Mara Brock Akil‘s “Forever” is a story both timeless and of the moment. A skillful update of the 1975 Judy Blume novel of the same name chronicling two teens experiencing first love, the series stars Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. as two Black student athletes in 2018 Los Angeles as they romance each other while dealing with the pressures of their very different parents. Swoony and evocative, it’s a rare show that centers the experiences of Black teens — and Akil herself was touched by the response from those who saw themselves in the characters.
“I’ve been floored by the response to ‘Forever,’ the recognition, the notes, the posts, the tears, so many people around the world told me that they have felt seen in ways they have never before, that they didn’t know how hungry they were until they were fed,” Akil said at the 2025 IndieWire Honors ceremony held in Los Angeles on June 5. “It is a privilege to be trusted that much. The role of the storyteller carries responsibility I do not take lightly, because I could see our beautiful complexity so clearly. They got to see themselves with range, finally. Not just trauma, not just drama, but the quiet, the weird, the stillness and the ordinary.”
Akil appeared at the ceremony, held at NeueHouse Hollywood and honoring the best of TV from the 2024-2025 season, to accept IndieWire’s Visionary Award. The TV veteran — best known for creating “Girlfriends,” as well as multiple other shows such as “The Game” and “Love Is” — spoke in her acceptance speech about what the label of “Visionary” means to her, and how the concept of love is what drives her as a storyteller.
“When I hear the word ‘Visionary,’ I think about how I’ve always been drawn to go where there are no footsteps,” Akil said in her acceptance speech. “Sometimes I literally envisioned myself at the foot of the forest, deciding to the right, there’s a pain path. But I always grab the ax and I go through the forest. I don’t even really want to cut down the trees as much as I want to find a way through the fireflies and the foliage and the unknown. I want to be led by the awe around me and within me, I allow my heart’s desire and curiosity about the human condition to guide me. The complexity of love in its many forms is the well of water I drink to sustain me and also use in the ink in my pen. At the heart of it, my vision has always been driven by an unwavering desire to tell the truth.”
Speaking about her career and what led her to “Forever,” Akil said every show she has made has been focused on telling the truth, in some way: her initial hit “Girlfriends” was a “literal documentation” about the experiences of Black women at the turn of the 21st century, while “The Game” was a chronicle of families chasing dreams. “Being Mary Jane” was about Black ambition and loneliness, while “Love Is” was her take on a romantic epic. For “Forever,” Akil wanted to give Black children a show that “allowed them to dream of their futures with curiosity, softness and desire.”
“This is not about sanitizing our image,” Akil said. “It’s about restoring our truth. We are complex, we are sensual, we are sacred, we are flawed. We are not here to be perfect, and yes, we deserve to laugh, play, and rest.”
Akil ended her speech by paying tribute to her mother, grandmother, and aunt, and thanking her mentors — “Moesha” creators Ralph Farquhar and Sara V. Finney as well as Debbie Allen — along with her guest for the evening, which included “Girlfriends” stars Tracee Ellis Ross and Golden Brooks, “Love Is” star Will Catlett, “The Game” star Coby Bell, and “Forever” cast members Wood Harris and Karen Pittman.
“Forever” premiered on Netflix in May 2025 to critical acclaim. The show has been renewed for a second season.
