The Critics Choice Association announced today the incredible talent that it will recognize, virtually, at the third annual Celebration of Black Cinema on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. The ceremony will be hosted by author and media personality Bevy Smith.
Bevy Smith to Host Ceremony Presented by the Critics Choice Association on February 2, 2021
Honorees include
Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) will receive The Career Achievement Award, having conquered the big screen, small screen, and stage, moving audiences with his impactful performances. Delroy Lindo can currently be seen in Spike Lee’s critically acclaimed film Da 5 Bloods available on Netflix. Lindo has had memorable roles in films such as The Cider House Rules, Heist, and previously garnered critical acclaim in a trio of films with Lee, Clockers, Crooklyn, and Malcolm X. He’ll be seen next in the Netflix film, The Harder They Fall.
John Legend & Mike Jackson (Giving Voice) will receive The Producers Award. Eight years ago Legend and Jackson, alongside Ty Stiklorius, founded Get Lifted Film Co., which has grown into a major industry player, producing standout works across stage and screen and earning awards for many of them. Their current projects are the Netflix original movie Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey and the Netflix original documentary Giving Voice, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and features Legend’s original song “Never Break.”
Tessa Thompson (Sylvie’s Love) will receive The Actors Award after earning critical acclaim as both star and executive producer of Amazon’s highly anticipated film Sylvie’s Love. The period piece takes place in late ‘50’s Harlem and centers around two Black people falling in love while individually working to carve their own professional paths amidst many challenges.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Trial of the Chicago 7) will receive The Breakthrough Award. Yahya, one of the most in-demand actors this year, most recently won an Emmy Award for his role as Cal Abar/Dr. Manhattan in HBO’s groundbreaking Watchmen. He can currently be seen amongst an all-star cast in Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, in which he plays Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale. The film, which has received critical and popular acclaim, is now available on Netflix.
Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom, Jr., will receive The Ensemble Award for their work in One Night in Miami…. The highly anticipated Amazon film, directed by award-winning actor/director Regina King, features this sensational cast taking on four of the most well-known figures in history – Cassius Clay (Goree), Malcolm X (Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Hodge), and Sam Cooke (Odom, Jr.) – to tell the story of a fateful night when all four gathered in a single hotel suite to celebrate Clay’s world heavyweight championship. They are already receiving critical praise for their portrayals that bring nuance and relatability to these superstars of American history.
Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) will be recognized with the Special Honoree Award for her work in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Day bares her soul as the iconic blues singer in the Lee Daniels-directed film, which dives into some of the deeper aspects of Holiday’s life when the Federal Bureau of Narcotics sought to punish her for singing political songs and integrating her audiences.
The event will also showcase a series of powerful photographs captured by Black filmmaker Tommy Oliver (40 Years A Prisoner, Black Love) around Los Angeles in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Oliver utilized his platform as a multi-hyphenate visual artist to channel the energy of the protests, seeking to inspire, incite, and challenge those who would see the final images.
The evening will benefit the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Gold Program. The Academy Gold Program is an industry talent development, diversity and inclusion initiative to provide individuals, with a focus on underrepresented communities, access and resources to achieve their career pathways in filmmaking.
“The Critics Choice Association is thrilled to have the opportunity to recognize the work of these extraordinary artists in a year where the intersection of art and activism has never been more necessary,” said Executive Producer Shawn Edwards. “Each of our honorees personifies the greatness of Black cinema in 2020, and we are looking forward to a truly remarkable evening celebrating these achievements!”
About Bevy Smith
Quintessential Harlem girl, life-long New Yorker and Gracie Award Winner Bevy Smith is the host of Sirius XM’s “Bevelations” on Radio Andy. Once a wildly successful luxury fashion publishing exec, Bevy shifted her professional goals over a decade ago to pursue a life in front of the camera. A pop culture aficionado and fashion expert, Bevy served as moderator of Bravo TV’s revolutionary “Fashion Queens,” and was a former co-host on the nationally syndicated “Page Six TV.” Bevy continues to be part of “The Wendy Williams Show’s Style Squad.” Smith’s debut book “Bevelations: Lessons from a Mutha, Auntie, Bestie” which details her transition from a fashion advertising executive into a media personality will be published through Andy Cohen Books, the new imprint at Henry Holt and Company on January 12, 2021.
About the Critics Choice Association (CCA)
The Critics Choice Association is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 400 television, radio and online critics and entertainment reporters. It was organized last year with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, recognizing the blurring of the distinctions between film, television, and streaming content. For more information, visit: www.CriticsChoice.com.
