*American Black Film Festival celebrates its 6th annual ABFF Honors and the stars came out to represent excellence in Hollywood!
In true Beverly Hills fashion, the SLS Hotel hosted the red carpet soiree. Honorees for the night included Excellence in the Arts Award (male) recipient Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction,” “Rustin“), Excellence in the Arts (female) recipient Taraji P. Henson (“The Color Purple,” “Hidden Figures“), Hollywood Legacy Award recipient Garrett Morris, Industry Visionary Award recipient Mara Brock Akil, and Rising Star Award recipient Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“Genius: MLK/X“).
Comedian and actor Tommy Davidson served as the evening’s host. Joking about being “bashful,” Davidson said, “I’ve been doing this so long, this is an honor for me to do it.”
Another Hollywood staple, actor and businessman Wendell Pierce remembered the very first ABFF Honors. “I feel as though I have a great duty to those who came before me.” Pierce noted legendary actors such as Ossie Davis, Roscoe Lee Brown, and James Earl Jones as inspiration for him throughout his career.
Javicia Leslie, television’s first Black Batwoman, shares that pushing boundaries “used to feel so far off for us. It used to feel like we’d have to do so much to get there. We’d have to be the first to do everything, but now because doors are open, we can walk through them,” she shared.
For power couple Faith Jenkins and Kenny Lattimore, they can relate to the emotion that their peers are able to evoke. “When I sing a song I can touch the emotion of someone, and they’re able to do that with the characters on screen. So, it’s just phenomenal to see them celebrated tonight,” stated Lattimore.
ABFF Honors is the American Film Festival’s annual awards gala, honoring Black artists and their contribution to the motion picture and television industry. It’s important to note that while ABFF Honors was founded in 2016, the American Black Film Festival is celebrating its 28th year of showcasing Black talent.
Additional guests in attendance include Tyrese Gibson, Leslie Jones, Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji and more.
More news at EURWEB: NAACP Celebrates Nominees of the ’55th NAACP Image Awards’ Ahead of March 16 Telecast | PHOTOS
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
