Last night was the 54th Annual NAACP Image Awards, and Will Smith won for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his leading role in “Emancipation”. It marks Smith’s first award win since the controversial incident from last year’s Oscars, where he smacked presenter Chris Rock on live television. 

“Emancipation” follows the journey of a runaway slave to Baton Rouge and was inspired by the 1862 photograph “Whipped Peter,” which depicts the brutal reality of slavery in America. Smith also served as a producer on the film. 

Released through Apple TV+, the film suffered some delays from Smith’s incident at the Oscars. Some studios pulled out of projects that Smith was involved with and was banned from all Academy-affiliated events for the next ten years. 

On top of the NAACP Image Award, the film is set to receive the Beacon Award from the African-American Film Critics Association. The film is also nominated for two Black Reel Awards. Other actors who were contending for the Best Actor award were Daniel Kaluuya, Jonathan Majors, Joshua Boone, and Sterling K. Brown. 

As reported recently, this year’s Oscars will have a “crisis team” on hand to prevent another incident similar to last year between Smith and Rock.