Bob Marley: One Love, the Paramount Pictures biopic based on the life of the reggae legend, won in the Best Movie category at Sunday night’s staging of the 2024 BET Awards.

The awards ceremony took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, USA.

Marley’s daughter, Cedella, who was one of the producers of the film — her brother Ziggy and mom Rita were also producers — was quite upbeat when the Jamaica Observer caught up with her on Monday for a comment.

“It’s a great feeling. The BET Awards are all about recognising and celebrating black American entertainment and culture. One Love winning best movie is a reflection of Bob Marley’s resonance with black culture in the United States. Daddy spent time living and working in Delaware and knew what it was to be a black man in America during that time. As he said in Roots Rock Reggae, ‘Play I on the R&B. I want all MY people to see’,” said Cedella.

The other nominees in the Best Movie category were American Fiction, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Book of Clarence, The Color Purple, The Equalizer 3, and
The Little Mermaid.

The film, which stars British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley and British actress Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita Marley, was directed by American Reinaldo Marcus Green.

Marley says a lot of work went into the film.

“A lot of work went into making the film. What you see on the screen is the result of every member of our production team, cast, and crew giving their all,” Marley shared.

Released globally on February 14, Bob Marley: One Love topped the North American box office in its opening week and has grossed more than US$179.4 million worldwide. It is ranked as the ninth-highest grossing film of 2024 in the United States.

Asked what for her was a standout moment working on the film, Marley said: “For me, [as one of the producers], I think the level of work that went into the casting process stands out. Kingsley and Lashana were amazing, and seeing the Wailers’ sons step into the roles of their fathers was incredible.”

During the live telecast of the BET Awards, there was another Marley presence on the main stage. YG Marley, son of Rohan Marley (Bob’s son) performed alongside his mother, Lauryn Hill.

YG performed his new single Survival and his global chart-topping single
Praise Jah in the Moonlight, which has been certified gold in the United States and platinum in Canada.