Brenda Gilbert receives Oscar Micheaux Trailblazer of Excellence Award and Ernest Dickerson Announced as Michael Ajakwe Pioneer of Influence Award Recipient

Micheaux Film Festival has officially returned, announcing this year’s Oscar Micheaux Trailblazer of Excellence Award recipient and the Michael Ajakwe Pioneer of Influence Award recipient. Recognized for their resounding influence in the entertainment industry,  BRON Studios Founder, Brenda Gilbert and renowned director and cinematographer, Ernest Dickerson will be honored at this year’s festival.

“I am thankful to the Micheaux Festival for recognizing me for the Oscar Micheaux Trailblazer of Excellence Award. As a long-time advocate for the advancement of inclusion, equity, and innovation; I cannot think of a more distinguished honor,” said Brenda Gilbert. “Oscar Micheaux was an icon that paved the way for numerous filmmakers and creators in this industry. I look to continue to follow his lead, by helping to produce, finance, and develop diverse stories.”

Brenda Gilbert is the co-founder, and president of Vancouver-based BRON Studios, which has executive produced and co-financed some of the most prominent films to date – with more than 30 of the films receiving Oscar nominations. Launched in 2010, the company is on its way to becoming one of the industry’s most prestigious go-to financing and production houses, providing more than $1 billion in production financing. Known for supporting diverse storytelling, BRON has backed a number of movies about the BIPOC and multicultural experience, including; The Green Knight, starring Dev Patel, Judas and the Black Messiah, Bombshell, the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson, Oscar winner Joker, Candyman, Kevin Hart’s Fatherhood, Greyhound with Tom Hanks, and three Denzel Washington titles: Fences, Roman J. Israel, Esq. and A Journal for Jordan.

Honoree Ernest Dickerson is equally accomplished. An esteemed director and cinematographer, and frequent collaborator with peer and colleague Spike Lee, Dickerson is most known for his blend of action and horror films, including the Black ’90s masterpiece, Juice (1992), Demon Knight (1995), and many episodes of award-winning television like The Wire, Dexter, The Walking Dead, and Godfather of Harlem. With the 30th anniversary of Juice quickly approaching, the director had this to say about receiving the Michael Ajakwe Pioneer of Influence Award:

“I am honored to be celebrated alongside my esteemed colleagues. As a filmmaker, I’ve been fortunate to have an incredible career and the ability to include us in the art of storytelling. My mission has always been to pay it forward, by mentoring and cultivating emerging filmmakers, and helping them achieve their dreams while continuing to make meaningful and transformative art,” said Dickerson.

Alongside many notable honorees, the Micheaux Film Festival has also unveiled its 2022 lineup of over 250+ projects including Ernest Dickerson’s Double Play following a Q&A career spotlight directly after; Birdwatching starring actress, Amanda Seyfried; Artistic starring football player, Marshawn Lynch; Ghost Girl starring Jamie Neuman, Run Nixon starring Lil Fizz and Launch at Paradise starring Catherine Curtin. In addition to newly appointed celebrity ambassadors – Emmy nominated actress, Sharon Lawrence, and ABC’s Black-ish actor, Anthony Anderson.

The Micheaux Film Festival will kick off its week-long celebration beginning July 11-17 with a series of activations, film screenings, digital panels, master classes, networking mixers, workshops and more. The event will also provide attendees with the opportunity to gain access to new content, and exclusive insight, while establishing tangible and equitable connections. Event sponsors include: 

• Oprah Winfrey Network 

• SONY Entertainment

• Panavision

• The Academy Museum 

• Braham Entertainment 

Last year’s event featured an over-flow of attendees at the historic Chinese Theater in Hollywood California; jam-packed with Hollywood’s most elite producers, directors, writers, actors, and entertainers. The festival honored legendary veteran actor and filmmaker Robert Townsend, and also featured panelists Jill Marie Jones, Maahra Hill, Bridgid Coulter Cheadle, Steve Pink, Deborah Riley Draper and casting directors Christian Bustamante and Jamie Castro. Sponsor Panavision also provided $75K in grant funds to the 2021 winners.

For more information and updates, or to register for this event, please visit: www.micheauxfilmfest.com

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ABOUT THE MICHEAUX FILM FESTIVAL

The Micheaux Film Festival is a multicultural film festival that focuses on BIPOC creators, and celebrates diverse representation in the entertainment landscape. With a cutting-edge and fresh take on the traditional festival experience, we bring independent creatives together while curating an environment for artists to build community with future collaborators in the television, film, and digital space.

Aptly named after Oscar Micheaux, a pioneer in the filmmaking industry, who aimed to bridge different walks of life through his art, we aim to close the knowledge gap between independent filmmakers and Hollywood elites. In addition to screening content, artists and attendees have access to networking mixers, Q&A panels, Master Class workshops, and digital panels that equip filmmakers with inside industry information from art, media, television and film executives. www.micheauxfilmfest.com

ABOUT BRON

BRON is a global media-technology and award-winning production company committed to furthering the art and craft of meaningful commercial storytelling. The company works through an innovative distribution agnostic approach using a blend of studio co-financing deals and in-house productions to create film, tv, audio and non-scripted content as well as interactive gaming, technology, and corporate investments. The company’s filmmaker-first approach, built on inclusion, innovation, and respect, has helped BRON solidify creative relationships with elite talent from an array of backgrounds. BRON has been instrumental in more than 120 productions and has built a robust slate of upcoming IP across all platforms. The company has been part of an outstanding 32 Academy Award® nominations and 6 wins.

Various sectors of the company include: BRON Studios TV, behind Irish crime drama Kin as well as an newly released series based on the original French hit, Call My Agent!; BRON Digital utilizes Epic Games Unreal Engine technology to create animated content and immersive digital worlds, including for the upcoming series Fables; and BRON Life, the non-scripted division focused on filmmaker-driven documentaries and series that make a social impact. BRON’s recent film releases include Licorice Pizza from Paul Thomas Anderson, Respect with Jennifer Hudson, Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, and Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Joe Wright’s Cyrano, Barry Levinson’s The Survivor, and the upcoming Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man. Other divisions of BRON Media Corp. include BRON Creative, BRON Labs and BRON Releasing, the company’s sales arm. Founded in 2010 by Aaron L. Gilbert and Brenda Gilbert, BRON is headquartered in Vancouver, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, and companies in the UK and New Zealand.