Black Reel Awards (BRA) Nominations: ‘The Color Purple’ Leads with 19, ‘Rustin, with 10

The Color Purple leads the 24th Black Reel Awards nominations with 19 setting an historic mark for the most nominations for a musical from the org.

Blitz Bazawule’s film adaptation of the Tony-winning musical earned nods for Outstanding Film, Outstanding Director and Outstanding Emerging Director. The cast received an Outstanding Lead Performance nomination for Fantasia Barrino, three Outstanding Supporting Performance nominations and three Outstanding Breakthrough Performance nominations. The Color Purple also swept the musical and technical categories, receiving nominations in every one, except Outstanding Cinematography.  Fantasia Barrino became the second American Idol contestant to receive a nomination for acting (Jennifer Hudson).

Rustin was next with 10 nominations, including Outstanding Film and Outstanding Ensemble. Colman Domingo received a nomination in Outstanding Lead Performance for his titular role in the film as well as one in Outstanding Supporting Performance for The Color Purple.

Cord Jefferson (American Fiction) tied for the largest number of nominations by any one person with fellow writer/director A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand and One) with five.  Rockwell and Jefferson mirrored each other in nominations being both writer and director of their respective films.  Both were nominated for Outstanding First Screenplay, Outstanding Screenplay, Outstanding Emerging Director and Outstanding Director.  Rockwell’s film was nominated for Best Independent film while Jefferson’s film is in the Outstanding Film race.

The 24th Black Reel Awards will take place on January 16. Here is the complete list of nominations.

Outstanding Film

American Fiction
The Color Purple
Origin
Rustin
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Outstanding Director

Blitz Bazawule, The Color Purple
Ava DuVernay, Origin
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Michael B. Jordan, Creed III
A.V. Rockwell, A Thousand and One

Outstanding Lead Performance

Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
John Boyega, They Cloned Tyrone
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Origin
Jamie Foxx, The Burial
Kelvin Harrison Jr., Chevalier
Michael B. Jordan, Creed III
Teyana Taylor, A Thousand and One
Sophie Wilde, Talk to Me
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Outstanding Supporting Performance

Erika Alexander, American Fiction
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Viola Davis, Air
Colman Domingo, The Color Purple
Jamie Foxx, They Cloned Tyrone
Taraji P. Henson, The Color Purple
Jonathan Majors, Creed III
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Jurnee Smollett, The Burial

Outstanding Screenplay

Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Ava DuVernay, Origin
Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black, Rustin
Tony Rettenmaier and Juel Taylor, They Cloned Tyrone
A.V. Rockwell, A Thousand and One

Outstanding Documentary

American Symphony
Kokomo City
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé
Stamped From the Beginning

Outstanding International Film

Brother (Canada)
Our Father, the Devil (Cameroon)
Rye Lane (UK)

Outstanding Independent Film

A Thousand and One
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Earth Mama
How I Learned to Fly
Rye Lane

Outstanding Short Film

Alive in Bronze: Huey P. Newton (A.K. Sandhu)
Birthing a Nation: The Resistance of Mary Gaffney (Nazenet Habtezghi)
Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games (Joe Brewster & Michele Stpehenson)
The Dads (Luchina Fisher)
The Last Repair Shop (Kris Bowers & Ben Proudfoot)

Outstanding Ensemble

American Fiction
The Blackening
The Color Purple
Rustin
They Cloned Tyrone

Outstanding Voice Performance

Ariana DeBose, Wish
Ayo Edebiri, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Brian Tyree Henry, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Daniel Kaluuya, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Shameik Moore, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Outstanding Emerging Director

Blitz Bazawule, The Color Purple
Raven Jackson, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
A.V. Rockwell, A Thousand and One
Juel Taylor, They Cloned Tyrone

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance

Halle Bailey, The Little Mermaid
Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Jerrod Carmichael, Poor Things
Archie Madekwe, Grand Turismo
Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, The Color Purple
Tia Nomore, Earth Mama
Vivian Oparah, Rye Lane
Dewayne Perkins, The Blackening
Teyana Taylor, A Thousand and One

Outstanding First Screenplay

Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Raven Jackson, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Marcus Gradley, The Color Purple
Savanah Leaf, Earth Mama
A.V. Rockwell, A Thousand and One

Outstanding Cinematography

Jomo Fray, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Jody Lee Lipes, Earth Mama
D. Smith, Kokomo City
Olan Collardy, Rye Lane
Henry Adebonojo and Antonio Rossi, Silver Dollar Road

Outstanding Editing

Jon Poll, The Color Purple
D. Smith, Kokomo City
Spencer Averick, Origin
Michael Andrews, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Saira Haider, They Cloned Tyrone

Outstanding Production Design

Karen Murphy, Chevalier
Paul D. Austerberry, The Color Purple
Hannah Beachler, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé
Mark Ricker, Rustin
Patrick O’ Keefe, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Outstanding Costume Design

Charlese Antoinette Jones, Air
Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, The Color Purple
Beyoncé and Shiona Turini, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé
Toni-Leslie James, Rustin
Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, They Cloned Tyrone

Outstanding Hairstyling & Makeup

Carla Farmer, Air
Shandrea Williams, Bottoms
Lawrence Davis and Carol Rasheed, The Color Purple
Melissa Forney and Beverly Jo Pryor, Rustin
Craig Carter, A Thousand and One

Outstanding Score

Jon Batiste, American Symphony
Kris Bowers, Chevalier
Kris Bowers, The Color Purple
Brandford Marsalias, Rustin
Desmond Murray and Pierre Charles, They Cloned Tyrone

Outstanding Original Song

“Am I Dreaming” from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
“It Never Went Away” from American Symphony
“Keep It Moving” from The Color Purple
“My House” from Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé
“Road to Freedom” from Rustin

Outstanding Soundtrack

The Color Purple
Creed III
The Little Mermaid
Rustin
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse