Mumbai: The 29 Critics’ Choice Awards revealed itself to be a cinematic masterpiece of its own! Celebrating the year’s most exceptional performances, and finest stars, the night showcased everything from electrifying wins to tears of joy as legends were honoured and rising stars received recognition. Amongst the names that made headlines was America Ferrera who won the SeeHer Award, which honours the silver screen’s leading ladies who advocate for gender equality and portray authentic, boundary-pushing characters. America won the award for her role in Barbie, the female-led film that was a box-office phenomenon, grossing over 1.4 Billion Dollars globally. The 29 Critics’ Choice Awards streamed LIVE on Lionsgate Play on 15 January 2024. In case you missed tuning in live, rewatch the event exclusively on Lionsgate Play.
In her acceptance speech, America Ferrera said, “I yearned to see people like myself on screen as full humans. When I started working over 20 years ago, that seemed impossible, I know. It seemed impossible that anyone could make a career of portraying fully dimensional Latina characters. But because of writers, directors, producers and executives who are daring enough to rewrite outdated stories and to challenge deeply entrenched biases, I, and some of my beloved Latina colleagues, have been supremely blessed to bring to life some fierce and fantastic women. Because of that, we have had the chance to bring through some deeply layered Latina characters and characters that I could not have seen growing up.’
She further went on to say, “But now I can see her and I see her expanding in the next generation of talent like my beloved Ariana Greenblatt, who plays my daughter in Barbie, and in Jenna Ortega, and in Selena Gomez, and in so many more out there. To me, this is the best and highest use of storytelling to affirm one another’s full humanity, to uphold the truth that we are all worthy of being seen - Black, brown, indigenous Asian, Trans, disabled, any body type, any gender. We are all worthy of having our lives richly and authentically reflective.”
Watch the 29 Critics’ Choice Awards exclusively on Lionsgate Play.
