The American Film Awards Announces the Most Diverse & Inclusive Awards Lineup in Hollywood and This Years Winners

Hollywood, California, April 5, 2016 (Newswire.com) -  ​The American Film Awards ® (The AFAS) releases the winners of the AMERICAN FILM AWARDS which features brand new categories never seen in Hollywood until now. Created in 2004, the media brand has formed a strategic alliance with the Entertainment Union™ and American Film Awards Previews™ Festival & Showcase, to position itself as the first film award show in Hollywood to integrate all major film genres and a fully inclusive and culturally diverse awards lineup. The announcement was made by Franq Ezenekwe, MBA, the creator and Chairman of The AFAS. The American Film Awards® is sometimes compared to the American Music Awards® as it relates to theGrammys® but we see our lane parallel to the Oscars®. We provide a valid alternative that serves at the heart of what reflects the reality of the America beyond the film industry. We are in talks with several networks to air next year epic show that will features musical performances by headline acts.

“This is the right time for us to bring the American Film Awards brand to light because Hollywood is suffering from a lack of diversity and opportunity which plagued the last Academy Awards® ceremony with the #oscarsowhite controversy” said Franq Ezenekwe.

"This is the right time for us to bring the American Film Awards brand to light because Hollywood is suffering from a lack of diversity and opportunity which plagued the last Academy Awards® ceremony with the #oscarsowhite controversy" said Franq Ezenekwe. "Next year at the Academy Awards®, despite all the changes proposed, we will still see the lack of diversity and opportunity. The American Film Awards represents a new idea of openness in Hollywood where everyone shares a fair level of opportunity and inclusion"

Franq Ezenekwe, MBA, President, American Film Awards

“Next year at the Academy Awards®, despite all the changes proposed, we will still see the lack of diversity and opportunity, it’s too little too late and that’s why the American Film Awards® strategic position fits what America wants. The American Film Awards represents a new idea of openness in Hollywood where everyone shares a fair level of opportunity and inclusion”

The American Film Awards® Winners

BEST ACTION FILM Furious 7

BEST DRAMATIC FILM Straight Outta Compton

BEST ROMANTIC FILM Brooklyn

BEST COMEDY I’ll See You in My Dreams

BEST HORROR FILM The Witch

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM Mad Max Fury Road

BEST ANIMATED FILM Anomalisa

BEST ACTOR Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”)

BEST ACTRESS Cate Blanchett (“Carol”)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Idris Elba (“Beasts of No Nation”)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Jennifer Jason Leigh (“The Hateful Eight”)

BEST SONG / ORIGINAL SCORE “Landslide” from "Suffragette" Performed by Robyn Sherwell, Music by Steve Nicks & Fleetwood Mac  /  “The Revenant” Music by Ryuichi Sakamoto & AlvaNoto, and Bryce Dessner

BEST SCREENPLAY Charles Randolph, Adam McKay (“The Big Short”)

BEST LATINO AMERICAN FILM La Jaula de Oro (The Golden Dream), Director, Diego  Quemada-Diez

BEST AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, Director- Stanley Nelson   

BEST ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLAND FILM    Advantageous, Director- Jennifer Phang

BEST LGBT FILM Carol, Director- Todd Haynes

BEST FILM PRODUCED OR DIRECTED BY A WOMAN "Suffragette" - Directed by Sarah Gavron; Written by Abi Morgan

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

BEST DIRECTOR George Miller (“Mad Max: Fury Road”)

THE TEN BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR

The Revenant / Bridge of Spies / Beast of No Nation / Straight Outta Compton

Anomalisa / Sicario / Mad Max: Fury Road / Ex-Machina / Furious 7 / Star Wars, The Force Awakens

The American Film Awards® is looking for like minded strategic partners who are focused on widening the pipeline of films made and distributed in Hollywood, to ensure that more opportunities are created for writers, directors, actors and production companies moving forward. The Sundance Film Festival, Samsung, Revolt TV, OWN, NBC, Translation, OverbrookEntertainment, TPS and Good Music are being tapped for future ventures starting with this summer’s AFA’S PREVIEWS film event at the Microsoft Square, Los Angeles this summer. For a full list of this nominees and winners please visit theafas.com.

Franq Ezenekwe, MBA

American Film Awards®

[email protected]

THEAFAS.com

+ 1 (323)-503-6827