Erika L. Johnson, Mike Daniels
Executive Producer / Director (Ep. 101, 102, 107 and 108): Craig Brewer (Empire, Dolemite Is My Name)
Co-Executive Producers: Tiffany Brown for Hartbeat, Kenny Burns
Studio: Universal Television LLC, a division of Universal Studio Group
Production Location: Assembly Studios in Atlanta

Assets/Photos: Courtesy of Arnold Turner/Peacock and Patrick Camilien