The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) announced on Monday the winners of the 15th annual AAFCA Awards honoring outstanding achievement in film and the organization’s selections for their top ten films of the year. Winners will be celebrated at the 15th Annual AAFCA Awards on Wednesday, February 21st, at the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.
The announcement was made by AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson. “It’s become a tradition to announce our winners on MLK Day,” stated Robertson. “And what a great year for cinema showcasing the vibrant tapestry of Black storytelling, where diversity is not a trend, but an imperative. This year’s winners have inspired, challenged, and moved us and we are delighted to celebrate them and their cultural impact.”
AAFCA’s Top 10 Films list and the winners of the 15th Annual AAFCA Awards are:
AAFCA’S TOP 10 FILMS OF THE YEAR
- “American Fiction“
- “Origin“
- “The Color Purple”
- “Oppenheimer“
- “Past Lives“
- “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse“
- “Poor Things“
- “Anatomy of a Fall“
- “Killers of the Flower Moon“
- “Barbie“
WINNERS | 15TH ANNUAL AAFCA AWARDS
Best Drama: “Origin”
Best Comedy: “American Fiction”
Best Musical: “The Color Purple”
Best Director: Ava DuVernay (“Origin”)
Best Screenplay: “American Fiction”
Best Actor: Colman Domingo (“Rustin“)
Best Actress: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (“Origin”)
Best Supporting Actor: Sterling K. Brown (“American Fiction”)
Best Supporting Actress: *TIE* Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers“), Danielle Brooks (“The Color Purple”)
Best Ensemble: “The Color Purple”
Breakout Performance: Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”)
Emerging Filmmaker: Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction”)
Best Independent Feature: “A Thousand and One”
Best Animated Feature: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
Best Documentary: “Stamped From The Beginning”
Best Music: “The Color Purple”
Best International Film: “Io Capitano”
Best Short Film: “The After”
Acting Legend Award: Jeffrey Wright
Legacy Award: George C. Wolfe
Innovator Award: Misty Copeland
Winners were voted on by all of AAFCA’s 100+ members. Honorary awards recognizing exceptional achievements behind-the-camera and from the executive suites will be announced in February. The sponsors for the 15th annual AAFCA Awards include Nissan, Comcast, Morgan Stanley, Meta and Diageo.
Established in 2003, AAFCA is the premiere body of Black film critics in the world, actively reviewing film and television, with a particular emphasis on entertainment that includes the Black experience and storytellers from the African Diaspora. AAFCA members are a geographically diverse cross-section of journalists, covering all genres of the cinematic arts, while representing multiple mediums – including print, TV, radio, broadcast and online. Collectively, they reach a worldwide audience in excess of 100 million.
In 2010, Roger Ebert received the Horizon Award from AAFCA, alongside Melvin Van Peebles (recipient of the Cinema Vanguard Award) and Lena Horne (who was bestowed with the Legacy Award). From 2014 through 2020, the Roger Ebert Award was given to film critics including Chicago Sun-Times critic and Roger’s former “At the Movies” co-host Richard Roeper, Pulitzer Prize-winner Wesley Morris of The New York Times, Variety critic Justin Chang, New York Times critic Manohla Dargis, Chicago Tribune critic Michael Phillips, LAFCA president Claudia Puig and Los Angeles Times reporter Susan King.
For more information on AAFCA and its programs, visit AAFCA.com.
