IndieWire shined a light on Hollywood entertainers, by handing out televisoin and film awards to Mary J. Blige, Sterling K. Brown, James Franco, Diane Kruger, Kumail Nanjiani, and Issa Rae on Thursday night.
Mary J. Blige, dressed in glittery gold, was recognized for her work in the Netflix film, “Mudbound” with the Breakthrough Performance, Film Award.
“I didn’t see this one coming,” said Blige. The musical performer appears as sharecropper Florence Jackson in the film, which received rave reviews at its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Sterling K. Brown, Lead Performance, Television honoreee, attended with his wife and said, “It’s been a joy to keep you laughing week-after-week on “This is Us.”
James Franco, recipient of the Vanguard Award, Film accepted his award and stayed for the after-party to mingle with guests. Franco directed, produced, and appears in the upcoming film, “The Disaster Artist.”
Diane Kruger accepted her award for Lead Performance, Film, for her role in “In The Fade.” Kruger thanked IndieWire, saying she was truly humbled by the recognition.
Kumail Nanjiani, who recently hosted SNL, received the Creative Independence Award, Film for his romantic-comedy film, “The Big Sick.”
“I’m very excited to get the Creative Independence Award, but the person I want to thank most is my co-writer and my partner in everything, Emily V. Gordon.” The duo’s real-life romance is chronicled in the film, released by Amazon Studios, and co-written by the couple.
The Vanguard Award, Television was awarded to Issa Rae, who became known for her an award-winning YouTube series, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.” Rae created and stars in HBO’s “Insecure.”
“I’m grateful to be up here and to be honored, to be given a chance by HBO, to create a show that’s wholly black, and for people to feel really connected.”
With 200 guests in attendance at No Name in Los Angeles, the inaugural awards event was hosted by actor, comedian and musician Nick Thune. Trevor Albert, chairman of the Harold Ramis Film School said, “Great comedians make humor look effortless,” as he handed out the first-ever comedic hero award to Abbi Jacobsen.
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