Los Angeles, California – YG Marley and Lauryn Hill perform onstage during the 2024 BET Awards at the Peacock Theater on June 30, 2024. (Photo: AFP)
“Bob Marley: One Love,” Paramount Pictures’ biopic about the life of reggae legend Bob Marley, won best film at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday night.
The awards ceremony was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, USA.
Marley’s daughter Cedella is one of the film’s producers (his brother Ziggy and mother Rita were also producers) and when the Jamaica Observer contacted her for comment on Monday, she sounded very upbeat.
“It feels amazing. The BET Awards exist to recognize and celebrate Black American entertainment and culture. ‘One Love’ winning Best Film reflects how much Bob Marley identified with Black culture in America. My father lived and worked in Delaware and knew what it meant to be a Black man in America at that time. As he said in ‘Roots Rock Reggae,’ ‘Play me some R&B, I want all my bros to see,'” Cedella said.
Other nominees in the Best Motion Picture category include American Fiction, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Book of Clarence, The Color Purple, The Equalizer 3, and
The Little Mermaid.
The film stars British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley and British actress Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita Marley, and is directed by American Reinaldo Marcus Green.
Marley says a lot of work went into the film.
“A lot of hard work has gone into making this film and what you see on the screen is the result of the hard work of the entire production team, cast and crew,” Marley said.
Released worldwide on February 14, Bob Marley: One Love topped the North American box office in its opening weekend and has grossed over $179.4 million worldwide. In the United States, it is ranked as the 9th highest-grossing film of 2024.
When asked about memorable moments from making the film, Marley replied, “I think what stood out to me (as one of the producers) was the level of effort that went into the casting process. Kingsley and Lashana were amazing and it was incredible to see the Wailers’ sons playing their fathers.”
During the live broadcast of the BET Awards, another Marley appeared on the main stage: YG Marley, the son of Bob’s son Rohan Marley, performed alongside his mother, Lauryn Hill.
YG performed his new single “Survival,” a single that has risen to the top of charts worldwide.
“Praise Jah in the Moonlight” was certified Gold in the United States and Platinum in Canada.
