The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) has unveiled the winners of the 15th annual AAFCA Awards honoring outstanding achievement in film, and the organization’s selections for its top ten films of the year.
Leading the way were American Fiction and The Color Purple with four wins apiece. Origin won three honors. Additionally, all three films were in the AAFCA’s Top 10 Films of the Year.
American Fiction won for Best Comedy, Best Screenplay (Cord Jefferson), Best Supporting Actor (Sterling K. Brown) and Best Emerging Filmmaker (Jefferson in his directorial debut).
The Color Purple topped the Best Musical, Best Ensemble, Best Music and Best Supporting Actress (Danielle Brooks) categories. In the latter, Brooks tied with Da’Vine Joy Randolph for her performance in The Holdovers.
Origin won for Best Drama, Best Director (Ava DuVernay) and Best Actress (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor).
Winners will be celebrated at the 15th Annual AAFCA Awards on February 21 at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. The announcement was made by AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson. “It’s become a tradition to announce our winners on MLK Day,” stated Robertson. “And what a great year for cinema showcasing the vibrant tapestry of Black storytelling, where diversity is not a trend, but an imperative. This year’s winners have inspired, challenged, and moved us and we are delighted to celebrate them and their cultural impact.”
AAFCA’s Top 10 Films list and the winners of the 15th Annual AAFCA Awards are:
AAFCA’S TOP 10 FILMS OF THE YEAR
- American Fiction
- Origin
- The Color Purple
- Oppenheimer
- Past Lives
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Poor Things
- Anatomy of a Fall
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Barbie
WINNERS | 15TH ANNUAL AAFCA AWARDS
- Best Drama: Origin
- Best Comedy: American Fiction
- Best Musical: The Color Purple
- Best Director: Ava DuVernay (Origin)
- Best Screenplay: American Fiction
- Best Actor: Colman Domingo (Rustin)
- Best Actress: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Origin)
- Best Supporting Actor: Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction)
- Best Supporting Actress: *TIE* Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple)
- Best Ensemble: The Color Purple
- Breakout Performance: Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)
- Emerging Filmmaker: Cord Jefferson (American Fiction)
- Best Independent Feature: A Thousand and One
- Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- Best Documentary: Stamped From The Beginning
- Best Music: The Color Purple
- Best International Film: Io Capitano
- Best Short Film: The After
Winners were voted on by all of AAFCA’s 100+ members. Honorary awards recognizing exceptional achievements behind-the-camera and from the executive suites will be announced in February.
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Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More