Black Reel Awards: ‘The Harder They Fall’ sets record with 20 nominations, women directors make history
The nominations for the 22nd Annual Black Reel Awards were announced today and Jeymes Samuel’s all-Black western The Harder They Fall broke all records with a huge 20 nominations, blasting past the previous record held by Black Panther, which received 17 nominations in 2018, and is the first western nominated for Outstanding Picture and Outstanding Screenplay from the group. Samuel ties with Radha Blank for the most individual nominations in a single year with 7.
The Black Reel Awards annually recognize the excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora, in the global film industry.
Passing, Rebecca Hall’s adaptation of the Nella Larsen novel, earned 13 nominations, the second most of any film this year within categories including Outstanding Film, Director (Hall), Actress (Tessa Thompson) and Supporting Actress (Ruth Negga). Zola receives a total of nine nominations, the most for any independent film.
For the first time in Black Reel history, a husband and wife are facing off as “Guns Go Bang” and “The Harder They Fall” by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter duel for Outstanding Original Song against Beyonce Knowles-Carter’s “Be Alive” from King Richard.
Also for the first time ever, three women are nominated for Outstanding Director: Halle Berry for Bruised (also nominated for Outstanding Actress), Nia DaCosta for Candyman and Rebecca Hall for Passing (also nominated for her screenplay).
At the age of 90, after receiving a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in West Side Story, Rita Moreno becomes the most senior nominee in any category for a Black Reel Award.
“What a truly transformative year for Black Cinema,” says Black Reel Awards founder Tim Gordon. “It is a pleasure to witness the continuing evolution and growth of Black Film over our two decades in celebration of these accomplishments. As our growth continues, The Black Reels have exciting news coming soon and we can’t wait to see how it will add to the texture of this rich cinematic fabric.”
Winners will be announced on February 27, 2022. Here is the complete list of nominees.
Outstanding Motion Picture
The Harder They Fall
Lawrence Bender, Shawn Carter, James Lassiter & Jeymes Samuel, producers
King Richard
Will Smith, Tim White & Trevor White, producers
Passing
Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Rebecca Hall & Margot Hand, producers
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Joel Coen, Robert Graf & Frances McDormand, producers
West Side Story
Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger & Kevin McCollum, producers
Outstanding Director
Halle Berry | Bruised
Nia DaCosta | Candyman
Reinaldo Marcus Green | King Richard
Rebecca Hall | Passing
Jeymes Samuel | The Harder They Fall
Outstanding Actor
Mahershala Ali | Swan Song
Winston Duke | Nine Days
Jonathan Majors | The Harder They Fall
Will Smith | King Richard
Denzel Washington | The Tragedy of Macbeth
Outstanding Actress
Zazie Beetz | The Harder They Fall
Halle Berry | Bruised
Jennifer Hudson | Respect
Taylour Paige | Zola
Tessa Thompson | Passing
Outstanding Supporting Actor
Colman Domingo | Zola
Idris Elba | The Harder They Fall
Andre Holland | Passing
LaKeith Stanfield | The Harder They Fall
Jeffrey Wright | The French Dispatch
Outstanding Supporting Actress
Ariana DeBose | West Side Story
Aunjanue Ellis | King Richard
Regina King | The Harder They Fall
Rita Moreno | West Side Story
Ruth Negga | Passing
Outstanding Screenplay
Candyman
Nia DaCosta, Jordan Peele & Win Rosenfeld
The Harder They Fall
Jeymes Samuel & Boaz Yakin
In the Heights
Quiara Alegria Hudes
Passing
Rebecca Hall
Zola
Janicza Bravo & Jeremy O. Harris
Outstanding Documentary
Ailey
Jamila Wignot, director
Citizen Ashe
Rex Miller & Sam Pollard, directors
My Name is Pauli Murray
Julie Cohen & Betsy West, directors
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
Mariem Pérez Riera, director
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, director
Outstanding Foreign-Language Film
African America (South Africa)
Muzi Mthembu, director
Bitter Sugar (Tunisia)
Malik Isasis, director
Faya Dayi (Ethiopia)
Jessica Beshir, director
Outstanding Ensemble
The Harder They Fall
Victoria Thomas, casting director
In the Heights
Tiffany Little Canfield & Bernard Telsey, casting directors
King Richard
Rich Delia & Avy Kaufman, casting directors
Passing
Kim Ostroy & Laura Rosenthal, casting directors
Zola
Kim Coleman, casting director
Outstanding Voice Performance
Eric Andre | The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Marsai Martin | Spirit Untamed
Maya Rudolph | Luca
Maya Rudolph | The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Zoe Saldana | Vivo
Outstanding Score
Candyman
Robert Aiki Aubrey, composer
The Harder They Fall
Jeymes Samuel, composer
In the Heights
Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda & Bill Sherman, composers
Passing
Devonte Hynes, composer
Respect
Kris Bowers, composer
Outstanding Original Song
“Automatic Woman” (Bruised)
H.E.R., performer; Van Hunt, H.E.R. & Brittany Hazzard, writers
“Be Alive” (King Richard)
Beyonce, performer; Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & DIXSON, writers
“Guns Go Bang” (The Harder They Fall)
Jay-Z & Kid Cudi, performers; Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Kid Cudi & Jeymes Samuel, writers
“The Harder They Fall” (The Harder They Fall)
Koffee, performer; Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter & Jeymes Samuel, writers
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” (Respect)
Jennifer Hudson, performer; Carole King, Jennifer Hudson & Jamie Hartman, writers
Outstanding Independent Film
Concrete Cowboy
Ricky Staub, director
Nine Days
Edson Oda, director
Test Pattern
Shatara Michelle Ford, director
The Water Man
David Oyelowo, director
Zola
Janicza Bravo, director
Outstanding Short Film
54 Years Late
Michele Wise Wright, director
Coffee
Jordan Pitt, director
The Door of Return
Kokutekeleza Musebeni & Anna Zhukovets, directors
Junior
Jehnovah Carlisle, director
The Snakes
Michelle Beck, director
Outstanding Independent Documentary
100 Years from Mississippi
Tarabu Betserai Kirkland, director
Big Chief, Black Hawk
Jonathan Isaac Jackson, director
I Still Breathe
Alfred George Bailey, director
Little Satchmo
John Alexander, director
Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality
Colin K. Gray, director
Outstanding Emerging Director
Halle Berry | Bruised
Janicza Bravo | Zola
Rebecca Hall | Passing
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson | Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Jeymes Samuel | The Harder They Fall
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male
Deon Cole | The Harder They Fall
Edi Gathegi | The Harder They Fall
Joshua Henry | tick, tick…Boom!
Caleb McLaughlin | Concrete Cowboy
Anthony Ramos | In the Heights
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female
Danielle Deadwyler | The Harder They Fall
Ariana DeBose | West Side Story
Taylour Paige | Zola
Saniyya Sidney | King Richard
Demi Singleton | King Richard
Outstanding First Screenplay
In The Heights
Quiara Alegria Hudes
Passing
Rebecca Hall
Zola
Janicza Bravo & Jeremy O. Harris
Cinematography
The Harder They Fall
Mihai Malaimare Jr., cinematographer
In the Heights
Myron Kerstein, cinematographer
Passing
Edu Grau, cinematographer
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Bruno Delbonnel, cinematographer
West Side Story
Janusz Kaminski, cinematographer
Outstanding Costume Design
Coming 2 America
Ruth E. Carter, costume designer
The Harder They Fall
Antoinette Messam, costume designer
Passing
Marci Rodgers, costume designer
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Mary Zophres, costume designer
West Side Story
Paul Tazewell, costume designer
Outstanding Editing
Bruised
Jacob Craycroft & Terilyn A. Shropshire, editors
The Harder They Fall
Tom Eagles, editor
King Richard
Pamela Martin, editor
Respect
Avril Beukes, editor
Zola
Joi McMillion, editor
Outstanding Production Design
The Harder They Fall
Martin Whist, production designer
In the Heights
Nelson Coates, production designer
Passing
Nora Mendis, production designer
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Stefan Dechant, production designer
West Side Story
Adam Stockhausen, production designer
Photo: David Lee/Netflix
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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