Jordan Peele’s horror film “Us” was named Best Film of 2019 by the African-American Film Critics Association, the organization announced on Tuesday.
The film, which starred Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahidi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Madison Curry and Elisabeth Moss, racked up three total wins from AAFCA.
In addition to winning the Best Film category, Nyong’o was named Best Actress and Peele Best Director. “Us,” written and directed by Peele, released to theaters to wide acclaim in March.
As Black actors continue to fight for on-screen representation in Hollywood, Peele told Entertainment Weekly last year that while “Us” “is not about race,” he felt it “was an important piece of the project to have a Black family in the center.”
The writer-director added that having a Black family in the center of a horror film felt like “uncharted territory.”
“Jordan Peele continued to raise the bar in horror specifically and film overall,” AAFCA president/co-founder Gil Robertson said in a statement, according to Deadline. “With ‘Us,’ he once again upended the horror genre. His centering of a Black nuclear family determined to survive in a complex storyline in a genre where Black family units have historically been unseen is extraordinary.”
The AAFCA awards announcement follows the release of the 2020 Golden Globes nominations on Monday. The award show spurred wide criticism for snubbing “Us” and Ava DuVernay’s Netflix series “When They See Us,” among other works.
“Us,” which shattered box office records with the largest debut for an original horror film, scored four Critics’ Choice Awards nominations on Sunday, including Nyong’o for Best Actress and Joseph for Best Young Actor/Actress.
Nyong’o, an Oscar winner, celebrated the AAFCA awards on Twitter on Tuesday.
″Feelin’ that love for #UsMovie! Thank you, @theaafca!!” she wrote in a tweet accompanied by a photo of her and Duke on set.