The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) has unveiled its special achievement honorees for the 4th Annual AAFCA TV Honors who will be celebrated at an invitation-only, in-person luncheon on August 20th at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles. Launched in 2019, the AAFCA TV Honors recognize outstanding achievement in television and streaming with a special emphasis on entertainment representing the Black diaspora. The organization will bestow special achievement honors to several industry leaders including Universal Studio Group chairman Pearlena Igbokwe who will receive the Ashley Boone Award, Alex Kurtzman who will be presented the AAFCA’s Ally Award, and AAFCA’s Inclusion Award which will go to the Warner Bros. Television Group. WBTVG chairperson Channing Dungey will accept the award on behalf of the studio.
On July 18, AAFCA will announce winners in 14 categories, including best actor, best actress, best comedy series, best drama series and more. Those winners will be recognized and celebrated alongside the honorees at the August 20th event.
AAFCA co-founder and president Gil Robertson IV, said of the special honorees, “In the ever-changing landscape of television, their creativity and progressive leadership is the foundation on which our industry is built and provides inspiration to all of us.”
Ashley Boone Award
Named after the trailblazing studio executive Ashley A. Boone, this award is presented to an executive who has distinguished themselves within the industry with excellence. Universal Studio Group chair Igbokwe leads four powerhouse studios: Universal Television, Universal Content Productions (UCP), Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal International Studios that produce over 3,000 hours of programming currently airing or streaming around the globe. Notable USG projects under her purview include “Hacks,” “Russian Doll,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Girls5eva,” “The Equalizer,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Dr. Death,” “Gaslit,” “Made in Chelsea,” “Clickbait,” “We Are Lady Parts,” “Making It” and longtime NBC favorite “Hollywood Game Night.”
Ally Award
The Ally Award is presented to an individual or company in recognition of their commitment to diversity/inclusion in their projects. Through his production company, Secret Hideout and his work as an executive producer, writer and director, Kurtzman is dedicated to developing and producing a wide array of sophisticated and compelling content across all platforms. Kurtzman’s credits include the award-winning “Star-Trek: Discovery,” the critically acclaimed “Star Trek: Picard,” and most recently “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and “The Man Who Fell From Earth,” co-writing some of the decade’s biggest films including “Star Trek,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” “The Amazing Spider Man 2,” “Transformers” and directing films such as “The Mummy” and “People Like Us.”
Inclusion Award
The Inclusion Award recognizes an organization with a demonstrable commitment to inclusion in their programming and corporate activities. Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) oversees and grows the entire portfolio of Warner Bros.’ television businesses, including live-action scripted and unscripted programming, as well as animation. WBTVG production divisions include Warner Bros. Television, which produces live-action scripted comedies, dramas, limited series, and original movies; Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, which delivers unscripted and alternative series, documentaries, talk shows, and podcasts through three production units, Warner Horizon Unscripted Television, Telepictures, and Shed Media; and animated series from Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. As of July 2022, these divisions are producing more than 110 series for Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max, external streaming services, cable, the broadcast networks, and the first-run syndication marketplace in the U.S. Select current signature WBTVG programs include “Abbott Elementary,” “All American,” “All American: Homecoming,” “All Rise,” “The Bachelor” franchise, “Bob♥Abishola,” “The Cleaning Lady,” “Craig of the Creek,” “The Flash,” “The Flight Attendant,” “Gossip Girl,” “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai,” “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” “Kung Fu,” “Mathis Family Matters,” “Queen Sugar,” “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip,” “Riverdale,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” “Ted Lasso,” “Titans,” “The Voice,” “Young Sheldon” and more.
Established in 2003, AAFCA is the premier body of Black film critics in the world, actively reviewing film and television, with a particular emphasis on entertainment highlighting the Black experience in the US and throughout the rest of the African diaspora.
Morgan Stanley is once again the presenting sponsor of the AAFCA TV Honors.
