While some awards refuse to acknowledge Black talent and creatives, the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is giving us the flowers we deserve at their annual awards.
Winners were announced Tuesday with Jordan Peele‘s Us and Netflix’s Dolemite Is My Name leading the charge.
Us earned Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress for star Lupita Nyong’o. Eddie Murphy, star of Dolemite Is My Name, won the award for Best Actor, while his co-star Da’Vine Joy Randolph landed the Best Supporting Actress award, deservedly so. Waves, Michael B. Jordan’s Just Mercy, and Queen & Slim were also recognized by the association.
The awards reflect the diversity of talent in Hollywood, AAFCA President/Co-Founder Gil Robertson said in a statement.
“This year’s (eleven) best films reflect a wide spectrum of diversity and creativity. Many of them tackle social injustice and challenge the criminal justice system in the United States specifically,” he noted. “AAFCA members, who put in their ballots from as far away as Australia and Jamaica, cast a wide net to recognize films made in the U.S. and beyond. Their choices truly reflect the best of cinema in 2019.”
Congrats to the winners!