MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday, February 23, Hilton hosted the American
Black Film Festival Honors awards ceremony and dinner at the
Beverly Hilton hotel to celebrate influential artists and creators
for their distinguished contributions to American
entertainment.
During the evening, the American Black Film Festival recognized
Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett
Jr. with the Hollywood Legacy Award; screenwriter,
Emmy-winning producer, actress and writer Lena Waithe with the Industry Renaissance Award;
actor, singer and producer Jamie
Foxx with the Excellence in the Arts Award; Academy
Award-nominated actress Cynthia Erivo with the Rising Star Award
and television series, The Wire, was presented with the Classic
Television Award.
"Hilton is proud to once again partner with the American Black
Film Festival to celebrate the rich diversity of talent and
creators in Hollywood and
recognize the impact of their work in the entertainment industry,"
said Andréa Richardson, Head of Multicultural Engagement at
Hilton.
"It is my honor to be able to play the true part of a community
partner tonight by welcoming our Rising Star," said Richardson
during her address to the audience on behalf of Hilton.
"Congratulations again to Cynthia Erivo for this much-deserved
recognition, and congratulations to all of the future rising stars
to come. Hilton looks forward to welcoming you."
Additional guests in attendance included many of Hollywood's best and brightest including
actress Tiffany Haddish, actress Sheryl Lee
Ralph and director Melina
Matsoukas, with surprise appearances from Academy
Award-winning actors Leonardo
DiCaprio and Morgan Freeman.
Actor and comedian Deon Cole served
as the host for the evening.
Hilton also applied its corporate sustainability practices by
donating leftover food from the evening to the Hollywood Food
Coalition. True to its Travel with Purpose goals, Hilton is
committed to cutting its environmental footprint in half and
doubling its investment in social impact programs by the year 2030.
The Beverly Hilton also donates all unused soaps to the Clean World
organization, where they are converted into hygiene kits for third
world countries.
About Hilton
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global
hospitality company with a portfolio of 17 world-class brands
comprising more than 5,600 properties with nearly 913,000 rooms, in
113 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its mission
to be the world's most hospitable company, Hilton earned a spot on
the 2018 world's best workplaces list and has welcomed more than 3
billion guests in its nearly 100-year history. Through the
award-winning guest loyalty program, Hilton Honors, nearly 85
million members who book directly with Hilton have access to
instant benefits, including digital check-in with room selection,
Digital Key, and Connected Room.
Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and
connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Instagram, and YouTube.
About ABFF Honors
ABFF Honors is an annual awards
season gala dedicated to saluting excellence in the motion picture
and television industry. The ceremony celebrates Black culture by
recognizing artists who have made distinguished contributions to
American entertainment through their work, as well as those who
champion diversity and inclusion. Individual recognition awards
include Hollywood Legacy, Excellence in the Arts, Rising Star,
Industry Renaissance and Pro Hollywood. Recognition of outstanding
content awards include Movie of the Year and Classic Television
Award. Previous honorees and presenters include Denzel Washington, Don
Cheadle, Robert Downey, Jr.
Regina King, Will Packer,
Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, Tiffany Haddish, Issa Rae, Viola
Davis, Cicely Tyson,
Octavia Spencer, Armie Hammer, the late Diahann Carroll and more. To learn more about
ABFF Honors and to stay up-to-date on upcoming announcements for
the 2020 ceremony, visit www.ABFFHonors.com.
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SOURCE Hilton