Dee Rees' powerful debut feature, Pariah, led all with a whopping nine nominations as the Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) announced the field for the upcoming Black Reel Awards. The film has already been the recipient of great acclaim, having won the Excellence in Cinematography award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and Best Independent Film by the African-American Film Critics Association. It's star, Adepero Oduye, earned an Outstanding Actress nomination for her riveting performance, as well as Kim Wayans(yes, THAT Kim Wayans) gained one for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
The Help, this summer's hit dramedy on life in the Jim Crow south, was only a step behind with seven nominations. The suprise hit romantic comedy, Jumping the Broom, also earned seven nominations. In the competitive Outstanding Actor category, John Boyega was nominated for his debut performance in the UK sci-fi/horror, Attack the Block. British filmmaker Steve McQueen earned two nominations for his powerful sex addiction drama, Shame.
The Black Reel Awards winners will be announced in Washington, DC on February 10th. For the full list of nominees, see below....
Outstanding Actor
John Boyega – Attack the Block
Demián Bichir– A Better Life
Laz Alonso – Jumping the Broom
Oliver Litondo – The First Grader
Evan Ross – Mooz-Lum
Outstanding Actress
Viola Davis – The Help
Adepero Oduye – Pariah
Zoe Saldana – Columbiana
Nia Long – Mooz-Lum
Naomie Harris – The First Grader
Outstanding Supporting Actor
Anthony Mackie – The Adjustment Bureau
Don Cheadle – The Guard
Isiah Whitlock Jr. – Cedar Rapids
Laurence Fishburne – Contagion
Mike Epps – Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Supporting Actress
Octavia Spencer – The Help
Maya Rudolph – Bridesmaids
Kim Wayans – Pariah
Pernell Walker – Pariah
Angela Bassett – Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Screenplay, Original or Adapted
Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan – Shame
Qasim Bashir – Mooz-Lum
Dee Rees – Pariah
Ava DuVernay – I Will Follow
Elizabeth Hunter and Arlene Gibbs – Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Director
Steve McQueen – Shame
Dee Rees – Pariah
Qasim Bashir – Mooz-Lum
Ava DuVernay – I Will Follow
Salim Akil – Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Film
Pariah
Shame
The Help
Attack the Block
Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance
Octavia Spencer – The Help
Adepero Oduye – Pariah
John Boyega – Attack the Block
Kim Wayans – Pariah
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Larry Crowne
Outstanding Ensemble
Pariah
Attack the Block
The Help
Mooz-Lum
Fast Five
Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Original Song
The Living Proof – Mary J. Blige (The Help)
Walkin’ Blues – Cee-Lo Green featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Footloose)
Furiously Dangerous – Ludacris (Fast Five)
Fly Love – Jamie Foxx (Rio)
My Last Day Without You – Nicole Beharie (My Last Day Without You)
Outstanding Score
Harry Escott – Shame
Steven Price – Attack the Block
Misha Segal – Mooz-Lum
Thomas Newman – The Help
Alex Heffes – The First Grader
Outstanding Foreign Film
Attack the Block
The First Grader
Kinyarwanda
Life, Above All
Viva Riva!
Outstanding Feature Documentary
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey – Constance Marks
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest – Michael Rapaport
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 – Goran Olsson
The Undefeated – Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin
The Interrupters – Steve James
Outstanding Independent Feature Film
My Last Day Without You – Stefan C. Schaefer
The Tested – Russell Constanzo
Mamitas – Nicholas Ozeki
Besouro – João Daniel Tikhomiroff
Billy – Winston Washington Moxam
Outstanding Independent Short Film
Fig – Ryan Coogler
Wolf Call – Rob Underhill
Wake – Bree Newsome
The Abyss Boys – Jan-Hendrik Beetge
The Tombs – Jerry Lamonthe
Outstanding Independent Documentary
Infiltrating Hollywood: The Rise and Fall of the Spook Who Sat By the Door – Christine Acham and Clifford Ward
Gang Girl: A Mother’s Journey to Save Her Daughter – Valerie Goodloe
Brown Babies – Regina Griffin
Zero Percent – Tim Skousen
The Manuscripts of Timbuktu – Zola Maseko
Burn: The Evolution of An American City – Harold Jackson III
Outstanding Television or Mini-Series Performance, Male
Idris Elba – Luther
Laurence Fishburne – Thurgood
Samuel L. Jackson – The Sunset Limited
Eric Benet – Trinity Goodheart
Mykelti Williamson – Have A Little Faith
Outstanding Television or Mini-Series Performance, Female
Taraji P. Henson – Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story
Anika Noni Rose – Bag of Bones
Rosario Dawson – Five
Jenifer Lewis – Five
Tracee Ellis Ross – Five
Outstanding Television Documentary
Planet Rock: The Story of Hip Hop and the Crack Generation – VH1 (Richard Low and Martin Torgoff)
Pray the Devil Back to Hell – PBS (Gini Reticker)
The Fab Five – ESPN (Jason Hehir)
Black in Latin America – PBS (Henry Louis Gates)
The Latino List – HBO (Timothy Greenfield-Sanders)
Outstanding Television or Mini-Series Film
Thurgood – HBO (Michael Stevens)
Luther – BBC (Katie Swinden)
Five – Lifetime (Nellie Nugiel)
The Sunset Limited – HBO (Barbara A. Hall)
Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story – Lifetime (Harvey Kahn)
