Celebration of Black Cinema: Late Breaking News
Tonight, the Critics Choice Association presented, virtually, the third annual Celebration of Black Cinema hosted by author and media personality Bevy Smith. This year’s impressive group of honorees was comprised of visionary films, actors, producers, and directors who were honored for their work this season, and their ongoing commitment to telling Black stories on film. They included: Delroy Lindo (Career Achievement Award), John Legend & Mike Jackson (Producers Award), Chadwick Boseman (Performance of the Year Award), Zendaya & John David Washington (NextGen Award), Shaka King (Director Award), Tessa Thompson (Actor Award), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Breakthrough Award), Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom, Jr. (Ensemble Award), Andra Day (Special Honoree Award), and Tommie Smith (Social Justice Award).
The Critics Choice Association is thrilled to announce that in partnership with Nexstar Media Group, KTLA will air the 90-minute Celebration of Black Cinema special in Los Angeles on Saturday night, February 6th, and over 40 cities across the country – affiliates including WGN, WPHL, KDAF, and KRON – will air a 60-minute special throughout the month of February. Check local listings for more details.
The Celebration of Black Cinema honorees were fêted by a prestigious group of presenters including Nnamdi Asomugha, Lee Daniels, Michael Ealy, Dominique Fishback, Taraji P. Henson, Daniel Kaluuya, Jonathan Majors, Kemp Powers, Aaron Sorkin, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Williams, and George C. Wolfe.
The event opened with a series of powerful photographs captured by Black filmmaker Tommy Oliver (40 Years A Prisoner, Black Love) around Los Angeles in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Oliver utilized his platform as a multi-hyphenate visual artist to channel the energy of the protests, seeking to inspire, incite, and challenge those who would see the final images.
Video production was powered by Stagedge, one of the nation’s leading production companies, who proudly partnered with the Critics Choice Association to transform the Celebration of Black Cinema into an immersive virtual experience. The virtual studio for the Celebration of Black Cinema was built by LiveCGI with help from EPIC Games Unreal Engine. LiveCGI created a personalized space to transport viewers and showcase each of this year’s honorees in a unique and memorable way.
A special donation in Chadwick Boseman’s name will be designated to provide scholarships to students participating in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Gold Program. The Academy Gold Program is an industry talent development, diversity and inclusion initiative to provide individuals, with a focus on underrepresented communities, access and resources to achieve their career pathways in filmmaking.
About the Critics Choice Association (CCA)
The Critics Choice Association is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 400 television, radio and online critics and entertainment reporters. It was established in 2019 with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, recognizing the blurring of the distinctions between film, television, and streaming content. For more information, visit: www.CriticsChoice.com.
