21CF Earns 11 Wins at NAACP Image Awards with Honors for ‘Empire,’ ‘Atlanta,’ ‘Hidden Figures’ and More
21st Century Fox Social Impact
21st Century Fox businesses took home a collective 11 trophies from the 48th NAACP Image Awards on February 11, scoring wins for acting and directing on film and television projects such as Empire, Atlanta, The People v. O.J. Simpson, This Is Us, and Hidden Figures. The ceremony, which celebrates the accomplishments of people of color across the media landscape, was broadcast live on TV One and was hosted by Anthony Anderson.
A complete list of 21CF businesses wins is as follows:
- Outstanding Motion Picture – Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox)
- Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture – Taraji P. Henson, Hidden Figures
- Outstanding Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special – The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
- Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series – John Singleton, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
- Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special – Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
- Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series – Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us (20th Century Fox Television)
- Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series – Taraji P. Henson, Empire (FOX)
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Jussie Smollett, Empire
- Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series – Donald Glover, Atlanta (FX)
- Outstanding Song (Traditional) – Kim Burrell and Pharrell Williams, “I See a Victory,” Hidden Figures soundtrack
- Outstanding Literary Work (Nonfiction) – Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures
“There are roles you accept that scare you. And this one did because I failed math,” Henson said during her acceptance speech for her role as Katherine G. Johnson in Hidden Figures. “I made it my mission to do this film. This film was very important. It was bigger than me.”
Both Hidden Figures and The People v. O.J. Simpson were the focus of recent social impact campaigns. Hidden Figures has become a rallying cry for diversity in STEM, screening at the White House in December and serving as the basis for the Search for Hidden Figures scholarship contest last fall. 21CF also partnered with the LA Promise Fund to screen the film for nearly 10,000 young women in LA middle and high schools. Last year, the company took The People v. O.J. Simpson on a screening tour of HBCU campuses around the country.
21CF received 34 total nominations, including nods for FOX’s Lethal Weapon and Pitch, National Geographic’s StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson, 20th Century Fox Television’s Fresh Off the Boat and The Carmichael Show, and Fox Searchlight’s The Birth of a Nation.
"The Image Awards is the premier showcase for art and advocacy reflecting the depth and diversity of the African-American experience," said Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO, NAACP. "It is an American prism through which we see a breadth of culture and color reflected in film, television, music, and literature in ways that reveal our shared humanity. At a moment when America is so divided, the Image Awards represents an hour that brings us together.”
