# African-American Film Critics Association

The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is the world's largest group of Black film critics that gives various annual awards for excellence in film and television. It was founded in 2003 in New York City. In 2023 Variety stated that since it started, "the organization’s purpose was clear: to amplify Black voices in film criticism and arts entertainment journalism from across the African Diaspora."

## History

The association was founded in 2003 by Gil L. Robertson IV and Shawn Edwards. They met in New York City after a press junket, and were both concerned with the lack of themed stories in the film industry from the African Diaspora. In several weeks, the two of them were supported by other colleagues in their plan to create an association of black film critics. They drafted the initial outline for the association while in Los Angeles. In December 2003, the African-American Film Critics Association officially announced the start of its organization, and released its first "Top Ten List."
In 2019, the association began giving awards to television shows in the spring. AAFCA also joined with the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA), and the Online Association of Female Film Critics (OAFFC) to form the Critics Groups for Equality in Media to "help foster greater diversity in entertainment journalism" through various initiatives including a "watchdog" grading system.

## Mission

The association actively reviews cinema overall, but highlights films about the African-American experience. The AAFCA produces awareness for films with widespread appeal to the black community while stressing the importance of films produced, written, directed and starring people of African descent. Members also involve themselves in advocacy work for students interested in film journalism and criticism.
The AAFCA also curates resources guides and lists of historically or culturally significant black films.
The organization gives out awards for a variety of categories. Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Foreign Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Original Song. The AAFCA also gives out an award for Special Achievement. Honorees for this award are chosen by committee on the basis of their lifetime achievements. Past recipients of the Special Achievement award included Jamie Foxx, John Singleton, Edward James Olmos, Ruth E. Carter, Pearlena Igbokwe, Channing Dungey, Sherry Lansing, and Spike Lee.

## Membership

Members of AAFCA are a geographically diverse range of journalists who cover every genre of film and represent numerous mediums such as television, radio broadcast, online, and print. Membership into the AAFCA is by invitation only, with approval of the Board of Governors.
There are three classifications for membership in the AAFCA; active member, associate member, and student. An active member is one who writes regular film criticism for a medium with a minimum of 24 to qualify and must be based in the United States. Once accepted the active member must have a constant presence in the critique of commercial American films. An associate member is one who writes regular film coverage for a medium and must express their affiliation with an established media body by providing a written letter on company letterhead. Finally, a minimum of twelve samples of film critique is needed for consideration. A student member is one who is attending an accredited college or university and is majoring in journalism or broadcast media.

## Special programs

Panel discussions led by an AAFCA member are also offered by the association. One such panel is about the concept of diversity in modern films. It accentuates an understanding that each individual is special and different. The differences may run along lines of race, ethnicity, gender socio-economic status, physical abilities, sexual orientation, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. The panel explores the role cinema plays in understanding one another and to go beyond a simplistic message of tolerance to one of celebrating and acceptance of the plentiful dimensions of diversity in every person.
Another panel entitled "What Every Filmmaker Needs to Know about Film Critics", explores the important areas filmmakers must know when making a film. Film critics influence the success and failure of a film through their reviews so this panel attempts to help new filmmakers. It discusses the significance of plot lines and story narrative in films, the deliberations that must go into casting a film, and the crucial technical and imaginative elements filmmakers should reflect on before presenting their work to the public.
The final program offered by the AAFCA is the Junior Critic Program. Working with the historically black colleges and universities, the AAFCA selects four journalism students who demonstrate a talent and/or interest in film to cover a film promotional event as a working journalist. The selection process for the students is based on academic or department recommendations and an interview with an AAFCA member. The representative chaperones the selected student for the media event and then provides assistance with the final report.
In 2017, the AAFCA produced a series of screenings and panels honoring the late Prince at libraries and museums in Kansas City, Denver, Atlanta and Broward County, Florida.
In 2023, the AAFCA partnered with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to present "The Struggle to be Seen" a series of panels on challenges faced by Black industry professionals.

## 2009 scandal

In 2009, the big winner at the African American Film Critics Association was Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. The adaption won best picture, best director, best screenplay, and best supporting actress. The film's star, Gabourey Sidibe, did not win best actress, in favor of Nicole Beharie from American Violet.
After the awards, gossip blogger Roger Friedman of The Hollywood Reporter reported the tally had been manipulated by the group's president, Gil Robertson IV. Friedman posed that Robertson was to receive a bribe in the form of a donation from the producers affiliated with American Violet.
The issue sparked infighting among the group leading to a splintering. Three founding members of the AAFCA—Shawn Edwards of FOX-TV, Wilson Morales of Blackfilm.com/AOL Blackvoices, and Mike Sargent WBAI-FM/Tor.com—withdrew and created a new group, the Black Film Critics Circle. The new group includes five other former AAFCA members and officially debuted in February 2010. In the founding announcement, the Black Film Critics Circle made known that they were going to "maintain the integrity of a true critics organization".
In a statement released on December 28, 2009, and signed by 15 of the group's members, Robertson denied all accusations related to ballot tampering, and wished any group wanting to further black film appreciation the best. The only evidence to the controversy on the AAFCA website is the inclusion that "Effective January 1, 2010, final tabulations for all AAFCA Award categories will be handled by Beverly Hills accountant W. Steven Temple".

## Executive team

* Gil L. Robertson IV – President
* Daryle Lockhart – Vice President, East Coast
* Kathy Williamson – Vice President, West Coast
* Etienne Maurice – Creative Executive

## Advisory board

* Russell Williams – Oscar winner; Professor, American University; Co-founder
* Darrell Miller – Fox, Rothschilds, LLP
* Latanya Richardson – Actress, Philanthropist
* W. Stephen Temple – President of Business Affairs Mgmt., Inc
* Ava Duvernay – Filmmaker; President of DVA Media & Marketing
* Vicangelo Bullock – President of NAACP – Beverly Hills/Hollywood
* Asante Bradford – Georgia Film, Music, & Digital Entertainment

## Top Ten Films of the Year

| Year | Winner | Top Films of the Year |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | City of God Dirty Pretty Things Finding Nemo In America The Italian Job The Last Samurai Lost in Translation Mystic River Tupac: Resurrection |
| 2004 | Ray | The Aviator Baadasssss! Brother to Brother Collateral Finding Neverland Hotel Rwanda Million Dollar Baby Sideways Woman Thou Art Loosed |
| 2005 | Crash | Batman Begins Brokeback Mountain Capote The Constant Gardener Good Night, and Good Luck Hustle & Flow North Country Syriana Walk the Line |
| 2006 | Dreamgirls | Akeelah and the Bee Bobby Catch a Fire The Departed The Devil Wears Prada Idlewild Inside Man The Last King of Scotland The Pursuit of Happyness |
| 2007 | The Great Debaters | American Gangster Gone Baby Gone Juno Michael Clayton No Country for Old Men Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Talk to Me There Will Be Blood Things We Lost in the Fire |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Cadillac Records The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Doubt Iron Man Milk Miracle at St. Anna The Secret Life of Bees Seven Pounds Slumdog Millionaire |
| 2009 | Precious | American Violet Goodbye Solo Good Hair The Hurt Locker Medicine for Melancholy Michael Jackson's This Is It The Princess and the Frog Up Up in the Air |
| 2010 | The Social Network | Black Swan Blood Done Sign My Name The Fighter For Colored Girls Frankie and Alice Get Low Inception The King's Speech Night Catches Us |
| 2011 | The Tree of Life | A Better Life The Descendants Drive The Help Moneyball My Week with Marilyn Pariah Rampart Shame |
| 2012 | Zero Dark Thirty | Argo Beasts of the Southern Wild Django Unchained Les Misérables Life of Pi Lincoln Middle of Nowhere Moonrise Kingdom Think Like a Man |
| 2013 | 12 Years a Slave | 42 American Hustle Dallas Buyers Club Fruitvale Station Gravity Lee Daniels' The Butler Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Out of the Furnace Saving Mr. Banks |
| 2014 | Selma | The Imitation Game Theory of Everything Birdman Belle Top Five Unbroken Dear White People Get On Up Black or White |
| 2015 | Straight Outta Compton | Creed Mad Max: Fury Road Beasts of No Nation The Martian 3 1/2 Minutes and Dope Chi-Raq Carol The Big Short The Danish Girl |
| 2016 | Moonlight | Fences Hidden Figures Lion La La Land The Birth of a Nation Loving Manchester by the Sea Hell or High Water Queen of Katwe |
| 2017 | Get Out | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Coco Girls Trip Detroit Call Me by Your Name The Shape of Water Gook Crown Heights Marshall |
| 2018 | Black Panther | If Beale Street Could Talk The Hate U Give A Star Is Born Quincy Roma Blindspotting The Favourite Sorry to Bother You Widows |
| 2019 | Us | Dolemite Is My Name Just Mercy Clemency The Irishman Queen & Slim Waves Parasite Atlantics The Farewell Harriet |
| 2022 | The Harder They Fall | King Richard Respect The Tragedy of Macbeth Passing Belfast Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America House of Gucci The Power of the Dog West Side Story |
| 2023 | The Woman King | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Till Sidney Emancipation Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery The Inspection Causeway Everything Everywhere All at Once Wendell & Wild |
| 2024 | American Fiction | Origin The Color Purple Oppenheimer Past Lives Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Poor Things Anatomy of a Fall Killers of the Flower Moon Barbie |

## Awards

* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2003
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2004
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2005
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2006
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2007
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2008
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2009
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2010
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2011
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2012
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2013
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2014
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2015
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2016
* African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2017