“Spines, Spotlights, and the Scripts Between

I couldn’t help but wonder… what if our love for cinema didn’t end with the credits?

This week, the curtain rises on the American Black Film Festival—an electric, sun-drenched celebration where Black brilliance takes center stage, reel by reel. And even though I’m not there in person, my heart is somewhere between South Beach and a standing ovation. Because ABFF isn’t just a festival. It’s a love letter—stamped, sealed, and sent from a community that’s rewritten every narrative it’s ever been handed.

And at Upland Studios, we’re answering that letter with ink.

While others roll out red carpets, we’re rolling out pages. Introducing our trio of literary tributes designed to spotlight, romanticize, and remember the stories that move us most:

1. If This Were a BookThink of it as a love sonnet for cinema. Each post reimagines iconic Black films—Love Jones, Moonlight, Eve’s Bayou—as if they were novels left on your nightstand. We read between the scenes, rewrite them in prose, and toast to the poetry in each frame.

   
   

2. Scripted ScenesBecause sometimes, storytelling isn’t what’s said on screen—but what could’ve been whispered in the margins. Scripted Scenes brings imagined moments to life, written in that sultry, cinematic ink. Part homage, part daydream, all heart.

   
   

3. Director’s ShelfEver wonder what would line a director’s private bookshelf? This series peeks behind the lens and curates the texts that might’ve shaped their vision—books of longing, rebellion, rhythm, and resurrection. It’s mood board meets memoir.

   
   

In lieu of being there in person, we’re lighting our own candle here in the studio. One flicker for every filmmaker who dared to show up—with a lens, a line, a dream. And as stories pour out onto Miami’s silver screens, we’ll be pouring our own onto digital paper.

Because if there’s one thing we believe at Upland Studios, it’s this:

The story doesn’t end at “Cut.”Sometimes… that’s where the book begins.