ABOUT THE SHOW

OVERVIEW & HISTORY

ABFF Honors is an annual awards ceremony saluting excellence in the motion picture and television industry. The show celebrates Black culture by recognizing individuals who have made distinguished contributions to American entertainment through their work as well as those who champion diversity and inclusion in Hollywood. The ceremony features moving tributes to four Honorees along with presentations of the Movie of The Year and Classic Film/TV Award.

ABFF Honors stems from the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) founded by Jeff Friday in 1997 and born from his conviction that Black artists deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts. For more than two decades, the festival has been the standard bearer of excellence for Black creativity, having premiered the work and supported the careers of many of today's most successful filmmakers and actors.

In just four years, the show has become one of the most prominent events of the industry's awards season attracting top tier talent and press coverage in major media outlets including, LA Times, Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and many others. The inaugural show, honoring Don Cheadle, Regina King and the late Diahann Carroll, along with ABFF alumni Will Packer and Ryan Coogler, had its broadcast premiere on the BET Network in February 2016. The 2017 show paid tribute to Denzel Washington, Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard, Issa Rae and F. Gary Gray. Honorees for the 2018 event included Billy Dee Williams, Ava DuVernay, Omari Hardwick, Tiffany Haddish and the cast of the classic television show Martin.

ABFF HONORS 2020

ABFF Honors 2020, hosted by Deon Cole (Black-ish), will take place on Sunday, February 23 in Beverly Hills, CA. The guest list for this invitation-only, black-tie gala will include three hundred and fifty (350) of the most influential artists, executives and stakeholders in the entertainment industry. HBO's series The Wire will receive this year's Classic Television Award. Honorees for the 2020 event include Cynthia Erivo, Louis Gossett, Jr., Lena Waithe, and Jamie Foxx.

Read ABFF Honors Latest Press Release, click here.