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2024 AAFCA TV Honors Winners

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25, 2024 – The 6th Annual AAFCA TV Honors, presented by the African American Film Critics Association, took place at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024 at an invitation-only event that bestowed special honors to Glynn Turman, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, Starz’s “Power” Universe and Streaming Platform Tubi. The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) also recognized winners in competitive categories for distinguished achievements in television and streaming and announced for the first time the TOP TEN TV SHOWS OF THE YEAR. The event was presided over by Gil Robertson, the president of AAFCA.

Top Ten TV Shows of the Year

1. Genius: MLK/X
2. Unprisoned
3. Black Twitter: A People’s History
4. The Chi
5. The Big Cigar
6. The Bear
7. Abbott Elementary
8. SWAT
9. The Neighborhood
10. Them

Winners in the competitive categories are:

BEST DOCUMENTARY - “Black Twitter: A People’s History”

BEST ENSEMBLE - "Masters of the Air"

BEST LIMITED SERIES/SPECIAL - “Genius: MLK/X”

BEST NEW SHOW - “Bookie”

BEST TV ACTING (Female) - Ayo Edebiri ("The Bear")

BEST TV ACTING (Male) - Wendell Pierce ("Elsbeth")

BEST TV COMEDY - “Unprisoned”

BEST TV DIRECTING - Channing Godfrey Peoples (“Genius: MLK/X” - Episode 401 "Graduation")

BEST TV DRAMA - “The Chi”

BEST WRITING - “The Bear”

BREAKOUT STAR - Josiah Cross ("Masters of the Air")

Special Achievement honorees are:

LEGACY AWARD - GLYNN TURMAN

This prolific American actor has been gracing the stage and screen for over six decades. Starting on Broadway at just 12 years old in the 1959 production of “A Raisin in the Sun” opposite Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee, this Emmy® winner has appeared in shows like “A Different World,” “The Treatment” “Black Cake” and “The Wire” and films such as “Cooley High,” “Rustin” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” for which he won a Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for Best Supporting Actor. Turman is also a director and writer with numerous credits, and a horseman who runs a camp for underprivileged children, further defining a legacy of the highest caliber.

SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE AWARD - NKECHI OKORO CARROLL

This versatile television producer, writer and creator currently has two hit shows on the air: The CW’s “All American” and NBC’s acclaimed drama “Found” starring Shanola Hampton, which centers on cases of marginalized missing persons.

IMPACT AWARD - STARZ’ “POWER” UNIVERSE

STARZ’s acclaimed “Power” franchise is currently celebrating a momentous 10-year anniversary of groundbreaking drama television. From the original “Power” series to its prequel and two spinoffs – “Power Book II: Ghost,” “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” and “Power Book IV: Force” – the “Power” Universe continues to influence the television landscape, particularly with its portrayal of complex and nuanced Black characters. 'Power’ broke ground by featuring a predominantly Black cast in a high-stakes drama and continues to pave the way for more diverse representation on television.

ALLY AWARD - TUBI

The free streaming service, Tubi, has become a destination for viewers seeking diverse content and boasts an impressive collection of Black cinema, featuring titles like “Friday,” “Barbershop,” “Madea’s Reunion,” and “House Party,” as well as many sequels from these popular series and numerous other titles that celebrate Black stories. Since launching Tubi Originals in 2021, the platform has prioritized projects that reflect a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Tubi’s commitment to diverse storytelling is further exemplified by their partnership with The Blacklist which specifically seeks out scripts from underrepresented storytellers.

The AAFCA TV Honors, introduced in 2019, celebrate outstanding achievements in television and streaming, with a special focus on entertainment representing the Black diaspora. The event will be presided over by AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson who said: “The 2024 AAFCA TV Honors class is a powerful testament to the exceptional range of Black talent in television today. From the legendary Glynn Turman, whose six-decade career continues to inspire, to rising stars and innovative storytellers, this group exemplifies excellence across the board. We're honored to recognize their achievements and celebrate their commitment to pushing the boundaries of storytelling. They make us all better.”

ABOUT AAFCA

Established in 2003, AAFCA is the premier body of Black film critics in the world, actively reviewing film and television, with a particular emphasis on entertainment highlighting the Black experience in the US and throughout the rest of the African Diaspora. For more information on AAFCA and its programs visit http://AAFCA.com.

Purdie Distribution’s “Tokyo Cowboy” in Theaters on August 30th

(Los Angeles, CA) This charming dramedy centers on a Japanese corporate turnaround artist, Hideki (Arata Iura). Confident that he has the secret sauce to recharge any stagnant brand, he’s got a slick pitch deck (with a snapshot from his own childhood), and he’s engaged to Keiko (Ayako Fujitani), the corporate vice-president he reports to. His company is about to liquidate a money-hemorrhaging cattle ranch in Montana co-owned by Peg (Robin Weigert ), when he parachutes in for a quick fix. His Japanese beef consultant Wada (Jun Kunimura) goes hilariously native, and Hideki, a smart guy, immediately sees that his idea for a quick fix was mistaken. Now unsettled and off the grid in an alien culture, Hideki recalibrates his values and his life goals. Mexican ranch hand Javier (Goya Robles) helps Hideki see that there is more to live for than just the bottom line and rising sales figures. When Hideki fails to come home on time, Keiko is sent to bring him back.

Directed by filmmaker Marc Marriott making his feature directorial debut, and beautifully shot by cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jimenez, this stunning film was produced by Brigham Taylor, Marc Marriot and Jeri Rafter. This premiered last year at the 2023 Tallgrass Film Festival, where it won Best Narrative Feature, and it also played at the Boston, San Luis Obispo, Sedona, St Louis International, Newport Beach, Zions Indie and Heartland Film Festivals, winning additional awards at all of them. The screenplay was written by Dave Boyle and Ayako Fujitani.

“The story of Tokyo Cowboy was born out of my own experience living as a foreigner in a foreign land. Years ago, I had a profoundly impactful experience living in Japan.”Said Director Marc Marriott. “I went as one person, and I came home changed. My time in Japan caused me to become quieter- to listen more.”

“…thus was born Hideki Sakai and his journey in Tokyo Cowboy. Displaced and disconnected in Japan, Hideki Sakai spends his time acquiring other people’s dreams. Like the characters in my favorite films such as Local Hero, I was charmed by Hideki’s journey and his growing attraction to a place he has come intending to change, even destroy. Hideki’s bottom-line numbers-focused approach to life has left him empty- searching for more.”

“This is a story about finding untapped reservoirs of courage and empathy from your own culture, while also reaching out and connecting with others. Highlighting this character journey is the natural beauty of the Montana landscape: the stunning contrast to the rich neon beauty of Tokyo produces a unique visual palette.”

“The greatest dramatic stakes are when we risk something personal, and humor is most indelible when it’s derived from a shared human experience. This is what I wanted to feel in Tokyo Cowboy. I hope audiences are surprisingly charmed by this gentle narrative about Hideki’s journey. I hope that they can see some of themselves in Hideki’s desire to listen, slow down, and connect with the land and with the people around him.”

Tokyo Cowboy is produced through Salaryman Film. Purdie Distribution will release Tokyo Cowboy in select US theaters as AMC Artisan Films on August 30th, 2024 with VOD to follow. For more info, visit the film's official site, www.tokyocowboyfilm.com or visit www.PurdieDistribution.com.

ABOUT Purdie Distribution:
Purdie Distribution is an independently-owned film distribution company known for releasing independent films theatrically nationwide. Established in 2009, Purdie Distribution led the distribution of Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed and The Void, The Saratov Approach, Freetown, Once I Was A Beehive and is generally focused on films that elevate the human experience, focusing primarily on family, faith-based and funny films.

View New Clip: ‘HAPPY CAMPERS’ Opens in Los Angeles on August 21st and VOD and Major Platforms September 10th

GRASSHOPPER FILM Presents A Myrtle & Olive Production

HAPPY CAMPERS’ showing at the IFC Center in New York has been extended and opens in Los Angeles on August 21^st at Laemmle Theaters: Monica Film Center, Noho 7. Its United States and Canada VOD Release on iTunes and all major platforms is September 10th.

Los Angeles Screenings:

Laemmle Monica, August 21st at 7:30PM - 1332 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA.
Q&A with Director and filmmaker Cythia Wade to following screening.

LINK: https://www.laemmle.com/film/ happy-campers?date=2024-08-21

Laemmle Noho, August 22nd at 7:30PM - 5240 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA
Q&A with Director and Abby Sun, Director of Artist Programs at the International Documentary Association to follow screening.

LINK: https://www.laemmle.com/film/happy-campers?date=2024-08-22

HAPPY CAMPERS chronicles the final days of a working-class summer colony in a scrappy trailer park that just happens to hold the secret to a rich life.

In a waterfront campground off the coast of Virginia, residents spend their summers living spitting distance apart in rust-bitten RVs. They chuckle about the modest rent they pay for a million-dollar location, but what makes them the luckiest people in the world is more than just stunning sunsets, it’s the community they’ve created.

Beneath cliched trailer park stereotypes lies an unlikely utopia where all are welcome. Neighbors help each other out, and share everything from power tools to simple pleasures. Loneliness and isolation are inconceivable.

When their affordable paradise is sold to developers, the residents brace for eviction and the loss of friendships that span generations. They hold tight to their final days in the sun. The well-heeled crowd that takes their place will never be as wealthy.

Amy Nicholson is a New York-based filmmaker and commercial director whose projects often explore the essence of Americana with a humorous eye and a warm respect for her subjects. Nicholson’s most recent documentary, a short titled Pickle, won multiple audience awards, was selected for The New York Times’ Op Docs, and was featured on the Criterion Collection alongside Errol Morris’ Gates of Heaven. Pickle was also nominated for an IDA Award and Cinema Eye Honors. Nicholson has produced and directed several features. Zipper: Coney Island’s Last Wild Ride won the Special Jury Prize at DOCNYC and was held over twice at the IFC Center. Muskrat Lovely premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival and was broadcast on Independent Lens. Nicholson’s films have screened at Hot Docs, Sheffield, Full Frame, DOK Leipzig, BFI London, Camden, Traverse City, Rooftop Films, and the MoMA. They have been reviewed by Variety, Indiewire, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.

Disney’s ALIEN: ROMULUS Opens Theatrically on August 16, 2024

Director: Fede Alvarez
Writers: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues
Characters creators: Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett
Stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 58 minutes

A truly terrifying cinematic experience from producer Ridley Scott and director/writer Fede Alvarez, 20th Century Studios’ “Alien: Romulus” opens in theaters nationwide August 16, 2024. The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 58 minutes Director: Fede Alvarez
Writers: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues
Characters creators: Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett
Stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu
Producers: Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Walter Hill
Executive Producers: Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon, Brent O’Connor, Tom Moran

Lionsgate “CRESCENT CITY” Opens in Theaters, Digital and On Demand August 16th, 2024: View New Clip

Director: RJ Collins
Writer: Rich Ronat
Starring: Terrence Howard, Esai Morales, Nicky Whelan, Alec Baldwin
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes

Academy Award Nominee’s Terrence Howard and Alec Baldwin star in a mesmerizing crime thriller about what it costs to catch a killer.

'CRESCENT CITY' When a small southern town is terrorized by a relentless serial killer everyone becomes a suspect… including local authorities. As the body count rises and the dark mystery deepens, the chief detective becomes haunted by the horrors of his past.

Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes
Director: RJ Collins
Writer: Rich Ronat
Starring: Terrence Howard, Esai Morales, Nicky Whelan, Alec Baldwin
Executive Producers: Angie Sanfilippo, Cole Garson, Paul Swigart, Richie Hill, Barry Brooker, Stan Wertlieb, Josh Spector, Matthew Hechinger, Nat Mccormick, Brian O’Shea, Rick Dugdale, Sean Lydiard, Eric Brenner, Anjul Nigam, Jeff Rice, Michael Sirow, Mira Park Howard, Andrea Collins, Inna Tuler, Vladislav Lapidus
Producers: Denise Loren, Eduard Osipov, Vince Jolivette, David Lipper, Robert A. Daly Jr.

RUNNING ON EMPTY- Opens in Theaters Today, August 9th

Director: Daniel André
Writer: Daniel André
Cast: Keir Gilchrist, Lucy Hale, Francesca Eastwood, Rhys Coiro, Jay Pharoah, Dustin Milligan, Dylan Flashner, Lisa Yaro, Monica Potter, Jim Gaffigan
Rating: R for language and sexual content
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Runtime: 1 hour 31 minutes 91 mins
Language: English
Country: United States

Opening in Select theaters August 9th:
Atlanta, Boca Raton, Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Tucson and more

Los Angeles theater August 23rd, Lumiere, Beverly Hills

VOD nationwide in the United States and Canada August 27^th on all major platforms

Keir Gilchrist, Lucy Hale, Francesca Eastwood and comic legend Jim Gaffigan star in a brilliantly quirky romantic comedy about celebrating life and living it to its fullest. Mortimer is an odd but clever young man living a lukewarm existence in California’s San Fernando Valley until he receives some life-changing news. Determined to make the most of every day, Mort sets out on a spirited quest to find meaning in his existence and discovers the girl of his dreams along the way.

Director: Daniel André
Writer: Daniel André
Cast: Keir Gilchrist, Lucy Hale, Francesca Eastwood, Rhys Coiro, Jay Pharoah, Dustin Milligan, Dylan Flashner, Lisa Yaro, Monica Potter, Jim Gaffigan
Executive Producers: Savoy Brummer, Robert Chan, Ruben Islas, Stanley Preschutti, Alan Pao, Jonathan Zuck, Rick Sasner, Matt Shapira, Joel Michaely, Ashley Waldron, Jeff Rice, Rico Simonini, Gabrielle Almagor, Tomer Almagor.
Producers: Robert Ogden Barnum, Greg Lauritano, Daniel André, Lucas Jarach, Luke Daniels

REVOLT WORLD in Atlanta, GA September 20-22, 2024

Zoë Kravitz’s Directorial Debut BLINK TWICE in Theaters August 23rd: View New Trailer

Directors: Zoë Kravitz
Writers: Zoë Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum
Starring: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, with Geena Davis and Alia Shawkat
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Rated: R for strong violent content, sexual assault, drug use and language throughout, and some sexual references
Run time: 1 hour 41 minutes

When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It’s paradise. Wild nights blend into sun soaked days and everyone's having a great time. No one wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. There is something wrong with this place. She’ll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.

Site | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

#BlinkTwiceMovie

Amazon MGM Studios Presents a Free Association / this is important / Bold Choices production
Directors: Zoë Kravitz
Writers: Zoë Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum
Starring: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, with Geena Davis and Alia Shawkat
Producers: Bruce Cohen, p.g.a., Tiffany Persons, p.g.a., Garret Levitz, p.g.a., Zoë Kravitz, Channing Tatum
Executive Producers: Stacy Perskie, Jordan Harkins, Vania Schlogel

‘Don’t Turn Your Back On Friday Night’, Executive Produced by Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, TVOD Release on all platforms including iTunes, Amazon and YouTube on August 27, 2024

Ike. & Boys with Roz Wedding Dress Background

Directors and Writers: Michael O’Brien, Mike Schmiedeler
Featuring: Ike and his band The Ike Reilly Assassination – Phil Karnats, Dave Cottini, Pete Cimbalo, Adam Krier, Tommy O’Donnell, Ed Tinley, Shane Reilly, Kevin Reilly, and Mickey Reilly, also featured in the film – David Pasquesi, Tony Fitzpatrick, Mars Williams
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Language: English
Country: U.S.

“Don’t Turn Your Back On Friday Night” ingeniously explores the life and career of Ike Reilly by culling over 40 years of footage and masterfully weaving in Reilly’s songs and stories to reveal a complicated and formidable artist. From his critically acclaimed major label debut album “Salesmen And Racists” to the celebrated “Born On Fire” album whose title track was featured in Ike’s friend Chris Farley’s biopic along with interviews from Ike himself. The film includes electrifying live performances, intimate personal moments and interviews with critics, fans, family, and legendary artists including David Lowery and Johnny Hickman of the band Cracker and Rock & Roll Hall Fame inductee Tom Morello. Morello, who also serves as Executive Producer says, “Ike Reilly is kind of like a real-life version of Jimmy Stewart’s character in It’s A Wonderful Life. Ike’s path as an incredibly talented yet underappreciated heartland troubadour has taken many unexpected, hilarious, rocky, and ultimately redemptive twists and turns that are all beautifully captured in this great film.”

‘RUNNING ON EMPTY’ Opens in Theaters on August 9th and on VOD in the US and Canada on August 27th

RUNNING ON EMPTY POSTER (Lionsgate).jpga

Theatrical Release: August 9, 2024
VOD Release: Tentative August 27, 2024
Director and Writer: Daniel André
Cast: Keir Gilchrist, Lucy Hale, Francesca Eastwood, Rhys Coiro, Jay Pharoah, Dustin Milligan, Dylan Flashner, Lisa Yaro, Monica Potter, Jim Gaffigan
Rating: R for language and sexual content
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Runtime: 1 hour 31 mins
Executive Producers: Savoy Brummer, Robert Chan, Ruben Islas, Stanley Preschutti, Alan Pao, Jonathan Zuck, Rick Sasner, Matt Shapira, Joel Michaely, Ashley Waldron, Jeff Rice, Rico Simonini, Gabrielle Almagor, Tomer Almagor.
Producers: Robert Ogden Barnum, Greg Lauritano, Daniel André, Lucas Jarach, Luke Daniels