Will Smith, Jennifer Hudson, ‘The Harder They Fall’ Win Big at the 13th Annual AAFCA Awards
This year’s AAFCA awardees, including Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, and Saniyya Sidney of King Richard, as well as Jennifer Hudson of Respect, took home big prizes for its 13th annual celebration.
With the presentation happening on March 2 in Los Angeles, Smith will be honored as the AAFCA’s best actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the Venus and Serena Williams’ feature film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. Ellis, who played the girls’ mother, earned a W for Best Supporting Actress; Sidney, who played Venus, won Breakout Actor; and Reinaldo Marcus Green for Emerging Director.
Meanwhile, The Harder They Fall matched King Richard’s four wins with Best Film, Best Ensemble, Best Music, and a Best Director win for Jeymes Samuel.
The announcement, which was made by AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson, finds Black Hollywood’s brightest stepping out in a beautiful way according to him. “It’s been a fantastic year for film,” said Robertson. “Just having passed the two-year mark of a global pandemic, great entertainment means more to all of us than ever before. This year’s AAFCA winners not only entertained us, but educated and inspired us and we’re looking forward to celebrating them at the AAFCA Awards.”
You can read the full list of winners below:
WINNERS | 13TH ANNUAL AAFCA AWARDS
Best Picture: The Harder They Fall
Best Director: Jeymes Samuel (The Harder They Fall)
Best Screenplay: Don’t Look Up (Adam McKay)
Best Actor: Will Smith (King Richard)
Best Actress: Jennifer Hudson (Respect)
Best Supporting Actor: Corey Hawkins (The Tragedy of Macbeth)
Best Supporting Actress: Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)
Breakout Actor: Saniyya Sidney (King Richard)
Best Ensemble: The Harder They Fall
Emerging Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard)
Best Music: The Harder They Fall (Jeymes Samuel, Kid Cudi, Jay-Z)
Best Independent Feature: Who We Are
Best Documentary: Summer of So
Winners are voted on by AAFCA’s 90+ members.
Several special achievement awards will be announced in the coming weeks including the Cinema Vanguard Award, the ICON Award, AAFCA’s Stanley & Karen Kramer Award for Social Justice, the Building Change Award presented by Lowes, and the Innovator Award presented by Nissan.
