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Los Angeles, CA – February 11, 2020 – Hollywood isn’t the last word when it comes to great, riveting or relevant cinema. The American Film Awards® is pleased to announce its 2020 Edition to be held on February 19th at the Regal Cinemas LA LIVE. This evening will be even more memorable as the venue is next to Staples Center, where Kobe Bryant’s memorial service will be held.

This year, the nominees derive from the global talent pool of artists and will leave the audience spellbound. The evening host will be Frank Ezenekwe. The red carpet will begin at 5 pm and will feature actors, directors, and entertainers from Hollywood, Nollywood, and Bollywood. The dress code is black tie and evening gown, and the television taping/streaming will begin at 7:30 pm. 

The Best Action Film Nominees for American Film Awards® this year are 6 Underground, 1917, War, Bad Boys For Life, and Triple Frontier. The Best Actor nominees are Edward Norton, Eddie Murphy, Joaquin Phoenix, Daniel Kaluya, and Antonio Banderas. The Best Actress nominees are Scarlett Johanssen, Kristen Stewart, Cynthia Erivo, Rene Zellweger, Charlize Theron, and Lupita Nyongo.

“When was the last time you fell in love with a Film? Open your eyes to more, see the best films of the year at the American Film Awards®,” says Frank Ezenekwe, Executive Producer.

The American Film Awards® aims to promote some fundamental, core values for the film industry. They aim to make everyone fall in love with the beauty of films, educate fans about what a good film looks and feels like, and show the pathways to break into the industry.

“Great films have a heartbeat. It’s not about big stars and politics; cinema connects us to our humanity on a deeper level,” says Ijeoma Ezenekwe, Executive Producer.

This year’s Awards will see 50 Nollywood stars grace the occasion, aside from international guests, VIPs, innovations honors, and over 700 honored guests. In an intimate setting, the Awards night will feature musical performance, food and drinks, and Hollywood entertainers. For filmmakers in California / Hollywood, New York or Atlanta, this is a great opportunity to watch good cinema being honored.

Watch the introduction to the American Film Awards®:

The Awards also believe that it is new products and job opportunities that create actual diversity. The platform also serves to bridge the gap between the three big movie-making industries, Hollywood, Nollywood, and Bollywood.

The Nominees

THE NOMINEES FOR THE AMERICAN FILM AWARDS ® 2020

BEST ACTION FILM

6 UNDERGROUND, DIRECTOR MICHAEL BAY  

1917, DIRECTOR SAM MENDES

WAR, DIRECTOR SIDDHARTH ANAND 

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, DIRECTOR ADIL ARBI BILALL FALLAH  

TRIPLE FRONTIER, DIRECTOR J.C CHANDOR 

BEST DRAMATIC FILM

THE KITCHEN, DIRECTOR ANDREA BERLOFF  

MARRIAGE STORY, DIRECTOR NOAH BAUMBACH 

THE FAREWELL, DIRECTOR LULU WANG  

PARASITE, DIRECTOR BONG JOON HO 

JOKER, DIRECTOR TODD PHILLIPS

AMERICAN SKIN, DIRECTOR NATE PARKER

BEST ROMANTIC FILM

LET IT SNOW, DIRECTOR LUKE SNELLIN

LAST CHRISTMAS, DIRECTOR PAUL FEIG

THE SKY IS PINK, DIRECTOR SHONALI BOSE

QUEEN AND SLIM, DIRECTOR 

FALLING INN LOVE, DIRECTOR ROGER KUMBLE

BEST COMEDY

DOLOMITE IS MY NAME, DIRECTOR CRAIG BREWER

I GOT THE HOOK UP 2, DIRECTOR COREY GRANT

GOOD BOYS, DIRECTOR GENE STUPNITSKY

HUSTLERS, DIRECTOR LORENE SCAFARIA

BEST HORROR FILM

MIDSOMMAR, DIRECTOR ARI ASTER

US, DIRECTOR JORDAN PEELE

IT, CHAPTER 2, DIRECTOR ANDY MUSCHIETTI

POLAROID, DIRECTOR LARS KLEVBERG

WOUNDS, DIRECTOR BABAK ANVARI

THE SILENCE, DIRECTOR JOHN R. LEONETTI

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM

AD ASTRA, DIRECTOR JAMES GRAY

X-MEN: DARK PHEONIX, DIRECTOR SIMON KINBERG

LUCY IN THE SKY, DIRECTOR NOAH HAWLEY

I AM MOTHER, DIRECTOR GRANT SPUTORE

AVENGERS: ENDGAME, DIRECTOR ANTHONY RUSSO, JOE RUSSO

BEST ANIMATED FILM

I LOST MY BODY, DIRECTOR JEREMY CLAPIN

TOY STORY 4, DIRECTOR JOSH COOLEY

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – THE HIDDEN WORLD, DIRECTOR DEAN DEBLOIS

KLAUS, DIRECTOR SERGIO PABLOS, CARLOS MARTINEZ LOPEZ

BEST SHORT FILM

HAIRCUT (U.K) DIRECTOR KOBU ADOMO

GHOSTS OF SUGAR LAND, DIRECTOR BASSAM TARIQ

HAIL MARY COUNTRY, DIRECTOR TANNAZ HAZEMI

JESUS IS KING, A FILM BY KANYE WEST. DIRECTOR, NICK KNIGHT

SUC DE SINDRIA, IRENE MURAY

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

REMASTERED – THE TWO KILLINGS OF SAM COOKE, DIRECTOR KELLY DUANE

HONEYLAND, DIRECTOR TAMARA KOTEVSKA, LJUBOMIR STEFANOV

APOLLO 11, DIRECTOR TODD DOUGLAS MILLER

AMAZING GRACE, DIRECTOR ALAN ELLIOTT, SYDNEY POLLACK

AMERICAN FACTORY, DIRECTOR STEVEN BOGNAR, JULIA REICHERT 

ONE CHILD NATION, DIRECTOR NANFU WANG, JIALING ZHANG

BEST ACTOR

EDWARD NORTON, MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN

EDDIE MURPHY, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME

JOAQUIN PHOENIX, JOKER

DANIEL KALUYA, QUEEN & SLIM

ANTONIO BANDERAS, PAIN AND GLORY

BEST ACTRESS

SCARLETT JOHANSSEN, MARRIAGE STORY

KRISTEN STEWART, SEBERG

CYNTHIA ERIVO, HARRIETT

RENE ZELLWEGER, JUDY

CHARLIZE THERON, BOMSHELL

LUPITA NYONGO, US

BEST SCREENPLAY

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, QUINTIN TARANTINO

HUSTLERS, JESSICA PRESSLER, LORENE SCAFARIA

PAIN AND GLORY, PEDRO ALMODOVAR

A MILLION LITTLE PIECES, AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON & SAM TAYLOR-JOHNSON (NOVEL BY JAMES FREY)

HARRIET, GREGORY ALLEN HOWARD, KASI LEMMONS

BEST DIRECTOR

TARANTINO, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

SAM MENDES, 1917

MICHAEL BAY, 6 UNDERGROUND

LULU WANG, THE FAREWELL

MELINA MATSOUKAS, QUEEN & SLIM

BEST LATINO FILM

BACURAU, DIRECTORS JULIANO DORNELLES, KLEBER MENDOCA FILHO

EL HIJO, DIRECTOR SEBASTIAN SCHINDEL

DIECISIETE, DIRECTOR DANIEL SANCHEZ AREVALO

LA MALA NOCHE, DIRECTOR GABRIELA CALVACHE

BEST BLACK FILM

ATLANTICS, DIRECTOR MATI DIOP

WAVES, DIRECTOR TREY EDWARD SHULTS

THE BANKER, DIRECTOR GERGE NOLFI

AMERICAN SKIN, DIRECTOR NATE PARKER

THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO, DIRECTOR JOE TALBOT

BEST ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLAND FILM

PARASITE, DIRECTOR BONG JOON HO

THE FAREWELL, DIRECTOR LULU WANG

THE THIRD WIFE, DIRECTOR ASH MAYFAIR

HAI PHUONG, DIRECTOR LE-VAN KIET

BEST NOLLYWOOD FILM

THE BLING LAGOSIANS, DIRECTOR BOLANLE AUSTIN-PETERS

LIVING IN BONDAGE- BREAKING FREE, DIRECTOR RAMSEY NOUAH

SUGAR RUSH, DIRECTOR KAYODE KASUM

MERRY MEN 2, DIRECTOR MOSES INWANG    

OPEN MEMORY, DIRECTOR EJIOFOR CHUKWUDI JOHN

BEST BOLLYWOOD FILM

THE SKY IS PINK, DIRECTOR SHONALI BOSE

KALANK, DIRECTOR ABHISHEK VARMAN

HALA, DIRECTOR MINHAL BAIG

NAMMA VEETTU PILLAI, DIRECTOR PANDIRAG

MANIKARNIKA: THE QUEEN OF JHANSI, DIRECTORS RADHA KRISHNA JARLAMUD, KANGANA RANAUT

BEST PRODUCTION COMPANY/STUDIO

A24

NETFLIX 

TYLER PERRY STUDIOS

LIONSGATE

SONY

PARAMOUNT

2OTH CENTURY FOX

BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR – EDY LEWIS (THE THESPIAN), DAMSON IDRIS (FARMING)

BREAKTHROUGH ACTRESS – MELANIE GAYLE, DREAMS AND FEARS, NATALIE PORTMAN

BREAKTHROUGH WRITER – EMMA THOMPSON, LAST CHRISTMAS

BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR – AVA DUVERNAY (WHEN THEY SEE US), EMMANUEL EHUMADU (LABISTA)

BREAKTHROUGH PRODUCER – CURTIS 50CENT JACKSON (POWER), JADA PINKETT SMITH (HALA)

BREAKTHROUGH FILM – FOREIGNER’S GOD, DIRECTOR IFAN IFEANYI MICHAEL

BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, DIRECTOR QUINTIN TARANTINO

1917, DIRECTOR SAM MENDES

JOKER, DIRECTOR TODD PHILLIPS

HALA, DIRECTOR MINHAL BAIG

AMERICAN SKIN, DIRECTOR NATE PARKER

6 UNDERGROUND, DIRECTOR MICHAEL BAY

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, DIRECTORS ADIL EL ARBI, BILALL FALLAH

About

The American Film Awards® Brand and its platforms are focused on creating diverse opportunities and jobs for the marginalized and disenfranchised population among Hollywood’s creative talent and for those in the recognized mainstream. Doors in Hollywood have always been shut. Every Hollywood studio is built like a fortress and its high walls and enormous gates are not a metaphor for keeping you out. The barriers to entry are real, dreams are broken every single day and great films fall through the cracks because the old system fails to see the beauty of unforced diversity. We are changing the way we should do business in Hollywood because our goal is to see the small story of an ordinary man or woman, make it to the bright lights of Tinseltown.

For more information, please visit: www.theafas.com

Media Contact
Company Name: American Film Awards®
Contact Person: Frank Ezenekwe, Ijeoma Ezenekwe, Executive Producers
Email: Send Email
Phone: (323) 503 6827
Address:963 North La Brea Avenue
City: Inglewood
State: CA 90302
Country: United States
Website: https://www.theafas.com/