Chadwick Boseman in Da 5 Bloods.Photo: Netflix
The NBR announced its2020 award winnerson Tuesday with Lee, 63, taking home the award for best director.
Along with the film and Lee being honored,Chadwick Boseman, who starred in the film, was posthumously awarded the NBR Icon Award, an honor that celebrates the cinematic contributions that are meaningful to history, culture and excellence in motion pictures.
“The NBR is proud to honorDa 5 Bloods, Spike Lee, and the film’s incredible ensemble cast, along with all of our 2020 awardees,” said NBR President Annie Schulhof. “Lee is one of our greatest filmmakers, a bold auteur with a cinematic vision and an astute perspective on human relationships, focusing at times on that intersection between the personal and the political.”
“Da 5 Bloodsis not only a unique portrait of the experience and lingering trauma of Black Vietnam War veterans, but also a moving story of enduring friendship, a suspenseful jungle treasure hunt, and a powerful reckoning with the American dream,” Schulhof continued. “We are also honored to present the posthumous NBR Icon Award to Chadwick Boseman, an extraordinary talent who represented the best of what an actor could be no matter what the role.”
Among the other honorees were Riz Ahmed, who was awarded the best actor award forSound of Metal,Carey Mulligan for best actress inPromising Young Woman, Paul Raci for best supporting actor inSouth of Metaland Youn Yuh-jung for best supporting actress inMinari.
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Da 5 Bloodsfollows four African American vets, Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis) and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), who travel back to Vietnam to locate the remains of their fallen squad leader and the buried treasure they left behind during the war.
In August, during his annualBrooklyn ♥ MJ block partyforMichael Jackson’s birthdayin August, Lee paid tribute to Boseman — who died in August at 43 following a four-year-long struggle with colon cancer — dedicating Jackson’s song “Gone Too Soon” to the actor.
Lee reflected on his time working with the late star, saying, “We filmedDa 5 Bloodsin Thailand, and it was hot, jungles, mountains, and Chadwick was there with us all the way. I never, ever suspected that anything was wrong. No one knew he was going through treatment, chemotherapy.”
He went on to call Boseman a “trooper” and someone who “never complained,” adding, “He was there every single minute in the moment. And his performance is a testament to what he put into that role, and all his roles. We miss you, Chadwick, we’re going to celebrate your life.”
source: people.com
