An impressive lineup of stars including such Oscar-buzzed contenders as Colman Domingo, America Ferrera, Jeffrey Wright, Greta Lee, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and the cast of the upcoming Christmas release The Color Purple are among the honorees of the Critics Choice Association‘s Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements.
Hosted by Nicco Annan of Starz’s P-Valley, the event is December 4 at the Fairmont Century Plaza with Starz serving as the official media partner and televising the awards during the month of January (it will also air on Nexstar stations in February). Additionally, Starz will bestow one of the honorees with a special Starz #TakeTheLead designation as part of its ongoing commitment to amplifying narratives by, about and for women and underrepresented audiences.
Unlike last year, when the CCA held separate ceremonies for Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements, this year, because of the strikes, the CCA is presenting a one-time-only combination show, featuring more than 20 honorees who created some of this year’s most acclaimed films and TV shows.
“For the last few years, the CCA has hosted individual Celebrations of Black, Latino and AAPI Cinema & Television. CCA will return to individual shows in 2024, but doing this special celebration allows us to continue the CCA’s tradition of supporting inclusion and creativity in our industry,” said CCA CEO Joey Berlin. “I am extremely proud to recognize this diverse group of honorees together on this one special night.”
This year’s honorees include:
Emmy Award-winning actor and producer Edward James Olmos who will receive the Icon Award for his incredible career including Zoot Suit, Selena, Stand and Deliver, Blade Runner, Miami Vice and most recently FX’s Mayans M.C.
Emmy Award-winning actress, producer and advocate Sheryl Lee Ralph will receive the Career Achievement Award for her extensive work in film & television with over 100 credits including ABC’s Abbott Elementary as well as Instant Mom, Ray Donovan, Moesha, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Mistress, The Distinguished Gentlemen and To Sleep with Anger.
The Comedy Trailblazer Award will be bestowed upon comedian and actor Ken Jeong, whose notable credits include The Masked Singer, The Afterparty, Community, Crazy Rich Asians, I Can See Your Voice, and The Hangover franchise.
Emmy Award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright will be honored with the Visionary Award for his performance in Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios’ American Fiction.
Emmy- and SAG Award-winning actress America Ferrara will accept the Groundbreaker Award for her performances in Warner Bros.’ Barbie and Sony Pictures/Black Bear Pictures’ Dumb Money.
Oscar-nominated Charles D. King will receive the Producer Award for his most recent work on Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone.
Award-winning director, producer, actress and advocate Eva Longoria will be recognized with the Breakthrough Director Award (Film) for her feature directorial debut, Searchlight Pictures’ Flamin’ Hot.
Greta Lee will receive the Actress Award (Film) for her performance in A24’s film Past Lives, while Colman Domingo will be recognized with the Actor Award (Film) for his performance in Netflix’s Rustin.
The Ensemble Award will be awarded to Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Fantasia Barrino, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Domingo and Corey Hawkins for their performances in Warner Bros.’ The Color Purple.
Actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph will be honored with the Supporting Actress Award (Film) for her performance in Focus Features’ The Holdovers.
Emmy-nominated narrative filmmaker and documentarian Allen Hughes will be celebrated with the Documentary Series Award for his work directing FX’s Dear Mama.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker and playwright Kemp Powers will be honored with the Animation Award for his directorial work on Sony Pictures’ film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Animator and filmmaker Makoto Shinkai will accept the International Animation Award for Crunchyroll/Sony Pictures’ film Suzume.
Actor and producer Damson Idris will receive the Actor Award (TV) for his performance in FX’s Snowfall.
Current Emmy-nominated actress and comedian Jessica Williams will be recognized with the Supporting Actress Award (TV) for her performance in Apple TV+’s Shrinking.
Actor Oscar Montoya will be honored with the Supporting Actor Award (TV) for his performance in Starz’s Minx.
Breakthrough Performance Awards will be bestowed upon Teyana Taylor for her performance in Focus Features’ A Thousand and One, Emmy-nominee Camila Morrone for her performance in Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & The Six, and Charles Melton for his performance in Netflix’s May December.
Current multiple Emmy-nominated director and writer Lee Sung Jin will be honored with the Breakthrough Director Award (TV) for his work on Netflix’s series Beef.
Receiving the Rising Star Awards will be Xolo Mariduena for his performance in Warner Bros.’ The Blue Beetle, and current Emmy nominee Keivonn Woodard for his performance in HBO’s The Last of Us.
The producing and programming team includes Madelyn Hammond & Javier Infante of Madelyn Hammond & Associates as well as Critics Choice board members Shawn Edwards and Clayton Davis and Critics Choice members Toni Gonzales, Kylie Mar, Michael Ordoña and Fahnia Thomas.