The eighth annual Icon Mann Honors Dinner will welcome “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood, “Sidney” director Reginald Hudlin and Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of Africa Center NYC and bestselling author of New York Times “Beasts of No Nation”. “
Icon Mann has partnered with Sony Pictures for the event, which is themed “Reimagining African Diasporic Narratives” and will take place on Wednesday, March 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, California.
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 investment and business in creative industries for African Hollywood and media nations, cultivating a global network of creators and leaders focused on “positive narrative representation”.
Director George Tillman (“Soul Food,” “Men of Honor”) will also be honored on Tuesday, Feb. 28 with a conversation and retrospective before his latest film “Big George Foreman,” moderated by the head of Sony Pictures , Tom Rothman.
Icon Mann’s awards week also includes the “Africa 2 America” forum, a series of film sessions focused on positioning “the African creative sector in Hollywood to develop bilateral exchanges,” with representatives from Ghana and Uganda. The forum will be held on Tuesday, March 7 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.
“It’s a great time to be black and creative. We are griots, builders of the world and creators of culture. There is great joy and cause for celebration as we retell the narratives of the African Diaspora with our ‘Africa 2 America’ delegation sessions and awards at Icon Mann,” said Tamara N. Houston, Founder of Icon Mann. “We know how imperative it is to strengthen the collective communities of wealth, wellness and entrepreneurship in professional fields. Being intentional about our work and our partnerships with media-based African countries like Ghana and Uganda is fundamental to being authentic storytellers and creators.”
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 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 are officially partnered with the Ghana National Film Authority and the Uganda Communications Commission.
Leaders of the delegation include: Juliet Asante, CEO of the National Film Authority (NFA) representing Ghana; Irene Sewankambo, executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission. Mukiza Robert, director general of the Uganda Investment Authority. and Dr. Lilly Ajarova, Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Board.
Wednesday, March 8
The Icon Mann Honors, a red carpet media awards dinner in Beverly Hills at the Waldorf Astoria, salutes those who “Reimagine African Diasporic Narratives.”
2023 Honorees: Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), Reginald Hudlin (“Sydney”) and Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of Africa Center NYC.
Saturday, March 11
Icon Womann, the inaugural all-women session, is an exclusive sisterhood forum invested in financial and emotional wellness with high-profile executives, producers, directors and actors (including six MS Advisors).
