Colman Domingo to Receive Variety Creative Conscience Award at Frameline50

Colman Domingo will be honored with the Variety Creative Conscience Award at the 50th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline50), which is hosted by the arts nonprofit Frameline, in San Francisco on Friday, June 19.

The award recognizes an individual in the entertainment world who personifies the industry’s dedication to humanitarian, cultural and charitable causes. This honor celebrates Domingo’s career as an actor and filmmaker, along with his work to champion underrepresented communities.

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Domingo will participate in a Q&A with Variety senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay.

“I lived in San Francisco from 1991-2001 and went to Frameline every year to see films that told our stories,” said Domingo. “The shorts program was my favorite. Ambitious, thought-provoking, thrilling and passionate. I think I found a part of myself as I was becoming a man in the Bay Area. I am extremely honored to receive this award on its 50th anniversary. And Frameline….you look so good at 50.”  

Domingo is an Emmy-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated actor, writer, playwright, director and producer. Under his Edith Productions banner, he’s executive produced films including “Sing Sing,” “It’s What’s Inside,” “Dead Man’s Wire” and the Academy Award shortlisted animated short “New Moon” Last spring, New York Theatre Workshop premiered Lights Out: Nat “King” Cole, co-written by Domingo and NYTW artistic director Patricia McGregor. He has also co-produced the Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony-nominated play “Fat Ham” and was a producer on the West End transfer of “Retrograde”. 

“Colman Domingo’s extraordinary talent and creativity have established him as one of the most compelling voices in entertainment today,” said Dea Lawrence, co-president and publisher of Variety. “His dynamic performances, combined with his bold endeavors as a writer, director, and producer, showcase the impact of art infused with purpose. He exemplifies what a true ‘Creative Conscience’ looks like.”

“It’s an incredible honor to celebrate Colman Domingo at Frameline50. Not only is Colman a profound talent whose impact on queer art and community transcends film, but he also has deep ties to the Bay Area and Frameline, as both a member of our audience and someone our audience is thrilled to see on screen,” said Allegra Madsen, Frameline’s Executive Director. “We’re grateful for Variety’s partnership, which has enabled us to recognize the extraordinary Colman Domingo during a very significant time in both his career and our Festival’s history.”

Domingo currently stars in Lionsgate’s “Michael” – which scored the biggest opening weekend ever for a biopic – and the third season of HBO Max’s hit series “Euphoria.” He’s also set to star in the second seasons of Netflix’s “The Four Seasons”, Universal Pictures’ highly anticipated “Disclosure Day” and will make his directorial debut and star in Lionsgate’s Nat King Cole biopic “Unforgettable”. Select film and TV credits include voicing the Lion in “Wicked: Part Two,” “The Running Man,” “The Color Purple,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Zola,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Selma,” “Candyman,” “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman,” “The Madness” and “Fear The Walking Dead'”

An 11-day celebration of film and queerness, the 50th San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Frameline50) is the oldest and longest-running LGBTQ film festival in the world. Curated from over 1,600 submissions and invitations, Frameline50 is the largest film festival in California, with over 130 films screening in theaters across the San Francisco Bay Area from June 17–27, 2026. The festival is hosted by Frameline, an arts nonprofit that works year-round to empower queer and trans filmmakers and distribute LGBTQ films.