Photos From BET Presents the American Black Film Festival HonorsPosted by Wilson Morales
February 22, 2017
Tonight, BET Networks and American Black Film Festival (ABFF)’s “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” annual ceremony, which taped in Los Angeles on Friday, February 17th, airs tonight on BET and Centric, Wednesday, February 22nd at 8:00PM ET.
Hosted by actress and director Regina Hall, the show honors actor and director Denzel Washington with the “Hollywood Legacy Award;” actress Queen Latifah with the “Entertainment Icon Award,” writer, producer and actress Issa Rae with the “Rising Star Award;” film director and producer F. Gary Gray with the “Excellence in the Arts Award;” and actor and singer, Terrence Howard with the “Excellence in the Arts Award.”
Also, Viola Davis, Common, Pharrell Williams, Lee Daniels, Morris Chestnut, Omari Hardwick and Anika Noni Rose take the stage as presenters, while Maxwell and Dionne Farris perform their hits from the film “Love Jones,” which received the “Classic Cinema Award.”
There are also special appearances by Cecily Tyson, Jay Ellis, Kofi Siroboe, Nia Long, Larenz Tate, Alexandra Shipp, Luke James, Kylie Bunbury and many more…
Nominees for “Movie of the Year” are:
THE BIRTH OF A NATION (Fox Searchlight)
FENCES (Paramount)
HIDDEN FIGURES (20th Century Fox)
MOONLIGHT (A24)
QUEEN OF KATWE (The Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
This year’s “Movie of the Year” nominees touch on political, social and economic issues. Included are two biopics: one focuses on a Ugandan girl whose world changes after being introduced to the game of chess, and the other tells the story about a group of African- American women who worked with NASA to launch the programs first successful space missions. Another nominee is a period drama based on the story of Nat Turner, an enslaved man who led a slave rebellion. Our final nominees are dramas that deep dives into the concept of choice, decisions and acceptance.
Nominees for “Television Show of the Year” are:
ATLANTA (FX)
BLACK-ish (ABC)
INSECURE (HBO)
POWER (STARZ)
QUEEN SUGAR (OWN)
The “Television Show of the Year” nominees are smart, funny and authentic. From an awkward Black girl who navigates the racy tribulations of modern-day love and friendships and an ambitious college dropout and his cousin, who suddenly becomes a rap star, to a family struggling to gain a sense of cultural identity, a complicated story of three siblings who inherited a sugarcane farm and a night club owner leading a double life as a drug kingpin – television over the past year has been captivating and honest.
The event is executive produced by ABFF Ventures founder Jeff Friday, Suzanne de Passe for de Passe Jones Entertainment, Jesse Collins Entertainment, and Connie Orlando, Stephen G. Hill and Debra Lee for BET Networks.
For more information about the 2017 ABFF Honors, log on to www.ABFFHonors.com.
