Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ Named Best Picture by African American Film Critics

Us leads the 2020 African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Awards, with the socially conscious horror thriller picking up three honors — the group’s awards for best picture, best director for Jordan Peele, and best actress for Lupita Nyong’o.

“Jordan Peele continued to raise the bar in horror specifically and film overall,” AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson said in a statement Tuesday.

He continued, “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.”

Related Story: 5 Reasons Why Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ Became a Monster Hit

The film tells the story of Adelaide Wilson (Nyong’o) and her family, who are attacked by a group of menacing masked strangers who suddenly appear while the family is on vacation in a beachfront house.

The woman and her family fight for survival. But when the masks come off, they are horrified to learn the attackers are doppelgangers, who look exactly like them.

The AAFCA announcement comes a day after Us was shut out of the Golden Globe nominations, when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its annual film and television nominees.

Just Mercy and Waves, which were also snubbed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, picked up AAFCA Awards as well.

AAFCA is the largest collection of Black film critics in the nation. The group’s awards will be handed out on Jan. 22, 2020 at a star- studded ceremony in Hollywood.

2020 AAFCA Award Winners:
Best Film: Us (Universal Pictures)

Best Director: Jordan Peele (Us, Universal Pictures)

Best Actor: Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name, Netflix)

Best Actress: Lupita Nyong’o (Us, Universal Pictures)

Best Supporting Actor: Jamie Foxx (Just Mercy, Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Supporting Actress: Divine Joy Randolph (Dolemite Is My Name, Netflix)

Best Breakout Performance: Kelvin Harrison, Jr. (Waves, A24)

Best Animated Film: Abominable (Universal Pictures)

Best Documentary: The Black Godfather (Netflix)

Best Foreign Film: Parasite (Neon)

Best Independent Film: The Last Black Man in San Francisco (A24)

Best Screenplay Presented with The Black List: Bong Joon-ho, Parasite (Neon)

Impact Award: Queen & Slim (Universal Pictures)

We See You Award: Taylor Russell (Waves, A24)

AAFCA 2020 Top Ten Films
Us (Universal Pictures)
Dolemite Is My Name (Netflix)
Just Mercy (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Clemency (Neon)
The Irishman (Netflix)
Queen & Slim (Universal Pictures)
Waves (A24)
Parasite (Neon) and Atlantics (Netflix)
The Farewell (A24)
Harriet (Focus Features)