In their second wins during the 2019 awards season, “Green Book,” a film based on the experiences of Jamaican jazz pianist Don Shirley, and the animated feature “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” in which the voice of the first black Spiderman is provided by a young Jamaican actor, took home the top prizes in their respective categories at the Critics’ Choice award ceremonies on Sunday, January 13, 2019.
Mahershala Ali won his second prestigious award for the Best Supporting Actor category for his portrayal of Dr. Don Shirley in “Green Book,” The film tells the story of a performance tour taken by Shirley and his driver Tony “Lip” Vallelonga through the southern United States in 1962. The story involves the friendship that developed between these two men, whose characters and styles were polar opposites, as they confronted the racism of the Jim Crow era. Ali previously won the Best Supporting Actor category at the Golden Globe awards. The actor appeared in “House of Cards” and “The Hunger Games,” along with star turns in “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures.” He won an Oscar as Supporting Actor and a SAG award for his role in “Moonlight.”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” tells the story of an African-American/Puerto Rican teenager from Brooklyn named Miles Morales. It won its second award as Best Animated Feature film at the Critics’ Choice event, previously winning in the same category at the Golden Globes. The voice of Miles Morales was acted by Shameik Moore, whose family is from Jamaica. Moore began his career with small roles in Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, Reed Between the Lines, and Joyful Noise. His first major television role happened in 2013 with the series Incredible Crew. He was recognized for his work as Malcolm in the film Dope in 2015, which was presented at the Sundance Film Festival. Moore’s performance was recognized as one of the “breakouts” at the Festival. He was one of five male leads in the series The Get Down from Netflix, which came out in 2016.
Photo and Information Source: Green Book facebook page by Universal Pictures, Critics’ Choice award
