Keke Palmer, Giancarlo Esposito and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor to Receive ABFF Honors (EXCLUSIVE)

Angelique Jackson

11 December 2024 at 11:45 am·2-min read

Keke Palmer, Giancarlo Esposito and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor will receive special awards at the seventh annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) Honors ceremony, presented by Nice Crowd.

The intimate, non-televised dinner will be held on Feb. 17 at the SLS hotel in Beverly Hills, hosted by Zainab Johnson, winner of the 2013 ABFF Comedy Wings competition.

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“For decades, these incredible ABFF honorees have captivated audiences and shaped the cultural landscape with their groundbreaking work,” stated Jeff and Nicole Friday, CEO and president of Nice Crowd, respectively. “It’s a privilege to honor Aunjanue, Giancarlo and Keke for their extraordinary contributions to both the industry and our shared culture.”

Palmer will receive the Renaissance award, which is presented to a “trendsetting content creator in recognition of their outstanding work and commitment to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion” through their work. The Emmy-winning actor (“Nope,” “Turnt Up With the Taylors”), producer, author and host recently celebrated the launch of her memoir “Master of Me” and stars opposite SZA in “One of Them Days,” which hits theaters on Jan. 17.

Ellis-Taylor and Esposito will accept ABFF’s excellence in the arts awards, which recognize highly acclaimed artists for their body of work and distinguished career achievements. After earning her first Oscar nomination for portraying tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams’ mother Oracene Price in 2021’s “King Richard,” plus Emmy nominations for “When They See Us” and “Lovecraft Country,” Ellis-Taylor is garnering critical acclaim for her latest role, starring in the film adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Nickel Boys.”

Emmy nominee Esposito is best known for his iconic role as Gustavo “Gus” Fring in “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.” Next year, he adds to his stellar resume (also including “The Usual Suspects,” “Do the Right Thing,” “The Mandalorian” and “The Boys”) with a trio of new projects: “Captain America: Brave New World,” the Russo Brothers’ “The Electric State” and Shonda Rhimes’ “The Residence.”

Founded in 2016, ABFF Honors is dedicated to recognizing excellence in the motion picture and TV industry and furthers the mission of the American Black Film Festival, which was founded by Jeff Friday in 1997 to showcase Black storytelling. Previous honorees include Taraji P. Henson, Jeffrey Wright, Garrett Morris and Mara Brock Akil (who were saluted at the 2024 gala), as well as Denzel Washington, Ava DuVernay, Regina King, Kerry Washington, Courtney B. Vance, Charles D. King, Janelle Monáe, Tiffany Haddish, Ryan Coogler, Don Cheadle, Will Packer, Queen Latifah, Lena Waithe, Terrence Howard, F. Gary Gray, Issa Rae, Diahann Carroll, Billy Dee Williams, Omari Hardwick and the late Louis Gossett, Jr.

ABFF Honors is executive produced by Nicole and Jeff Friday for Nice Crowd in association with dePasse Jones Entertainment and Rikki Hughes for Magic Lemonade.

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