Dave McNary/Variety:
The African-American Film Critics Association has selected “Straight Outta Compton “ as the winner of the group’s award for best picture.
Universal’s box office hit, centered on the origins of the seminal rap music group N.W.A, also won the AAFCA awards for best ensemble cast and best supporting actor for Jason Mitchell for his portrayal of the group’s founder, Easy E.
The trophies will be presented on Feb. 10 at the AAFCA’s seventh annual awards ceremony at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood.
New Line-MGM’s “Creed “ picked up three awards, including best director for Ryan Coogler, breakout performance for Michael B. Jordan and best supporting actress for Tessa Thompson.
Will Smith won the best actor award for Sony’s “Concussion” for his role as the doctor who researched brain damage suffered by pro football players.
Teyonah Parris took best actress for Roadside Attractions-Amazon’s “Chi-raq.” Spike Lee’s satire, based on Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata,” also won for best independent film.
“Straight Outta Compton” led the groups’ top 10 list, followed by “Creed,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Beasts of No Nation” and “The Martian.” “3 1/2 Minutes” and “Dope” tied for sixth, followed by “Chi-Raq,” “Carol,” “The Big Short” and “The Danish Girl.”
The best screenplay award went to Rick Famuyiwa for “Dope.” “The Peanuts Movie” won the animated film award.
“Our members found an interesting theme in many of the films released this year, giving a voice to communities who have generally been underserved and marginalized in society,” said AAFCA president Gil Robertson. “With movies like ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ ‘Chi-Raq,’ ‘3 1/2 Minutes’ and ‘Dope,’ filmmakers brought to life many storylines that are a reflection of what’s happening in our world today, including the #BlackLivesMatter movement.”
“Pictures like ‘Carol’ and ‘The Danish Girl,’ give voice to another community that is too often ridiculed and ignored by the status-quo. With Creed, the members of AAFCA found an opportunity to celebrate a film with a universal message of hope, honor and perseverance – something that everyone can embrace. Overall, it was a transformative year in cinema.”
Here’s the complete list of 2015 AAFCA Awards winners.
Best Picture: “Straight Outta Compton” ( Universal Pictures )
Best Director: Ryan Coogler -“Creed” ( Warner Bros.)
Best Ensemble: “Straight Outta Compton” ( Universal Pictures )
Best Actor: Will Smith “Concussion” (Sony )
Best Actress: Teyonah Parris “Chi-Raq” (Roadside Attractions)
Best Supporting Actor: Jason Mitchell “Straight Outta Compton” ( Universal Pictures )
Best Supporting Actress: Tessa Thompson “Creed” ( Warner Bros.)
Best Independent Film: “Chi-Raq” (Roadside Attractions)
Best Screenplay: Rick Famuyiwa, “Dope” (Open Road Films)
Breakout Performance: Michael B. Jordan “Creed” ( Warner Bros.)
Best Animation: “The Peanuts Movie” ( 20th Century Fox )
Best Documentary: “A Ballerina’s Tale” (Sundance Selects)
Best Song: “See You Again” Furious 7 (Atlantic Records)
Best TV Comedy: “Black-ish” ( ABC )
Best TV Drama: “How to Get Away with Murder” ( ABC )
Best Cable/New Media TV Show: “Survivor’s Remorse” (Starz)
AAFCA’s Top 10 Films of 2015 are as follows in order of distinction:
1. “Straight Outta Compton” ( Universal Pictures )
2. “Creed” ( Warner Bros.)
3. “Mad Max: Fury Road “ ( Warner Bros.)
4. “Beasts of No Nation” (Netflix )
5. “The Martian” ( 20th Century Fox )
6. “3-1/2 Minutes”/“Dope” (HBO/Open Road Films)
7. “Chi-Raq” (Roadside Attractions)
8. “Carol” ( Weinstein Co. )
9. “The Big Short” ( Paramount Pictures )
10. “The Danish Girl” ( Focus Features )
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