The 16th annual African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Awards brought together industry figures to recognize Black artists and filmmakers. Tyler Perry made a brief stop in Los Angeles to present the Beacon Award to Nicole Avant, producer of The Six Triple Eight, before flying out again the same night.
“There’s so many attacks on who we are, what our stories are,” Perry said on stage, stressing the importance of supporting Black storytellers. He described Avant as “Hollywood royalty,” highlighting her role as the daughter of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant and music executive Clarence Avant.
Nicole Avant Reflects on Her Influences
Avant expressed appreciation for receiving the honor, saying her parents would have been proud. “I’m sure they are beaming down. My mom would always tell me to go out in the world and be the light. Choose which side you’re on, and then play ball,” she said.
Accepting the award, she dedicated it to her parents, Quincy Jones, and a group of cultural icons, including Don Cornelius, Cicely Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Diahann Carroll, and Sidney Poitier. “These giants just happened to be some of my parents’ very best friends, and I was fortunate enough to be fueled by them and by their grit, their grace, their gratitude, their compassion and their resilience,” she said.
Honoring Black Filmmakers
The event highlighted Black filmmakers and actors, with honorees including Sing Sing star Colman Domingo and Hard Truths actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Malcolm Washington and RaMell Ross were also recognized for their work in directing.
RaMell Ross spoke about the significance of the award, saying, “This film is for us, and to elevate our history – however sad a story – and to explore Black subjectivity, which we all desire and we all notice in certain places.”
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Danielle Deadwyler, recognized for The Piano Lesson, emphasized the value of the ceremony. “This is the kind of ritual healing and togetherness that we need,” she said. “People who understand certain details and nuance and specificities of the art that we made.”
AAFCA co-founder and president Gil Robertson reflected on the organization’s impact, saying, “I’m proud that we’re in puberty — officially celebrating our sweet 16.” Founded in 2003, AAFCA launched its awards ceremony in 2008. “During that time, we’ve been able to help move the needle, so our hope is that we can continue to do so.”
Amber Ruffin’s Opening Monologue
Amber Ruffin opened the ceremony with pointed remarks about industry shifts, drawing laughter from the audience. “I have to be honest, though, things feel pretty bad right now. Between the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion; the price of eggs; and the price of Cowboy Carter tickets,” she said, before delivering her punchline: “Ticketmaster needs to be canceled, I don’t trust anything with ‘master’ in the name. Can anyone give me a ride home? I no longer have money for an Uber.”
She continued with commentary on political changes, saying, “Do you remember the good old days when we could proudly say, ‘My President is Black?’ Now it’s, ‘My President is a South African Nazi oligarch with hair plugs.’ It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.”
Ruffin acknowledged the weight of the moment while reaffirming the resilience of Black creatives. “This group proves that no matter what they think they can take from us, we will continue to spread joy through the power of film. And our joy is our resilience.”
She then referenced Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us, drawing more laughter from the crowd. “I’m sorry, Kendrick Lamar said, ‘We ‘gon be alright.’ We’re actually going to be more than alright.”
She closed by emphasizing the determination of Black artists, saying, “We create in spite of. We boldly tell our stories in spite of. We excel in spite of. And tonight, we celebrate with each other in spite of. We’re going to leave the BS out there for right now as we uplift our artists and filmmakers and their little white DEI hires.”
AAFCA Award Winners
- Best Actor: Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)
- Best Actress: Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths)
- Best Supporting Actor: Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing)
- Best Supporting Actress: Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson)
- Best Ensemble: The Piano Lesson
- Best Original Score: The Wild Robot (Kris Bowers)
- Best Original Song: “Bricks,” from Exhibiting Forgiveness (Andra Day, Cassandra Batie & Jherek Bischoff)
- Best Screenplay: Sing Sing (Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar)
- Best Director: RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys)
- Best Documentary: TIE Daughters (Netflix), Dahomey (Mubi)
- Best Animated Feature: The Wild Robot
- Best International Film: Emilia Pérez
- Best Independent Feature: She Taught Love
- Best Picture: Nickel Boys
AAFCA’s Top 10 Films of the Year:
- Nickel Boys
- Sing Sing
- The Piano Lesson
- Gladiator II
- Wicked
- Emilia Pérez
- Albany Road
- The Fire Inside
- Exhibiting Forgiveness
- Dahomey
Special recognitions went to Malcolm Washington (Emerging Director Award for The Piano Lesson), Ray Fisher (Breakout Performance Award for The Piano Lesson), Wicked costume designer Paul Tazewell (Innovator Award), and RaMell Ross (Spotlight Award).
