A Year That Spoke Back: Inside the 17th Annual AAFCA Special Achievement Award Honorees

The African American Film Critics Association has announced the honorees and winners of its 17th Annual AAFCA Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to cinema alongside its selections for the top ten films of the year. The honorees will be celebrated February 8 at The Maybourne Beverly Hills, in a room filled with stories that carried us through the year.

The announcement was made by Gil Robertson, AAFCA president and co founder, whose voice continues to mark time for Black cinema with clarity and care.

The Films That Held the Year

AAFCA’s Top Ten Films of the Year read like a cultural record. Not of what was loudest, but of what endured.

At the forefront stands Sinners, followed closely by One Battle After Another and Hedda. Each film carried a different weight, yet all trusted the audience to sit with complexity.

The list continues with Frankenstein and Hamnet, stories rooted in imagination and grief. Wicked: For Good offered spectacle with heart, while F1 delivered precision and momentum. One of Them Days, The Knife, and The Smashing Machine rounded out a year that refused to be singular.

Together, these films form a portrait of a season where Black storytelling was not peripheral. It was central.

Performances and Craft That Defined the Moment

This year’s awards honored work that did not reach for applause, but earned it.

Michael B. Jordan was recognized for Best Actor for his work in Sinners, a performance grounded in restraint and intensity. Tessa Thompson received Best Actress for Hedda, offering a portrayal that trusted stillness as much as expression.

In supporting roles that carried emotional weight, Wunmi Mosaku was honored for Sinners, while Damson Idris was recognized for F1. Their work reminded us that presence does not depend on screen time.

Behind the camera, Ryan Coogler was honored for both Best Director and Best Writing for Sinners, a rare dual recognition that speaks to vision carried from page to frame. The film also received Best Ensemble, affirming the power of collective storytelling.

Emerging Voices and Expanded Forms

Every year brings new faces, and this one made space for becoming.

Miles Caton was named Emerging Face for his work in Sinners. Chase Infiniti received the same recognition for One Battle After Another. These honors feel less like arrival and more like affirmation.

AAFCA also recognized storytelling beyond traditional boundaries. The Perfect Neighbor was honored as Best Documentary. KPop Demon Hunters received Best Animated Feature. Short form storytelling was acknowledged through The Rebel Girls, Hoops, Hopes & Dreams, and Black Man, Black Man.

Music, often the unseen current beneath a film, was honored through Ludwig Göransson for his work on Sinners, reminding us how sound carries emotion long after the screen fades.

Holding the Work With Care

The AAFCA Awards have always existed to do more than celebrate success. They honor intention. Impact. Continuity.