Angela Bassett will be receiving her flowers at the 8th American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors. On Feb. 16, the actress, director, and executive producer will be receiving the Excellence in the Arts Award for her career achievements and acclaimed body of work.
In the span of her nearly 40-year career, Bassett has taken on notable roles on the silver screen. On the movie front, Bassett portrayed the likes of Betty Shabazz in 1992’s Malcolm X, Tina Turner in 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993), the fed-up wife Bernadine ‘Bernie’ Harris in Waiting to Exhale (1995), and most recently, in Marvel’s Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as Queen Ramonda. As for her roles in television, the 67-year-old thespian expanded her talent into Emmy-nominated roles on shows like Jacksons: An American Dream (1992), The Rosa Parks Story (2002), FX’s American Horror Story, and ABC/Fox’s 9-1-1.
“Angela Bassett is the embodiment of excellence,” said Nice Crowd CEO Jeff Friday and President Nicole Friday. “Her body of work is both extraordinary and enduring, defined by performances that are fearless, powerful, and deeply human. She has set a standard for artistic integrity and cultural impact that continues to inspire generations, and we are honored to celebrate her remarkable career with the Excellence in the Arts Award.”
The evening will also honor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson with the Entertainment Icon Award. Grammy-winning artist and talk show host Jennifer Hudson will be honored with the Renaissance Award. Trailblazing director and executive producer Salli Richardson-Whitfield will receive the Evolution Award, and the Horizon Award recipient will be critically acclaimed actor Damson Idris. ABFF Honors will also pay a special tribute to the creative team behind Ryan Coogler’s box office hit, Sinners.
The intimate, non-televised event will be held at the SLS hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., and hosted by comedian and New York Times best-selling author KevOnStage.
