Date: Friday - October 17, 2025
Time: Doors open 6 PM​
Venue: Ducret Center for Arts
1030 Central Ave, Plainfield, NJ
PRESENTATION DETAILS
The Queen City Film Festival 2025 honorees embody the grit, vision, and relentless work ethic it takes to thrive on the international stage of film and television. Their journeys are marked by perseverance, often navigating barriers that underrepresented artists face with resilience and creativity, transforming challenges into groundbreaking stories that resonate globally. These awards celebrate not only their artistic achievements but also their unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries, uplifting diverse voices, and redefining what excellence looks like in media. Each honoree stands as a testament to greatness, proving that true success comes through passion, persistence, and the courage to be seen and heard.
Naturi Naughton Lewis
VANGUARD AWARD
Naturi Naughton is an American Actress/Singer best known for her performance as "Tasha St. Patrick" in the hit show "Power" on the Starz Network. She has won 2 NAACP Image Awards for her performance in this role. Many also remember her thrilling portrayal of "Lil Kim" in Fox Searchlight's film "Notorious". Naughton has starred in various other projects such as MGM's remake of the classic film "Fame", Lottery Ticket, The Playboy Club, Mad Men and The Client List. She also appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award winning musical, "Hairspray" for 3 years. Before her transition into film and television, Naughton was a member of the Platinum selling girl group 3LW. Born and raised in East Orange, NJ, she was greatly inspired by Whitney Houston as a child and knew by the age of 5 that she wanted to be a performer. Naughton continues to thrive in Hollywood as a respected actress who has been lauded for her ability to transform into any role she is given.
R. Marcus Taylor
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
R. Marcus Taylor is a skilled martial artist, stuntman, and actor who played Suge Knight in Straight Outta Compton and Surviving Compton. He also appeared in the Hit film Baby Driver alogside Jaime Foxx. Taylor also had a prominet role in the Marvel Studios streaming sensation, Luke Cage. He has over 40 years of martial arts experience, including a black belt in karate and training in Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Capoeira, and Hapkido. Taylor has won the 1994 NJ State Taekwondo Championship and the 2010 Muay Thai Warriors Cup Super-Heavy Weight Championship
Sonia Armstead & Rochelle Brown
Powerhouse Productions
AMBASSADOR AWARD
Rochelle Brown, Co-Founded Powerhouse Productions in 2003, and serves as Executive Producer and Co-CEO overseeing all development and productions. In 2011 Rochelle and her team produced the highly rated series Fresh, Food, Fast for the Cooking Channel with Emeril Lagasse and is currently in development with 2 more shows for Food Network and Cooking Channel, including a Docu-soap with one of America’s most loved Italian Restaurant families. In 2009 Rochelle served as Executive Producer for several shows including “Living it Up with Patti Labelle,” “Turn Up The Heat with G. Garvin,” “Ford’s HBCU Business Classic,” and “Makeover Manor.” In 2016 she was Executive Producer for Patti LaBelle’s Place on the Cooking Channel which ran for 2 seasons.
​​
Sonia Armstead Co-Founded Powerhouse Productions in 2003, and Serves as Executive Producer and Co-CEO overseeing all of the companies developmental activities in broadcast, cable and broadband/interactive sectors. In 2011 Sonia and her team produced the highly rated series Fresh, Food, Fast for the Cooking Channel with Emeril Lagasse and is currently in development with 2 more shows for Food Network and Cooking Channel, including a Docu-soap with one of America’s most loved Italian Restaurant families. In 2009 Sonia served as Executive Producer for several shows including “Living it Up with Patti Labelle,” “Turn Up The Heat with G. Garvin,” “Ford’s HBCU Business Classic,” “Makeover Manor.” In 2016 she was Executive Producer for Patti LaBelle’s Place on the Cooking Channel which ran for 2 seasons. In 2019 she helped launch CLEO TV with a slate of food and lifestyle programming such as Just Eats with Chef JJ, New Soul Kitchen with Jernard Wells, New Soul Kitchen Remix, Living by Design with Jake and Jazz Smollett, Lens of Culture with Tai Beachamp and Elton Anderson, Culture Kitchen with Bren Herrera, and several other shows in development with celebrities, lifestyle experts, and sports figures. In 2021 she was executive producer on the one hour special EATUP! New York with hosts Marcus Sammulesson and Bevy Smith.
​
AMBASSADOR AWARD
Guyviaud Joseph was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor, producer and assistant director, known for Power (2017), Zatima (2022), Harlem (2021) and Red Dead Redemption (2018). He received a Degree in business from Penn State University; after working as an Account Executive at CBS for several years he reluctantly quit to pursue his passion as an actor.
​