The honorees for the 5th American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors have been announced.
Kerry Washington and Courtney B. Vance will be honored with the Excellence in the Arts Award, MACRO Founder and CEO Charles D. King will receive Industry Leadership Award and Janelle Monáe will be the recipient of the Renaissance Award. Meanwhile, Kasi Lemmons Eve’s Bayou will be honored with the ABFF Honors 2023 Classic Cinema Award for its 25th anniversary.
“This year’s ABFF Honorees, Courtney, Kerry, Janelle and Charles are unquestionably amongst the best in our industry and it brings us a great deal of pleasure to illuminate their stellar careers” Jeff Friday, ABFF Ventures founder and CEO said in an official statement. “Kasi Lemmon’s Eve’s Bayou is a cinematic gem that deserves this recognition in its 25th anniversary year.”
Washington, Vance, King and Monae join an elite list, Prior recipients of the ABFF Honors include Denzel Washington, Ava DuVernay, Regina King, Tiffany Haddish, Ryan Coogler, Don Cheadle, Will Packer, Queen Latifah, Lena Waithe, Terrence Howard, F. Gary Gray, Billy Dee Williams, Issa Rae, Omari Hardwick, Louis Gossett, Jr., the late Diahann Carroll and the cast of classic films and television shows including Martin, The Wire, Hollywood Shuffle and Love Jones.
Presented by ABFF Ventures, the 2023 ABFF Honors will take place on March 5. The ceremony will be hosted by Deon Cole.
ABFF Honors is executive produced by Nicole and Jeff Friday (ABFF Ventures) in association with Rikki Hughes (Magic Lemonade) and de Passe Jones Entertainment.