Critics Choice Association Presents: 2023 Celebration of Cinema & Television

Hosted by Nicco Annan of STARZ’s P-Valley, the Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements took place on December 4 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.

STARZ served as the official media partner, and the awards will be shown exclusively on the streaming platform during January. Additionally, STARZ bestowed 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.

Details: https://www.criticschoice.com/celebration-of-cinema-television/

This year’s honorees included:

Emmy Award-winning actor and producer Edward James Olmos 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 Ferrera 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 directing Searchlight Pictures’ Flamin’ Hot.

SAG Award-nominated actress Greta Lee will receive the Actress Award (Film) for her performance in A24’s film Past Lives.

Emmy Award-winning actor and writer 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, Colman 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.

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.

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 Maridueña for his performance in Warner Bros.’ The Blue Beetle, and Emmy-nominee Keivonn Woodard for his performance in HBO’s The Last of Us.

“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.”

Sponsors of the event include: Crowns & Hops Brewing Co., Crunchyroll, Delta Air Lines, FIJI Water, GreenSlate, IMDbPro, Longevity Wines, Making Space, Milagro Tequila, and NEP Sweetwater.

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.

Event logos, honoree headshots, and digital assets can be found HERE.

About the Critics Choice Association (CCA)

The Critics Choice Association is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 600 media critics and entertainment journalists. It was established in 2019 with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, recognizing the intersection between film, television, and streaming content. For more information, visit:

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