Mariah Carey, George C. Wolfe to receive special honors at AAFCA Awards

The annual awards ceremony will be held virtually this April

Feb 16, 2021

Mariah Carey and Geroge C. Wolfe will receive special honors at this year’s African American Film Critics Association awards ceremony.

Every year, the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) “actively reviews and spotlights cinema at-large, with a particular emphasis on film and TV highlighting the Black experience, especially that produced, written and/or directed by persons from the African Diaspora.”

This year will mark the association’s 12th awards ceremony, this time going virtual due to the ongoing pandemic. On Tuesday, the association announced their Special Achievement Awards recipients.

Mariah Carey & George C. Wolfe Photo: Getty Images

The AAFCA announced that the director of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, George C. Wolfe, Mariah Carey, Netflix, and the documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy, will receive the special awards this year.

AAFCA CEO and President Gil Robertson spoke highly of each recipient in a statement, saying, “As with every year, this year’s honorees represent the highest standards of excellence in their fields.”

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): Viola Davis as Ma Rainey. Cr. David Lee / Netflix

Robertson opened up about Wolfe’s recognition this year, admitting, “the time was long overdue for him to be recognized.”

He also spoke on Carey’s achievements this year, saying, “Mariah Carey is often recognized as a global icon for her musical gifts, but rarely is she celebrated for the visual storytelling in her music videos and specials. As an artist who is all-hands-on-deck in not just crafting her songs, but also in curating and creating the imagery surrounding them, Carey is especially deserving of the 2021 AAFCA Special Achievement Innovator Award.”

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This year, Netflix is recognized as the Cinema Vanguard award recipient “for fostering a global tribe rooted in bringing all people together across various languages and continents through the power of cinema.”

Simultaneously, the voter suppression documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy, which was co-produced by Stacey Abrams, will receive the Stanley Kramer Award.

The AAFCA Awards will take place on April 7.

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