On February 6, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) provided volunteers and a crew to film the 10th Annual AAFCA Awards at the Taglyan Center Complex in Hollywood.
The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is a group of African-American film critics and was founded in 2003 by Gil L. Robertson IV and Shawn Edwards. The AAFCA body consists of a geographically diverse range of journalists who cover all genres of film and represent television, radio broadcast, digital media, and print. Each year it presents a variety of awards in addition to its Top Ten Films of the Year list.
“I have attended this celebration for many years and the AAFCA continues to excel far beyond the boundaries of mainstream television and film,” states Kimberly Ogletree, Chair of NYFA Industry Lab and Consulting Producer for the awards. “The recognitions they give to the underrepresented voice will be a testament to the longevity of this organization.”
The Marvel blockbuster and cultural phenomenon Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler, was named by the AAFCA as Best Film of the Year, as well as being awarded Best Director (Coogler) and Best Song (“All The Stars”).
Additional awards include Best Actor for John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman), Best Actress for Regina Hall (Support the Girls), Best Animated Film for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and Best TV Comedy for Insecure, the HBO series developed by and starring New York Film Academy alum Issa Rae.
The AAFCA has also announced its annual Top Ten List of best films:
1 Black Panther (Walt Disney Studios)
2 If Beale Street Could Talk (Annapurna Pictures)
3 The Hate U Give (20th Century Fox)
4 A Star is Born (Warner Bros. Studios)
5 Quincy (Netflix)
6 Roma (Netflix)
7 Blindspotting (Lionsgate)
8 The Favourite (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
9 Sorry to Bother You (Annapurna Pictures)
10 Widows (20th Century Fox)
“It’s been a breakthrough year in cinema on a number of fronts,” says AAFCA co-president Gil Robertson. “Most significantly, the tremendous success of Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians clearly demonstrates that films populated by people of color can perform well overseas.
The New York Film Academy provided filming assistance and volunteers for the ceremony through its Industry Lab. The NYFA Industry Lab, founded in 2014, offers students real world experience through working on major productions for professional clients. A recent success of the NYFA Industry Lab was the internationally acclaimed short film, The Counter: 1960, which had seven Industry Lab members contribute to its production.
Later this month, the AAFCA and NYFA Industry Lab will partner together to present a special discussion exploring the present, past, and future of Black creative excellence in Hollywood through the AAFCA’s inaugural learning lab, Celebrating Black Excellence in Cinema. The event promises to inspire fruitful dialogue and creative exchange and will feature Alana Mayo (Outlier Society).
“The collaboration of AAFCA with NYFA will forge a path for students and alumni to take advantage of the multitude of opportunities that AAFCA can bring to NYFA,” adds NYFA Industry Lab Chair Kimberly Ogletree. “By aligning ourselves with a proven organization such as AAFCA, we can benefit from their expertise and knowledge of servicing the community and the entertainment industry.”
