Kerry Washington, Courtney B. Vance to be celebrated by American Black Film Festival Honors

Charles D. King and Janelle Monáe will also receive special awards at the fifth annual ABFF Honors.

Kerry Washington and Courtney B. Vance are among the artists and creatives being celebrated by the 2023 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors. Charles D. King and Janelle Monáe also are set to receive honors.

The annual ABFF celebrates excellence in the motion picture industry. For the fifth annual awards ceremony, Washington will be given the Excellence in the Arts Award (Female) and Vance will receive the Excellence in the Arts Award (Male). King is getting the Industry Leadership Award, and Monáe will receive the Renaissance Award.

Washington is a decorated actress, producer, director and social advocate. She’s best known as the star of ABC’s “Scandal,” which earned her nominations for Emmys, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. She won acclaim for her role in Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere” and has appeared in movies “Django Unchained,” “Ray” and “The Last King of Scotland.”

Los Angeles Premiere Of Apple's "They Call Me Magic" - Arrivals
Courtney B. Vance, seen last April at the Los Angeles premiere of Apple’s “They Call Me Magic,” will be celebrated along with Kerry Washington, Janelle Monáe and others at the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Vance is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood. Aside from his Emmy Award-winning role as Johnny Cochran in “The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” he’s won acclaim for his role in television, film and stage. He won an Emmy for his work on HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” and a Tony Award for his role in the Broadway production “Lucky Guy.”

King is the founder and CEO of MACRO, a production company that gives voice to Black stories and storytellers. MACRO-produced film “Judas and the Black Messiah” earned King an Oscar nomination for best picture, making him and co-producers Ryan Coogler and Shaka King an unprecedented all-Black team of producers to earn that nomination.

Monáe is fast becoming as well known for her acting as she is for her music. While she is an eight-time Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter, her work in films is earning her equal acclaim. She’s appeared in the films “Moonlight,” “Hidden Figures,” and has gotten rave reviews for her current film, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”

The fifth annual ABFF Honors will be hosted by comedian-actor Deon Cole and take place on March 5.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. Please download theGrio mobile apps today!

SHARE THIS ARTICLE