AND THE WINNER IS…
The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) has announced its winners for The AAFCA Awards and Jordan Peele‘s Us leads the pack. The dramatic thriller picked up three awards including “Best Film,” “Best Director” for Peele and “Best Actress” for Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o. Other winners include Eddie Murphy for Dolemite Is My Name, Jamie Foxx for Just Mercy plus The Black Godfather and more.
Check out the full list below:
Best Film: “Us” (Universal Pictures)
Best Director: Jordan Peele (“Us,” Universal Pictures)
Best Actor: Eddie Murphy (“Dolemite Is My Name,” Netflix)
Best Actress: Lupita Nyong’o (“Us,” Universal Pictures)
Best Supporting Actor: Jamie Foxx (“Just Mercy,” Warner Bros. Pictures)
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“Dolemite Is My Name,” Netflix)
Best Breakout Performance: Kelvin Harrison, Jr. (“Waves,” A24)
Best Animated Film: “Abominable” (Universal Pictures)
Best Documentary: “The Black Godfather” (Netflix)
Best Foreign Film: “Parasite” (Neon)
Best Independent Film: “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” (A24)
Best Screenplay Presented with The Black List: Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite” (Neon)
Impact Award: “Queen & Slim” (Universal Pictures)
We See You Award: Taylor Russell (“Waves,” A24)
“Jordan Peele continued to raise the bar in horror specifically and film overall” stated AAFCA President/Co-Founder Gil Robertson. “With ‘Us,’ he once again upended the horror genre. His centering of a black nuclear family determined to survive in a complex storyline in a genre where black family units have historically been unseen is extraordinary. He continues to push previously set boundaries with bold storylines that bring a refreshing perspective to cinema overall and the genre specifically. The film’s $255 million global gross is yet another example that inclusive filmmaking resonates big at the box office and it also resonated critically with our members who awarded the film with our highest honors.”
The organization, whose membership spans the U.S., the Caribbean, Europe and Africa and is the largest of its kind, also announced its ten best films of the year:
The AAFCA 2019 Top Ten Films
- “Us” (Universal Pictures)
- “Dolemite Is My Name” (Netflix)
- “Just Mercy” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- “Clemency” (Neon)
- “The Irishman” (Netflix)
- “Queen & Slim” (Universal Pictures)
- “Waves” (A24)
- TIE “Parasite” (Neon) and “Atlantics” (Netflix)
- The Farewell (A24)
- “Harriet” (Focus Features)
“This year’s (eleven) best films reflect a wide spectrum of diversity and creativity. Many of them tackle social injustice and challenge the criminal justice system in the United States specifically. AAFCA members, who put in their ballots from as far away as Australia and Jamaica, cast a wide net to recognize films made in the U.S. and beyond.Their choices truly reflect the best of cinema in 2019,” said Robertson.
The AAFCA Awards, sponsored by Nissan, Morgan Stanley and Deadline, takes place on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at the Taglyan Complex. Due to the truncated awards season, the AAFCA Special Achievement Awards, as announced earlier in the year, will take place Saturday, April 11, 2020 at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.