Taraji P. Henson, Jeffrey Wright Set for American Black Film Festival Honors

The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) has revealed its honorees for its annual awards ceremony: This year, Garrett Morris, Taraji P. Henson, Jeffrey Wright and Mara Brock Akil will be recipients of special awards.

Morris, actor, comedian and first Black castmember of Saturday Night Live, is receiving the Hollywood Legacy Award, which is “presented to a trailblazing artists whose work (four decades or more) has inspired generations and made an enduring contribution to film and television.” Henson, who is a Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress, is receiving the Excellence in the Arts Award (Female), which honors “a highly acclaimed artist in recognition of their body of work and distinguished career achievement.”

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The Excellence in the Arts Award (Male) will be awarded to Wright, who is Oscar-nominated this year for his work in American Fiction. The Industry Visionary Award will be presented to screenwriter and producer Akil (Girlfriends, The Game, Being Mary Jane).

Lastly, the ABFF Fan Favorite Movie of the Year recognizes outstanding films directed by a person of African descent. The films have to have a minimum runtime of 72 minutes and have had a theatrical or streaming release date between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2023. The 2024 nominees are A Thousand and One (A.V. Rockwell), American Fiction (Cord Jefferson), Origin (Ava DuVernay), The Color Purple (Blitz Bazawule), They Cloned Tyrone (Juel Taylor) and The Equalizer 3 (Antoine Fuqua).

“For decades, these esteemed ABFF Honorees have elevated their projects, and brought joy to audiences across the world,” NICE CROWD CEO and President Jeff and Nicole Friday say in a statement. “It is our honor to recognize Garrett, Taraji, Jeffrey, and Mara for all their contributions to culture and the industry throughout their remarkable careers. We look forward to celebrating their many achievements and gathering with our fantastic ABFF partners.”

This year’s awards show will be held on March 3 at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

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