‘Black films are making a sizable impact at the box office,’ says AAFCA president Gil Robertson

Antoine Fuqua’s historical slave drama “Emancipation,” Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King,” about a group of African female warriors and Chinonye Chukwu’s “Till,” which documents the decades-long pursuit of justice for Emmett Till’s murder, have topped AAFCA’S Best Films of 2022.

Black films

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), which was established in 2003, honors excellence in cinema by creating awareness for films with universal appeal to black communities and is the premiere body of Black film critics in the world.

Till
Antoine Fuqua

AAFCA’S top 10 films of 2022 also includes Reginald Hudlin‘s “Sidney,” a documentary that honors the legendary Sidney Poitier and his legacy as an iconic actor, filmmaker and activist at the center of Hollywood and the Civil Rights Movement. There is also the superhero saga “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” which has remained the No. 1 movie in North America for the fifth weekend in a row and “Devotion,” a story about the first Black aviator in U.S. Navy history.

Chinonye Chukwu -PHOTO by Dave Allocca StarPix

The organization will reveal winners of their 14th Annual AAFCA Awards honoring outstanding achievement in film in 15 competitive categories on Jan. 16 with an in-person celebration in Los Angeles following on March 1.

Devotion

“The best films of this year prove that diverse stories – the true and the fantastical – are not only important to the culture but are equally important to the movie-making business,” said AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson.  “Black films which make an impact on our minds and hearts are also making a sizable impact at the box office. Our top film, ‘The Woman King’, bridges the gap between telling important, heartfelt stories, and providing an entertaining experience for movie-going audiences.

AAFCA president Gil Robertson

These true tales of black empowerment and accomplishment, such as ‘Emancipation,’ ‘Devotion’ and ‘Sidney,’ as well as fantastical tales such as ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ and ‘Wendell & Wild’ invite us to experience under-appreciated pieces of history along with our own imaginings.”

By Samantha Ofole-Prince

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