Fresh on the heels of snagging a Tony for his
award winning production, "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry," Russell
Simmons will be honored with the Time Warner Innovator Award.
Simmons is being honored by the conglomerate
for his various business dealings, as well as his charitable organizations,
mainly Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.
The ceremony takes place June 22, the final evening
of the Film Life’s 7th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF), which is
sponsored by AOL Time Warner.
The ABFF will take place June 18 to 22 in Miami’s
South Beach, Florida. The annual film festival supports the cinematic works
of Black filmmakers and provides the independents with a forum to show their
works.
On June 19, executives from AOL, Atlantic Records,
New Line Cinema, Time, Turner Broadcasting, HBO and Warner Bros. Pictures will
speak to festival participants about career development and how to submit the
ideas to AOL Time Warner for consideration for production.