Producers of the BronzeLens Film Festival set a high bar during its 15th Anniversary Celebration. The festival wrapped with nine films of excellence receiving top honors and three industry leaders receiving special recognition. Director Felicia D Henderson’s THE REBEL GIRLS swept the BronzeLens Awards, winning Best Short and Best of Festival, and the film’s star, Nika King, won the award for Best Actress. Best Feature winner Albany Road, directed by Christine Swanson, will soon be in theaters on November 15, 2024.
The complete list of 2024 BronzeLens Awards Winners is as follows:
Audience Award: Vera’s Holiday Flop, Charity Jordan, Director
Dance: Burn From the Inside, Mthuthuzeli November, Director
Documentary: A Time To Yell: More Than A Statue, Eric Newman and Dan Levin, Directors
Music: Algorithm Takedown, Alex Budovsky, Director
Web Series: Our Voices: Our Lives, William Feagins, Jr., Director
Student: Grace, Johanna MAKABI, Director
Short Documentary: The Dancer, The Beautiful and Tragic Life of Gerard Alexander, Ryon Justin Horne and Tyson Alan Horne, Directors
Best Actor: Kevin Nicols for A Little Hope for Chicago
The Andrew Young Cinema and Social Justice Award
How to Sue the Klan, John Beder, Director
BronzeLens Georgia Filmmaker Award William Feagins, Jr.
Actor and director Bill Duke received the Bronze Excellence in Acting & Visual Storytelling Award for over 40 years of excellence on-screen and behind the camera. His acting credits include television and feature film roles. Recently, he appeared in Showtime’s hit limited series, “Gaslit” with Julia Roberts and Sean Penn, and on HBO/Max in “No Sudden Move” with Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Brandon Frazier, and Julia Fox and the 2023 film “Premonition.”
Industry leaders Gil L. Roberston IV and Shaunya Chavis-Rucker received the BronzeLens Founders Awards. Gil L. Robertson IV, the co-founder and president of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), the leading organization of Black film critics worldwide. AAFCA, founded in 2003, has grown into the largest organization representing Black film critics globally. It was established to address the lack of representation within the ranks of film critics and the broader entertainment industry. Shaunya Chavis-Rucker is a multi-Emmy Award-winning veteran television journalist and film industry professional who manages the largest County film office in the State of Georgia (Fulton Films). Rucker is also a National Correspondent for the Oxygen Network’s True Crime Channel.
Another highlight of the BronzeLens Awards is the presentation of the BronzeLens Creators Scholars. Spelman College students Amira Barrett, Fine Arts in Documentary Film Major, McKenzie Franklin, Theatre and Performance Major, Documentary Filmmaking Minor, and Nia Lambert, Fine Arts in Documentary Film with a minor in Photography are the 2024 class of BronzeLens Creators Scholars. Each was presented at the BronzeLens Awards and received $5000 scholarships designated for tuition. All scholarships are granted at the sole discretion of the BronzeLens Creators Scholarship Committee.
2025 Festival – Call for entries (Now Open)
As BronzeLens transitions into its 16th year, the Official Call for Film Entries is now open. Producers are seeking film submissions by or about people of color. Over the past fifteen years, BronzeLens has provided a platform to showcase the work of some of the world’s most talented independent filmmakers.
BronzeLens 2025 Season
OPENING WEEKEND: March 1, 2025 BronzeLens Women SuperStars Honors will launch the festival’s 2025 Season opening weekend on March 1, 2025, at Atlanta’s historic Rialto Center for the Arts, honoring women in the film and television industry who play pivotal roles in front of and behind the lens. On Sunday, March 2, 2025, the highly anticipated BronzeLens Sunday Brunch with the Brothers is set to celebrate men of color in film and TV, featuring a revealing conversation about their career path.
2025 Festival August 20-24, 2025: The BronzeLens Summer Festival Experience will be held from August 20 to August 24, 2025. Festival highlights include Official Selection screenings, industry programming, multiple opportunities for networking, the Filmmakers Ball, Cinema and Social Justice Sunday, and the BronzeLens Awards.
