Angela Bassett, Rian Johnson, ‘RRR’ to be honored at 6th Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards

The Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) announced today that Angela Bassett will receive the HCA Acting Achievement Award, Rian Johnson will receive the HCA Filmmaking Achievement Award, and the cast and crew of RRR will be presented with HCA Spotlight Award at the 6th Annual HCA Film Awards. The prestigious event, which will celebrate the best of films from 2022, will take place in Los Angeles on Friday, February 24, 2023.

The nominations for the 6th Annual HCA Film Awards will be revealed on the official HCA YouTube channel, HCA App, and social media channels on Thursday, December 15, 2022, beginning at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET.

“We are excited to announce Angela Bassett as this year’s HCA Acting Achievement Award recipient,” says HCA President Nikki Fowler. “Angela Bassett is synonymous with talent, beauty, grace, and excellence, with her career spanning decades and beginning with a master’s degree in Fine Arts from Yale to becoming a name that is not only world-renowned for her craft but one that has inspired women from all backgrounds. Angela has especially empowered Black women through her courageous and unforgettable roles, from Tina Turner to setting the screen ablaze in her pivotal role in Waiting to Exhale, to the beloved portrayal as Queen of Wakanda. Ms. Bassett epitomizes and exudes radical self-love in an industry that doesn’t always love women back. She is a force of positivity and a change-maker for generations to come.” 

Rian Johnson, the mind behind Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the follow-up to his Academy Award nominated Knives Out, will be honored with this year’s HCA Filmmaking Achievement Award. “Rian Johnson isn’t just one of the best directors working today, but a masterful storyteller that has been expanding, reinventing and modernizing a plethora of genres his entire career,” notes HCA Vice President Nestor Bentancor. “He has done it again in his latest whodunnit, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.’ The absorbing and dazzling new chapter in his original saga is another crystal-clear proof of his ability to craft powerful and wildly entertaining films, with both passion and clock-work precision. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate an auteur that, on top of being a unique creative force, is as affable as he is gifted.”

S. S. Rajamouli’s RRR will receive the HCA Spotlight Award. HCA Board Member Rasha Goel states, “As a person of Indian descent, it has been surreal to FINALLY see an Indian film become a global phenomenon the way that RRR has. The cultural impact that RRR has had on audiences all over the world makes it the perfect choice for this year’s Spotlight Award. The HCA has worked diligently to elevate and promote underrepresented voices in the industry and Indian storytellers are amongst some of the most overlooked here in the United States. We, as an organization, couldn’t be happier to be celebrating this remarkable film and all those who brought this project to life.”

The Hollywood Critics Association was established in 2016 with one goal in mind: to highlight and elevate diverse and underrepresented voices within the world of entertainment criticism and journalism. Since its inception, the HCA has made history as the most diverse group of critics in the country celebrating groundbreaking entertainment, visionary storytellers and incomparable artists that reflect today’s multifaceted, global audiences.

Photos: D’Andre Michael, Emily Soto