Phylicia Rashad to Receive Pan African Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Phylicia Rashad will receive the lifetime achievement award at the 19th annual Pan African Film Festival, according to a report in The New York Times. The festival runs February 16-23 in Los Angeles.

Rashad received a Tony Award for her portrayal of Lena Younger in the 2004 Broadway revival of Raisin in the Sun, and recreated the role for the television film, earning an Emmy Award nomination. Among her many other stage credits are August: Osage County, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Gem of the Ocean, Jelly’s Last Jam, Into the Woods, and Dreamgirls. She is perhaps best known for playing Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show.

This Pan African Film Festival showcases films by and about people from the African diaspora and this year will include 75 feature-length films and 46 short films.