The Woman King headlines the African American Film Critics Association’s (AAFCA) annual list of the top 10 films of the year. The film, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, boasts an ensemble cast led by Viola Davis and featuring Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and Thuso Mbedu as the Agojie, an all-female army of fierce warriors. John Boyega also stars as King Ghezo.
“The best films of this year prove that diverse stories–the true and the fantastical–are not only important to the culture but are equally important to the movie-making business,” said AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson. “Black films which make an impact on our minds and hearts are also making a sizable impact at the box office. Our top film, The Woman King, bridges the gap between telling important, heartfelt stories, and providing an entertaining experience for movie-going audiences. These true tales of black empowerment and accomplishment, such as Emancipation, Devotion and Sidney, as well as fantastical tales such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Wendell & Wild invite us to experience underappreciated pieces of history along with our own imaginings.”
“AAFCA is proud to honor these masterpieces, along with the rest of AAFCA’s Top 10 Films of 2022, and acknowledge their indelible impact on our industry and culture.”
The full list of AAFCA’S Top 10 Films of 2022:
- 1. The Woman King
- 2. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- 3. Till
- 4. Sidney
- 5. Emancipation
- 5. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
- 6. Inspection
- 7. Causeway
- 8. Everything Everywhere All at Once
- 9. Wendell & Wild
- 10. Devotion
As previously announced, AAFCA will reveal winners of the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards honoring outstanding achievement in film in 15 competitive categories on Jan. 16, 2023. An in-person celebration in Los Angeles will follow on March 1.
Local school staple “Lost on a Mountain in Maine” from 1939 hits the big screen nationwide
Most Maine schoolchildren know about the boy lost for more than a week in 1939 after climbing the state's tallest mountain. Now the rest of the U.S. is getting in on the story.
Opening in 650 movie theaters on Friday, "Lost on a Mountain in Maine" tells the harrowing tale of 12-year-old Donn Fendler, who spent nine days on Mount Katahdin and the surrounding wilderness before being rescued. The gripping story of survival commanded the nation's attention in the days before World War II and the boy's grit earned an award from the president.
For decades, Fendler and Joseph B. Egan's book, published the same year as the rescue, has been required reading in many Maine classrooms, like third-grade teacher Kimberly Nielsen's.
"I love that the overarching theme is that Donn never gave up. He just never quits. He goes and goes," said Nielsen, a teacher at Crooked River Elementary School in Casco, who also read the book multiple times with her own kids.
Separated from his hiking group in bad weather atop Mount Katahdin, Fendler used techniques learned as a Boy Scout to survive. He made his way through the woods to the east branch of the Penobscot River, where he was found more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) from where he started. Bruised and cut, starved and without pants or shoes, he survived nine days by eating berries and lost 15 pounds (7 kilograms).
The boy's peril sparked a massive search and was the focus of newspaper headlines and nightly radio broadcasts. Hundreds of volunteers streamed into the region to help.
The movie builds on the children's book, as told by Fendler to Egan, by drawing upon additional interviews and archival footage to reinforce the importance of family, faith and community during difficult times,... Read More