Newcomer Kelvin Harrison Jr., earns three individual nominations for Luce and Waves; three women nominated for Outstanding Director
The gripping story of a couple on the run from the law following a traffic stop gone wrong, Queen and Slim, received 14 nominations and in the process became the third film in Black Reel Awards history to be so honored.
Director Melina Matsoukas’ piercing examination of race and justice tied both Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls and Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, scoring multiple nominations. They included Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor (Daniel Kaluuya), Outstanding Actress and Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female (Jodie Turner-Smith), Outstanding Screenplay (Original or Adapted) and Outstanding First Screenplay for Lena Waithe, as well as Outstanding Director and Outstanding Emerging Director for Matsoukas.
In addition, the film received multiple nominations in the Outstanding Song category, for Collide (Tiana Major9 & EARTH GANGO) and Guarding the Gates (Lauryn Hill), Outstanding Score and nods in every technical category, Outstanding Cinematography, Outstanding Costume Design and Outstanding Production Design.
Director Jordan Peele’s follow-up to his Black Reel Award winning film, Get Out, Us thrilled voters as well on the way to 12 nominations. Led by its visionary director, who garnered a record-tying four nominations including Outstanding Director, Outstanding Screenplay, Original or Adapted, and Outstanding Motion Picture. Peele also was recognized for Outstanding Voice Performer for Toy Story 4. Us also secured an Outstanding Motion Picture nomination as well as Outstanding Actress for Black Reel Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Outstanding Supporting Actress and Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female for newcomer Shahadi Wright Joseph, Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Score, Outstanding Cinematography, Outstanding Costume Design, and Outstanding Production Design.
The story of underground cult comedian Rudy Ray Moore, Dolemite Is My Name also scored double-digit nominations with 11. Led by Outstanding Actor nominee Eddie Murphy, the film received multiple nominations for its talented cast including Outstanding Supporting Actress and Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female for newcomer Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Outstanding Supporting Actor for Black Reel Award winner Wesley Snipes, Outstanding Breakthrough Actor, Male for Titus Burgess. The film also garnered noms for Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Score, as well as Outstanding Costume Design for last year’s winner, Ruth E. Carter.
“I’m extremely thrilled with the choices that our Voting Academy made this year,” said Black Reel Awards founder and President, Tim Gordon. ”As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary, it is both humbling to reminisce about the journey, yet refreshing to see and experience so much new talent that graced the screen for the first time.”
Other highlights include Waves receiving nine nominations followed by the indie darling, The Last Black Man in San Francisco that scored eight nominations. Seven nominations went to the prison drama, Clemency, while both Harriet and Luce each took home six nods. In addition, three directors each received four nominations, Chinoye Chukwu, Julius Onah, and Peele.
The 20th Annual Black Reel Awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, February 6, 2020, live streamed on BlogTalkRadio. Here is the full list of nominations.
Outstanding Motion Picture
DOLEMITE IS MY NAME (Netflix) Eddie Murphy, John Fox & John Davis
JUST MERCY (Warner Bros.) Asher Goldstein & Gil Netter
QUEEN & SLIM (Universal Pictures) Pamela Addy, Andrew Coles, James Frey, Michelle Knudsen, Melina Matsoukas, Lena Waithe & Brad Weston
US (Universal Pictures) Jordan Peele, Jason Blum, Ian Cooper & Sean McKittrick
WAVES (A24) Trey Edward Shults, Kevin Turen & James Wilson
Outstanding Actor
JIMMIE FAILS The Last Black Man in San Francisco (A24)
“DON’T TURN BACK” (THE APOLLO) Robert Glasper & Ledisi, performers
“GUARDING THE GATES” (QUEEN & SLIM) Lauryn Hill, performer
“IT’S NOT OVER” (BRIAN BANKS) Gizzle & Sam Fisher, performers
“SPIRIT” (THE LION KING) Beyonce Knowles-Carter, performer
Outstanding Independent Feature – Awarded to the Director & Producers
BURNING CANE (ARRAY) Phillip Youmans, director Ojo Akinlana, Wendell Pierce, Mose Mayer, Isaac Webb, Cassandra Youmans Jakob Johnson & Karen Kaia Livers, producers
CLEMENCY (Neon) Chinonye Chukwu, director Timur Bekbosunov, Julian Cautherley, Bronwyn Cornelius & Peter Wong, producers
GUAVA ISLAND (Amazon Studios) Hiro Murai, director Donald Glover, Carmen Cuba, Jennifer Roth & Fam Udeorji, producers
THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (A24) Joe Talbot, director/producer Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh & Khaliah Neal, producers
LUCE (Neon) Julius Onah, director/producer John Baker & Andrew Yang, producers
Outstanding Short Film
AMERICA Garrett Bradley, director
HAIR LOVE (Sony Pictures Releasing) Matthew A. Cherry, director
IT’S NOT ABOUT JIMMY KEENE Caleb Jaffe, director
SUICIDE BY SUNLIGHT Nikyatu Jusu, director
ZAHRA AND THE OIL MAN Yucef Mayes, director
Outstanding Independent Documentary
16 BARS Sam Bathrick, director
NO LYE: AN AMERICAN BEAUTY STORY Bayer Mack, director
THE REMIX: HIP HOP X FASHION Lisa Cortes & Farah Khalid, director
Outstanding Emerging Director
CHINONYE CHUKWU Clemency (Neon)
NIA DACOSTA Little Woods (Neon)
MATI DIOP Atlantics (Netflix)
MELINA MATSOUKAS Queen & Slim (Universal)
JULIUS ONAH Luce (Neon)
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male
TITUSS BURGESS Dolemite Is My Name (Netflix)
JIMMIE FAILS The Last Black Man in San Francisco (A24)
KELVIN HARRISON JR. Waves (A24)
ALDIS HODGE Clemency (Neon)
JONATHAN MAJORS The Last Black Man in San Francisco (A24)
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female
ABDOU BALDE Atlantics (Netflix)
SHAHADI WRIGHT JOSEPH Us (Universal Pictures)
DA’VINE JOY RANDOLPH Dolemite is My Name (Netflix)
TAYLOR RUSSELL Waves (A24)
JODIE TURNER-SMITH Queen & Slim (Universal)
Outstanding First Screenplay
ATLANTICS (Netflix) Mati Diop & Olivier Demangel
THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND (Netflix) Chiwetel Ejiofor
BURNING CANE (ARRAY) Phillip Youmans
CLEMENCY (Neon) Chinoye Chukwu
QUEEN & SLIM (Universal Pictures) Lena Waithe
Outstanding Cinematography
HARRIET (Focus Features) John Toll
THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (A24) Adam Newport-Berra
Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.
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.
Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013. 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.