SPOTLIGHT of THE WEEK
"ANGELA BASSETT"
(New York, NY) - The 8th American Black
Film Festival (ABFF) Honors recently announced that Angela Bassett will receive the "Excellence
in the Arts Award." The award is presented by Nice Crowd and will take place on Monday, February 16, 2026 at
the SLS hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The intimate, non-televised dinner will bring together ABFF honorees and festival partners.
The ABFF Honors Excellence in the Arts Award recognizes a highly acclaimed
artist for their body of work and distinguished career achievements.
The evening will also honor Dwayne Johnson with the "Entertainment Icon Award," powerhouse talent
Jennifer Hudson, host of "The Jennifer Hudson Show" with the "Renaissance Award," trailblazing director
and executive producer Salli Richardson-Whitfield with the "Evolution Award," and critically acclaimed actor Damson
Idris with the "Horizon Award."
In addition,
ABFF Honors will pay special tribute to the creative team behind the motion picture Sinners. The extraordinary cinematic achievement
from acclaimed filmmakers Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian, starring Michael B. Jordan. The event will be hosted
by New York Times best-selling author and award-winning comedian KevOnStage.
Angela Bassett is an Honorary Oscar recipient and Emmy Award-winning actress, director, and executive
producer whose career spans decades of iconic, culture-shaping performances. Her film work includes Malcolm X, Waiting to
Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, What's Love Got to Do With It-which earned her an Academy Award nomination-Black Panther,
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Damsel, and Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. Bassett's
return as Queen Ramonda in Wakanda Forever earned her Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards, along with Academy Award, SAG,
and BAFTA nominations, and the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award.
On television, Bassett stars in and executive produces ABC's hit drama 9-1-1 and won her first Emmy for Outstanding
Narrator for the NatGeo docu-series Queens. She has been named to the TIME 100 and TIME Women of the Year, and her honors
include multiple Emmy nominations, a SAG Award, two Golden Globes, 16 NAACP Image Awards, the Black Girls Rock! Icon Award,
Critics Choice Career Achievement Award, AAFCA TV Honor, and Glamour's Women of the Year Award. A Disney Legend, Bassett also
directs and produces through Bassett Vance Productions, which is partnered with 20th Television. A graduate of Yale University,
where she earned both her B.A. and M.F.A., she has received multiple honorary doctorates in recognition of her enduring impact
on film, television, and culture.
ABFF Honors is
the American Black Film Festival's annual awards season gala dedicated to recognizing excellence in the motion picture and
television industry. Founded in 2016, the ceremony pays tribute to Black artists who have made significant contributions to
American entertainment through their work as well as those who champion diversity and inclusion in Hollywood.
ABFF Honors stems from the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), founded
by Jeff Friday in 1997, the leading festival of its kind showcasing Black storytelling. Since its inception, the ABFF has
been dedicated to supporting Friday's conviction that Black artists deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts.
Having premiered the work and encouraged the careers of many of today's most successful filmmakers and actors, the ABFF has
become the standard-bearer of excellence for Black American creativity.
ABFF Honors is executive produced by Jeff Friday, Nicole Friday (NICE CROWD) and Rikki Hughes (Magic
Lemonade) in association with dePasse Jones Entertainment. Sponsors for the event to date include: Ally Financial (Presenting),
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Andscape (Silver), Morgan Stanley Global Sports & Entertainment, HBO Max (Bronze), SLS Hotel,
a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills (Contributing), and Variety (Media).
For more information about ABFF Honors visit www.abffhonors.com.
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(Source: Lede Company.)
