by Ann Brown
October 21, 2024
Veteran actor John Earl Jelks, at the moment producing Oscar buzz for ‘Exhibiting Forgiveness,’ was amongst these honored.
The African American Movie Critics Affiliation (AAFCA) hosted its third annual “AAFCA Goes to Broadway” luncheon on Oct. 14 at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in New York Metropolis’s Theater District. This occasion celebrates the intersection between stage, tv, and movie whereas honoring the contributions of Black expertise to Broadway and past.
AAFCA, identified for selling Black storytelling in cinema, tv, and theater, used the occasion to focus on Broadway’s vital function as a launchpad for the leisure business.
“Broadway has helped form a number of the most profound voices in leisure at this time,” stated Gil Robertson IV, president and co-founder of AAFCA, in a press launch. “The stage supplies an ideal breeding floor for performers and creatives to hone their craft, whether or not in entrance of the viewers or behind the scenes.”
This yr’s honorees replicate Broadway’s far-reaching impression on Hollywood. John Earl Jelks, a veteran actor who’s at the moment producing Oscar buzz for his function within the movie Exhibiting Forgiveness, was honored with the Distinguished Actor Award for his decades-long dedication to theater. Tony Award-winning actor James Monroe Iglehart acquired the Beacon Award for his magnetic performances throughout theater and tv, together with his portrayal of Louis Armstrong in Louis Armstrong: A Fantastic World.
AAFCA additionally acknowledged Black girls behind the scenes with the “Salute to Excellence Award,” honoring choreographer Camille A. Brown and hair designer Nikiya Mathis for his or her contributions to Broadway. Brown has choreographed quite a few productions and her work on Alicia Keys’s musical Hell’s Kitchen earned her a Drama League Award, a Chita Rivera Award, and her fourth Tony Award nomination in 2023.
Mathis, who can be an award-winning actress, is the recipient of the 2024 Particular Tony Award for her work on Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, the primary wig designer to ever obtain a particular Tony award for a particular work. Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, identified for his modern work like Applicable, was awarded AAFCA’s Vanguard Award.
Sponsors for the occasion included Morgan Stanley, Comcast, and Finn Companions, Eurweb stories.
