Viola Davis, Lee Daniels, Common, Maxwell, Omari Hardwick, Morris Chestnut and Dionne Farris among Big Names to Take the Stage During the 2017 "BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors"

Actress and Director Regina Hall to Host Annual Ceremony

Awards Show Tapes Friday, February 17 in Los Angeles and will air on BET and Centric Wednesday, February 22 at 8:00PM ET

#ABFFHonors

NEW YORK -- BET Networks and American Black Film Festival (ABFF)'s "BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors" is thrilled to announce that Viola Davis, Lee Daniels, Common, Morris Chestnut and Omari Hardwick are confirmed to present during the annual ceremony taping in Los Angeles on Friday, February 17th. Also set to take the stage are Maxwell and Dionne Farris, who will woo the audience with sultry performances. ABFF Honors' mission is to celebrate Black culture by honoring individuals, movies and television shows that have had a significant impact on American entertainment. "BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors" airs on BET and Centric on Wednesday, February 22nd at 8:00PM ET.

Hosted by actress and director Regina Hall, "BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors" is proud to celebrate some of Hollywood's most iconic artists. As previously announced, the show will honor actor and director Denzel Washington with the "Hollywood Legacy Award;" writer, producer and actress Issa Rae with the "Rising Star Award," film director and producer F. Gary Gray with the "Excellence in the Arts Award" and actor and singer, Terrence Howard with the "Excellence in the Arts Award." In addition, there will be a special appearance by some of Young Hollywood's biggest stars, including Jay Ellis (Insecure, The Game), Kofi Siriboe (Queen Sugar), Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse, Straight Outta Compton) and Kylie Bunbury (Pitch).

"BET Presents the American Black Film Festival Honors" is sure to be a highlight of the Hollywood Awards season and Black History Month. The event is executive produced by ABFF Ventures founder Jeff Friday, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones for de Passe Jones Entertainment, Jesse Collins for Jesse Collins Entertainment, and Connie Orlando, Stephen G. Hill and Debra Lee for BET Networks.

The 2017 ABFF Honors sponsors are AT&T, Cadillac and Prudential Financial Inc. (Red Carpet Partners) and Hennessy (Official Spirit Partner).

For more information about the 2017 ABFF Honors, log on to www.ABFFHonors.com. Also, follow us on our social media platforms:

SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter: @ABFFHonors Instagram: @AmericanBlackFilmFestival Facebook: American Black Film Festival YouTube: American Black Film Festival Website: http://www.bet.com/shows/abff-honors.html

ABOUT ABFF

The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event dedicated to showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. It supports emerging artists to foster a wider range of images, stories and storytellers represented in the entertainment industry. The festival is committed to the belief that Black artists and content creators deserve the same opportunities as their mainstream counterparts. ABFF founder Jeff Friday conceived the festival in 1997 as a vehicle to promote diversity in the motion picture industry, and strengthen the Black filmmaking community through resource sharing, education, artistic collaboration and career development. Today, the ABFF is recognized as the preeminent pipeline to new Black talent, both in front of and behind the camera, and is regarded as one of the leading film festivals in the world. The ABFF is a property of ABFF Ventures LLC, a multifaceted entertainment company specializing in the production of live events, television and digital content targeted to upscale African American audiences. For additional information about the festival, visit www.ABFF.com.

ABOUT BET NETWORKS

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.