Viola Davis Delivers Stirring Speech at ASC Awards: ‘I Am Very Committed to Bringing Black Women to the Forefront’

Michael Jordan's mom in the new film, the basketball legend was adamant that the filmmakers ask Viola Davis.Now, Viola Davis is opening up to ET about Jordan's request, and how that played a factor in the way in which she approached the role.«You know, you're flattered at first and then the next second is pressure,» Davis admitted to ET at the SXSW film festival over the weekend. "[Pressure] to play the woman who basically is the orchestrator of this great athlete's life, you know?«In the film, Davis plays Deloris Jordan — while Davis' real-life husband, Julius Tennon, plays her on-screen husband and Jordan's father, James Jordan.

Michael Jordan really wanted Viola Davis to play his mom.

Viola Davis is opening up about her role in Air, as Michael Jordan‘s mom.

Charna Flam City Year Los Angeles announced board member and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer will be honored at the organization’s 12th annual Spring Break: Destination Education event on May 6. Spencer’s “The Help” co-star Viola Davis will present her with the award at the fundraiser, which is taking place at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City. In addition to Spencer, Kevin Demoff, COO of the L.A. Rams and City Year board member, will also be honored. For years, Spencer has participated in the City Year mentorship program, which aids thousands of children across Los Angeles public schools through tutoring programs and social opportunities. Spencer has been advocating for education throughout her career, all in an effort to ensure more students have access to the tools they need to succeed.

South By Southwest during the Empowering the Next Generation to Build a Better Future featured session. “Asali: Power of The Pollinators,” is an animated action-adventure short film that follows honey bee Asali after she meets a group of pollinators and a human environmental scientist. The unlikely group slowly saves Asali, her family and their home from a deadly monstrous force. Penn stars alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Monique Coleman (“High School Musical”), Ronen Rubinstein (“9-1-1 Lone Star”), Joy Ofodu (Mighty Express) and activist Lupita Pineda. Viola Davis and Julius Tennon serve as executive producers. In addition to starring and directing the short, Penn is also animating and producing the film with her production company Upenndo! Productions. 

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel’ reference to films that were snubbed this year – including Viola Davis’ The Woman King – as he opened the Academy Awards with a monologue. After name dropping the likes of Seth Rogan, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg during his speech, Jimmy went on to shout out the movies that weren’t nominated this year, as well as making a dig about the lack of female nominated directors.

Angelique Jackson Sheryl Lee Ralph has delivered one rousing acceptance speech after another, all awards season long. But the newly crowned Emmy, Critics Choice and Golden Globe-winner saved something special for Essence’s 16th annual Black Women in Hollywood luncheon on Thursday afternoon. Presented the award by her “Abbott Elementary” co-star and creator — and 2022 Essence Black Women in Hollywood honoree — Quinta Brunson, Ralph whipped the audience into a frenzy with a 13-minute speech that ranged from an subdued, yet soul-stirring rendition of “Endangered Species” to an impassioned rallying cry to remember who paved the way for where Black women in the industry have come from and where we’re going.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is addressing the recent rise of anti-Semitism.The Austrian-born actor took to his YouTube channel Monday to deliver a passionate speech against hate and anti-Semitism following a recent visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where approximately 1.1 million Jews were killed by the German SS during World War II.«When you walk through a place like Auschwitz, you feel a tremendous weight,» Schwarzenegger said. «There are reminders everywhere of the horrors that happened there.»«Let me tell you something,» he continued, after listing the visual remains of the atrocities that took place there.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor The American Society of Cinematographers handed out its best visual storytelling in feature film award to “Elvis” on Sunday night, and in doing so, Mandy Walker has become the first woman to win the top prize in the society’s history. Walker triumphed over Greig Fraser (“The Batman”), Darius Khondji (“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”), Claudio Miranda (“Top Gun: Maverick” and Roger Deakins (“Empire of Light”) in a very competitive race.  Walker‘s win comes as Oscar voting ends on March 7, where she is also nominated. She became only the third woman ever nominated for cinematography for her work on “Elvis.” Rachel Morrison (“Mudbound”) made history as the first female DP to land a nom in 2018, while Ari Wegner was nominated last year for “The Power of the Dog.”

The American Society of Cinematographers is handing out its 37th annual ASC Awards tonight at the Beverly Hilton, and Deadline is posting the winners as they’re announced. See the list below.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor “Top Gun: Maverick” topped the dramatic feature editing category at the American Cinema Editors 73rd ACE Eddie Awards, while “Everything Everywhere All At Once” won the category for best edited comedic feature during Sunday’s ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall. The ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievements in the art and business of film, was presented to Gina Prince-Bythewood for her body of work, including her latest film “The Woman King.” Editors Lynne Willingham, ACE, and Don Zimmerman, ACE, were honored with career achievement awards for outstanding contributions to film editing.

Refresh for latest … The 73rd ACE Eddie Awards are being handed out today at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Westwood, and Deadline is posting the winners in all 14 categories as they are announced. Check the list below.

David Heuring When the American Society of Cinematographers hosts its 37th annual awards bash on March 5 at the Beverly Hilton hotel, the lucky people in the room will rub shoulders with an astonishing assemblage of motion imaging artists. Hanging over the proceedings will be the ghost of the generation that invented visual storytelling. Although they’re gone, they’ve left a legacy to their descendants: continue to extend the craft and push the liveliest art into the future while adapting tools and techniques that evolve from year to year. Directors of photography will heed that advice. For them, reaching an audience emotionally has always been the result of intuitive manipulation of tone aided by the skillful application of optical and photographic tools – all in concert with other film arts such as direction, acting and editing. Trends have evolved year to year, culminating lately in large-format cinematography, with its fresh image architecture and distinctive depth of field.

A man who couldn’t read or write until he was 18 is set to become Cambridge’s youngest black professor. Jason Arday made the major milestone after being diagnosed with autism and global delay, which left him unable to speak until he was 11. He broke through barriers and has since become a prominent figure in the black community.

Julia MacCary editor Will Smith was the surprise guest that set the room abuzz Wednesday night at the 14th annual African American Film Critics Assn. Awards at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. But Smith had tough competition in the emotional-speech department from fellow honorees that included Danielle Deadwyler, Viola Davis, Angela Bassett and Gina Prince-Bythewood. Deadwyler, who won lead actress honors for her tour de force role in “Till,” drew the crowd’s the attention to the world-changing impact of Mamie Till-Mobley, whose provocative decision to show pictures of her son’s brutalized corpse helped ignite the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and ’60s.

Will Smith returned to an awards ceremony stage on Wednesday for his first in-person speech since he sparked controversy by slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

The stars are hitting the red carpet!

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” could continue its momentum and win in several film categories, including Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Ke Huy Quan) and Outstanding Performance by a Cast. The multiverse-hopping indie directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert enters the evening with the wind at its back, having taken home the top prize on Saturday at the Producers Guild Awards, indicating that the zany film is not polarizing voters as much as some feared.

Viola Davis brightens up the room in a stunning yellow dress at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night (February 26) at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

Viola Davis brightens up the room in a stunning yellow dress at the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night (February 26) at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.