It’s awards season, and the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is once again part of the conversation of recognizing the best films and performances of the year. As co-founder as well as president/CEO of the largest group of Black critics in the world, I take great pride in our stellar history of identifying exceptional talent across the board. Since our founding over 20 years ago, we have remained committed to celebrating the many talented artists, above and below the line, veteran and emerging, who create the films we love.
For our 17th AAFCA Awards ceremony on February 8th, we are thrilled to celebrate Ryan Coogler’s period vampire horror film Sinners as our top vote-getter across the board. We were also there to support and champion his 2013 feature film debut Fruitvale Station which marked his very first collaboration with Jordan.
As flattering as it is that the AAFCA Awards have evolved into one of the tentpole events consistently recognized by the film industry as a barometer for influencing the Oscar race, so many people are unaware of the work AAFCA does beyond dressing up and distributing awards. As an advocacy group, we take our role championing important issues within the industry very seriously, but we are also just as passionate, if not more, about our efforts to foster community and create impact outside of it. Without an audience who appreciates what is on the screen and who creates it, there is no “us” in this industry.
RELATED: The 12th Annual AAFCA Awards Honor Hollywood’s Greats
So we are on call all year round. Our calendar includes a variety of programming made possible through a plethora of partnerships and key sponsorships that deliver on so many levels. We create awareness of film and TV content targeting Black audiences through our popular AAFCA Roundtables on YouTube. Our AAFCA Student Boot Camps held on college campuses with high concentrations of Black students throughout the country introduce young film/TV enthusiasts to career possibilities within entertainment journalism with a spotlight on criticism and critics.
AAFCA is a consistent presence at various industry showcases like the Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance, the Pan African Film Festival, Outfest, Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas, BronzeLens in Atlanta, and the Denton Black Film Festival in Texas featuring programming supporting and amplifying our filmmaking community. We also present an annual screening series platforming milestone anniversaries titles which we host at various locations throughout the country. Additionally, we program heavily in support of heritage months like Black History like Women’s History, Gay Pride, and Black Music, focusing on key professionals and relevant content whose impact and significance is often overlooked.
Our “Road to the AAFCA TV Honors” initiative is entering its sixth year of partnering with esteemed sister organizations like American Cinematheque and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation to celebrate veteran creatives and newly established and emerging ones. A highlight of our 2025 programming included “An Evening with Mara Brock Akil” with American Cinematheque, featuring her latest instant classic Forever on Netflix. AAFCA’s 5th Annual Next Gen Panel with SAG-AFTRA continued to highlight promising emerging stars to share their experiences of how they’re navigating to build worthwhile and fulfilling careers. AAFCA’s Below the Line: Creative Trades Panel and Celebration was created to highlight the scores of unsung professionals who are the backbone of the industry. Our summer calendar concludes with the AAFCA TV Honors which has recognized excellence in television since 2018, beginning with impactful series such as When They See Us to Sterling K. Brown’s 2025 breakout series Paradise.
To help close out our year, our team travels to New York City for two events during the fall — AAFCA’s Afro-Latino Film Short Competition presented by Lexus USA in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month and AAFCA Goes to Broadway entering its fifth year of saluting brilliant theatrical talent who have reached the very pinnacle of Broadway success. Some of our previous honorees include LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Kenny Leon, Kara Young, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, among others. This year AAFCA will begin curating exhibitions in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, South Florida, and Los Angeles chronicling films and TV shows that have been set or shot in those cities. We are also exploring opportunities to develop content for publishing and streaming.
As we have continuously pledged since we started this journey over 20 years ago, we are completely committed to serving our film, TV, streaming and new media communities however we can. And, despite obvious present-day challenges, we are not backing down. This new year looks as robust as ever. We knew back then we had to be the change we were seeking, and today we still are.
We welcome you to be a part of our experience.
From the Deck of Gil Robertson IV
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