Get ready for a touching new family drama this festival season. Girl Dad, a new film starring Marsai Martin and Courtney B. Vance as a father-daughter duo, is officially set to make its World Premiere at the 30th American Black Film Festival.
The highly anticipated festival will take place in Miami Beach from May 27 through May 31.
Directed by Solvan Slick Naim, Girl Dad follows a tough, guarded, queer 17-year-old from Brooklyn who leaves her hometown for the first time. She travels to Los Angeles to spend the summer with her estranged father, a struggling composer.
What begins as an awkward reunion soon evolves into something much deeper when an unlikely object, a used refrigerator, becomes the unexpected center of their conflict. This quirky dispute forces the duo to confront old wounds and work to rebuild their lost connection.
The script was co-written by Naim and Lane Zola Williamson. Martin and Vance are joined by a talented supporting cast that includes Madison Bailey, Michael Rainey, Meagan Good, Sierra Capri, and Javon Walton.
The film is produced by Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner, Phil Thornton, Solvan Slick Naim, Josh Martin, and Marsai Martin herself. The executive producing team features Aaron L. Gilbert, Trell Woodberry, Meagan Good, Alan Pao, Nicole Dow, and Courtney B. Vance.
Both of the film’s leads are continuing an incredible streak of dynamic projects. Martin, best known for her breakout role as Diane Johnson in ABC’s Black-ish and producing the hit 2019 comedy Little, recently starred alongside Viola Davis in the Prime Video action-thriller G20. She also produced and starred in the sports comedy Fantasy Football.
Meanwhile, the Emmy and Tony award-winning Vance recently took on the role of Zeus in Season 2 of Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians (replacing the late Lance Reddick) and appeared in the live-action Lilo & Stitch.
Director Solvan Slick Naim has also been incredibly busy, recently directing episodes 3 and 4 of Daredevil: Born Again. He is also the creative force behind the Emmy-nominated Netflix series It’s Bruno, and has directed episodes for major series like Mo, Snowfall, Power, BMF, and The Get Down.
