American Black Film Festival announces Taraji P. Henson, Jeffrey Wright, Mara Brock Akil and Garrett Morris as honorees
The sixth annual awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 3, with actor-comedian Tommy Davidson serving as host.
Taraji P. Henson and Jeffrey Wright will be honored at the American Black Film Festival Honors, along with Garrett Morris and Mara Brock Akil, for their distinguished creative talents, highly acclaimed bodies of work and commitment to diverse storytelling.
The ABFF Honors recognizes and celebrates excellence in the film and television industries.
For its sixth annual awards gala, Henson will be presented with the Excellence in the Arts Award (female), and Wright will receive the Excellence in the Arts Award (male). Akil, the creative force behind “Girlfriends” and “The Game,” will be recognized with the Industry Visionary Award, and Morris, the first Black cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” will be honored with the Hollywood Legacy Award.
Henson is a renowned actress, author, mental health advocate and businesswoman who has been heavily praised for her outstanding onscreen performances. She is most notable for her role as Cookie Lyon in the hit Fox show “Empire,” which, in 2016, earned her first Golden Globe Award, for best actress in a TV drama. She most recently starred in the musical adaptation of “The Color Purple.” Her other groundbreaking film projects include starring roles in “Hidden Figures,” “What Men Want,” “Acrimony” and “Think Like A Man.”
Wright is one of Hollywood’s most decorated actors, having earned an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe and a Tony. He is the leading man in “American Fiction,” which has received five Oscar nominations, including a best actor nod for Wright. His impressive portfolio also consists of roles in “Rustin,” “Westworld,” “Basquiat” and more.
“American Fiction,” directed by Cord Jefferson, is one of the six films up for ABFF’s fan favorite movie of the year, all selected by over 100,000 viewers. The winner will be revealed at the awards ceremony. The others in contention are “A Thousand and One,” “Origin,” “The Color Purple,” “They Cloned Tyrone” and “The Equalizer 3.”
Morris, an admired entertainer in Hollywood who broke ground on “SNL,” was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2017 for his historic run as an original cast member. The actor, comedian, writer and singer starred in some of TV’s most popular shows, such as “Martin,” “The Jamie Foxx Show” and “2 Broke Girls.”
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On Feb. 1, Morris will be honored on the Hollywood streets with his own Walk of Fame star — and it’s his 87th birthday.
Akil is widely known as a screenwriter and producer of TV shows that deliver the nuances of Black storytelling. Her newest film, “Stamped from the Beginning,” was released on Netflix and has received rave reviews. Her other noteworthy productions include “Being Mary Jane” and “Black Lightning,” and they have made her an award-winning storyteller.
Actor and comedian Tommy Davidson will host the private ABFF Honors, which will take place at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills on Sunday, March 3.
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