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GMC, America’s favorite channel for uplifting music and family entertainment, announced today that it is partnering with the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) on the second annual GMC Faith and Family Screenplay Competition. The competition, promoting the development of faith friendly family entertainment screenplays, with a focus on the American Black cultural experience, is a component of GMC’s “Official Sponsorship” of Film Life’s 16th annual ABFF event, which is the pre-eminent festival promoting cultural diversity within the film and television industry. The 2012 ABFF will be held June 20-23 in Miami.

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Submissions for the GMC Faith and Family Screenplay Competition are being solicited now through March 15 by the ABFF through the organization’s web site (http://abff.com/festival/) and newsletter. All eligible screenplays received will be sent to GMC for review by a select panel, which will choose three finalists. The three finalists will have portions of their screenplay performed by actors in attendance at the festival and in front of a live audience of festival attendees and industry tastemakers.  One Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000.

“We are thrilled to renew our partnership with ABFF to present the GMC Faith and Family Screenplay Competition for a second year,” said Wendy McCoy, vice president of marketing at GMC.  “The response to last year’s competition was extremely successful generating over 130 submissions across various genres such as family, adventure, romantic comedy and drama.  We look forward to producing and premiering last year’s winner Raising Izzie and finalist Somebody’s Child on GMC this year and to finding additional exciting projects in this year’s Competition.”

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Brad Siegel, vice-chairman of GMC, added, “We take pride in the fact that the GMC’s Faith and Family Screenplay Competition is a natural extension of our network’s commitment to showcase inspiring multicultural themed faith friendly family stories.  As we begin production on last year’s winning screenplay, Raising Izzie, it solidifies that our partnership with ABFF and this Competition is a valuable proving ground to bring these stories to life.”

Entries for GMC’s Faith and Family Screenplay Competition should: be formatted for a two-hour television movie, or approximately 88 minutes of content excluding commercials; center around faith-friendly, family-friendly topics with a focus on the American Black cultural experience with a wide audience appeal, and; focus on genres/formats that tell these inspiring stories like romantic comedies, comedies, dramas and family adventures.  All submissions should be a non-period piece, and; submitted in a printed form only.  Electronic entries will not be accepted.  Submissions should be mailed to:  GMC Faith and Family Screenplay Competition 2012, c/o Film Life, Inc., 116 West 23rd Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY.  All submission materials must be received no later than 5 p.m., Thursday, March 15th.

In the inaugural GMC Faith and Family Screenplay Competition the Grand Prize was presented to writer David Martyn Conley for his original screenplay Raising Izzie, a story of two young orphaned sisters and the caring teacher who changed their lives.  Raising Izzie, which starts production in March in Atlanta, will be produced and directed by former ABFF award winner Roger M. Bobb (For Colored Girls, “House of Payne”).  Bobb is the only two time winner of the Best Film Award at the ABFF.  Raising Izzie will premiere on GMC in July and have its premier at this year’s Festival.

Last year’s runner-up winner, Somebody’s Child, an original screenplay written by Siddeeqah Powell, is in pre-production and will premiere on GMC in August