The SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills was filled with pride and tears of joy on Monday night as the American Black Film Festival recognized five actors for their contributions to cinema at the 2025 ABFF Honors.
Captain America: Brave New World star Anthony Mackie commenced the awards presentation portion of the ceremony — hosted by comedian Zainab Johnson — by recalling words of wisdom his Marvel film co-star Giancarlo Esposito — known for early roles in Spike Lee’s School Daze and Do the Right Thing and most recently Breaking Bad, Kaleidoscope and The Gentlemen — imparted to him when he was an aspiring actor.
“He said, ‘Look here, man. You want to be a working actor, you have to work to work on your craft,’” Mackie shared. “’Sometimes that means you won’t get paid. The value is in working on your craft.’”
Esposito, who received the Excellence in the Arts Award, echoed a similar refrain in his acceptance speech. “I feel like the journey for me has been to know me more and who I am, and to learn how to get out of the way,” he told the crowd. “And when I can get out of the way, I realize all I’ve ever wanted was to be committed to something I love to do. And because I love it, I won’t work a day in my life.”
Regina King next presented the Hollywood Legacy Award to 227 costar Marla Gibbs, outlining a list of Gibbs’s lengthy achievements outside of her popular role as Florence Johnston on The Jeffersons.
“In the ‘80s, there were very, very few women of any color or complexion in Hollywood that were doing what Marla was doing,” King began. “She wasn’t just an actress — she was a writer, a producer, a singer; she owned a performing arts academy, Crossroads, where we did the play, 227. She owned a jazz supper club, Marla’s Memory Lane, where world-class musicians came to perform. Let’s be clear, she wasn’t just starring in a hit TV show, she was running the show off-screen, too.”
Gibbs, 93, in accepting the honor, demonstrated the humor she’s been known for throughout her 50-plus-year career after expressing gratitude to ABFF for honoring her while she’s still living. Pointing out her agents, Mike Baldridge and Garry Purdy, who joined her on stage, Gibbs made a hilarious plea to the crowd. “They know that I’m ready to work again,” said Gibbs. “Anybody got any projects?”
Aaron Pierre, Giancarlo Esposito, Marla Gibbs, Nicole Friday, Keke Palmer, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Jeff Friday.
Courtesy of ABFF Honors
Following Gibbs, 2024 Rising Star award recipient Kelvin Harrison Jr. took to the stage to pass the torch to his Genius: MLK and Mufasa: The Lion King co-star Aaron Pierre, who recreated the TikTok-viral dance moves he did in his turn down the spirit tunnel on The Jennifer Hudson Show in December as a live band played the “That’s Mufasa” song created by the talk show’s staff.
Pierre was far more serious in his speech, thanking God for a “new beginning” as he recalled the early struggles that led to becoming the 2025 Rising Star honoree. “Thank you for any and all blessings you give me; yes, even the ones that in the moment I didn’t identify as such. The moments when my bank balance was below zero. The moments when I had to sell my belongings for real cash. The moments when I felt somewhat delusional and questioned whether it was accurate to describe my occupation as that of an actor as I was unemployed and the phone was ringing silent.”
Fighting back tears, the British star — set to play the first Black Green Lantern — then went on to recognize his late grandmother. “In 2022, my family lost a matriarch, my grandmother. My grandmother was born and raised in Jamaica and ventured to London in hopes of discovering opportunities for her children and for her children’s children. I’d like to dedicate this award to my grandmother,” said Pierre. “I love you and I hope you are proud.”
Boots Riley next took the stage to present to Keke Palmer, who stars in his upcoming sci-fi comedy I Love Boosters. The writer and director shared a conversation he had with Palmer on set in which he asked whether she still feels the magic of movie-making after being in the industry for so long. “She said, ‘What I like is people,’” Riley recalled. “’What I like is working together to make a thing and having this thing for the world to see that we all collaborated on.’”
Palmer doubled down on that sentiment as she accepted the Renaissance Award, crediting fans and supporters for her longevity onscreen. “I want to emphasize that one of my greatest collaborators has always been and will always be my community. I’m so fortunate to have a film in theaters right now that’s number one,” she said, referencing the comedy One of Them Days, which she executive produced and stars in with SZA. “But let me tell you guys, it wasn’t always like that. I remember when I started out with Akeelah and the Bee and it didn’t perform well. I remember everybody kept saying, ‘This movie’s gonna be great, everybody’s gonna love this movie,’ and when it came in the theaters, it bombed and so did people’s excitement about me. It wasn’t until it became accessible online and on DVD that it found its audience and our community made it a beloved classic.”
Palmer then declared her commitment to returning that love to those coming behind her. “The brand that you’ve come to know as Keke Palmer is far more than just me to me. It represents what can be accomplished when the community lifts you up, and when you in turn can offer your support to it,” she said. “This is not just about one individual; it’s about the collective power of us all.”
“Through my work, I have always strived to tell stories that honor the nuances of our lives, and as the founder of KeyTV Network it is my mission to empower creators, giving them tools, resources, and education to bring their vision to life and to understand that they do have the power to build their own business,” Palmer continued. “We deserve to be seen, but we also deserve to claim our rightful share in the things that we create. I may be one person, but my spirit is mighty and my passion for my culture is what drives me forward. Black American culture, guys, is American culture.”
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who accepted the final honor of the evening, the Excellence in the Arts Award presented to her by director Ava DuVernay, reverberated Palmer’s enthusiasm for Black creators having ownership of their art. “Messages of another seat at the table are deaf to me,“ said the Nickel Boys star. “I don’t want the seat or the table. I want the structure.”
Ellis-Taylor concluded by expressing gratitude for the fire that’d been lit under her during the ceremony to dismantle the systemic factors that disenfranchise Black artists. “Audrey Lorde said, ‘You can’t use the master’s tools to tear down the master’s house,’ so I thank you ABFF because you are encouraging me to tear down that house. To tear down that wall. To tear down that house and reclaim the land because it’s mine.”