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The 2017 “BET Presents The American Black Festival Honors” Adds Terrence Howard as Honoree with Special Appearances by Kofi Siriboe, Jay Ellis, Alexandra Shipp and Kylie Bunbury

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ACTRESS AND DIRECTOR REGINA HALL HOSTS ANNUAL CEREMONY

Awards Show Tapes Friday, February 17 in Los Angeles and will air on BET and Centric Wednesday, February 22 at 8:00PM ET

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Los Angeles, CA (February 6, 2017) – BET Networks and American Black Film Festival (ABFF)’s “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” is excited to add an iconic artist to the list of honorees. Oscar nominated actor and singer, Terrence Howard, will be presented the “Excellence in the Arts” honor. In addition, set to make special appearances are some of Young Hollywood’s biggest names, including Kofi Siriboe, Jay Ellis, Alexandra Shipp, and Kylie Bunbury. “BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” airs on BET and Centric on Wednesday, February 22nd at 8:00PM ET.

This year’s ABFF honorees have made great contributions to the art of entertainment through their work and our newest honoree is no different. Terrence Howard is a man of many talents. Best known for his current role on Fox’s Empire as malicious music mogul, Luscious Lyon, the real Terrence Howard is also a musical force. His self-taught talent is on full display in several of his earliest film appearances including Ray and Hustle and Flow. The Columbia Records signee completed his debut album in a mere five days, and went on to write music for a number of his on – screen characters. His big screen performances have earned him a BET Award, five NAACP Image Awards, and Oscar and Golden Globe nominations among them.

In addition to the honorees, some of Hollywood’s rising stars are set to make a special appearance. Kofi Siriboe (Queen Sugar), Jay Ellis (Insecure, The Game), Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocolypse, Straight Outta Compton) and Kylie Bunbury (Pitch) are confirmed to open the show.

ABFF Honors’ mission is to celebrate Black culture by honoring individuals, movies and television shows that have had a significant impact on American entertainment, as well as the people who are proponents of championing diversity and inclusion in Hollywood. The annual event will be hosted by actress Regina Hall.

“BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors” is sure to be a highlight of the Hollywood Awards season and Black History Month. The event is executive produced by ABFF Ventures founder Jeff Friday, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones for de Passe Jones Entertainment, Jesse Collins for Jesse Collins Entertainment, and Connie Orlando, Stephen G. Hill and Debra Lee for BET Networks.

The 2017 ABFF Honors sponsors are Cadillac, AT&T and Prudential Financial Services (Red Carpet Partners) and Hennessy (Official Spirit Partner).

For more information about the 2017 ABFF Honors, log on to www.ABFFHonors.com. Also, follow us on our social media platforms:

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For media inquiries and to apply for media credentials for the 2017 ABFF Honors, please log on to http://abffhonors.com/media/2017-ABFF-Honors-Credential-Application.pdf.

ABOUT ABFF:
The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event dedicated to showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. It supports emerging artists to foster a wider range of images, stories and storytellers represented in the entertainment industry. The festival is committed to the belief that Black artists and content creators deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts. ABFF founder Jeff Friday conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to promote diversity in the motion picture industry, and strengthen the Black filmmaking community through resource sharing, education, artistic collaboration and career development. Today, the ABFF is recognized as the preeminent pipeline to new Black talent, both in front of and behind the camera, and is regarded as one of the leading film festivals in the world. The ABFF is a property of ABFF Ventures LLC, a multifaceted entertainment company specializing in the production of live events, television and digital content targeted to upscale African American audiences.

For additional information about the festival, visit www.ABFF.com.

ABOUT BET NETWORKS:
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B sted NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks – BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

PRESS CONTACTS:
Michelle Huff Elliott
Strategic Heights Media
michelle@strategicheights.com
212-634-7176

Terrece Walker
BET Communications
Terrece.Walker@BET.net
212-205-3264