Gina Prince-Bythewood, Reginald Hudlin and The Africa Center CEO Uzodinma Iweala Named Icon Mann Honorees (EXCLUSIVE)
The eighth annual Icon Mann Honors dinner will salute “The Woman King” filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood, “Sidney” director Reginald Hudlin and Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of the Africa Center NYC and author of the New York Times bestseller “Beasts of No Nation.”
Icon Mann partnered with Sony Pictures for the event, which has a “Reimagining African Diasporic Narratives” theme and will take place on Wednesday, March 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The dinner is part of a series of awards week events for Icon Mann, which is a media, production and management consultancy representing African Diasporic heritage. The company is a leading strategic broker for investments and enterprise within creative industries for Hollywood and media-driven African nations, cultivating a global network of creators and leaders focused on “positive narrative representation.”
Filmmaker George Tillman (“Soul Food,” “Men of Honor”) will also be honored on Tuesday, Feb. 28 with a fireside chat and film retrospective in advance of his latest film “Big George Foreman,” moderated by Sony Motion Pictures Group chief Tom Rothman.
Icon Mann’s awards week also includes the “Africa 2 America” forum, a series of film sessions focusing on placing “the African creative sector in Hollywood for the development of bilateral exchange,” with delegates from Ghana and Uganda. The forum will be held on Tuesday, March 7 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.
“It’s a marvelous time to be Black and creative. We are griots, world builders and originators of culture. There is great joy and cause for celebration in that as we reimagine African Diasporic narratives with the ‘Africa 2 America’ delegation sessions and our Icon Mann Honors,” said Tamara N. Houston, founder of Icon Mann. “We know how imperative it is to amplify collective communities of wealth, wellness and enterprise across professional sectors. Being intentional about our work and collaborations with media-driven African countries like Ghana and Uganda is foundational to being authentic storytellers and way makers.”
The full schedule of events is available below:
Tuesday, February 28
Icon Mann and Sony Pictures Entertainment present “An Evening With George, The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World,” a fireside chat and film retrospective with “Big George Foreman” director George Tillman Jr., moderated by Tom Rothman, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group.
Tuesday, March 7
Icon Mann’s “Africa 2 America” film market sessions partners officially with the National Film Authority of Ghana and Uganda Communications Commission.
Delegation leaders include: Juliet Asante, CEO of the National Film Authority (NFA) representing Ghana; Irene Sewankambo, executive director of Uganda Communications Commission; Mukiza Robert, director general of Uganda Investment Authority; and Dr. Lilly Ajarova, CEO of the Ugandan Tourism Board.
Wednesday, March 8
Icon Mann Honors, a red-carpet media awards dinner in Beverly Hills at the Waldorf Astoria, salutes those who are “Reimaging African Diasporic Narratives.”
2023 Honorees: Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), Reginald Hudlin (“Sidney”) and Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of the Africa Center NYC.
Saturday, March 11
Icon WoMann, the inaugural all-female session, presented by Morgan Stanley, is an exclusive forum of sisterhood invested in financial and emotional wellness with senior level female executives, producers, directors and actresses.