'Selma', 'Dear White People' Lead 15th Annual Black Reel Awards Nominations

The Black Reel Awards, of which I am a voting member and is run by my good friend +Tim Gordon, have announced their nominees honoring the best in African-American cinema and TV for 2014. Leading the way with 10 nominations apiece were Ava DuVernay's stirring Martin Luther King Jr. biopic, Selma; along with Justin Simien's debut feature, the racial satire Dear White People. Both DuVernay and Simien were nominated for Outstanding Director, joined by Chris Rock for Top Five, Gina Prince-Bythewood for Beyond the Lights, and Amma Asante for Belle.

Besides the strong showings by Dear White People and Selma, the greatest individual honors belongs to breakout star Gugu Mbatha-Raw who must compete against herself in the Outstanding Actress category for her performances in Belle and Beyond the Lights. She's joined in the race by Tessa Thompson for Dear White People, Quvenzhane Wallis for Annie, and Top Five's Rosario Dawson. Chadwick Boseman enters the Outstanding Actor field once again, this time for his role as James Brown in Get On Up. Others in the category include Chris Rock for Top Five, Denzel Washington's brutal turn in The Equalizer, Nate Parker for Beyond the Lights, and David Oyelowo for Selma.

The full list of nominations is below. The Black Reel Awards will be announced on February 22nd.

Outstanding Motion Picture

• Belle | Damian Jones (Fox Searchlight)
• Beyond the Lights | Stephanie Allain, Amar’e Stoudamire, Reggie Rock Bythewood & Ryan Kavanaugh (Relativity Media)
• Dear White People | Justin Simien, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe, Ann Le, Effie Brown & Julia Lebedev (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
• Selma | Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner & Christian Colson (Paramount)
• Top Five | Scott Rudin & Eli Bush (Paramount)

Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture

• Chadwick Boseman | Get on Up (Universal Pictures)
• David Oyelowo | Selma (Paramount)
• Nate Parker | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
• Chris Rock | Top Five (Paramount)
• Denzel Washington | The Equalizer (Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture

• Rosario Dawson | Top Five (Paramount)
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Belle (Fox Searchlight)
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
• Tessa Thompson | Dear White People (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
• Quvenzhane Wallis | Annie (Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Motion Picture

• Nelsan Ellis | Get On Up (Universal)
• David Oyelowo | A Most Violent Year (A24)
• Tyler Perry | Gone Girl (20^th Century Fox)
• Wendell Pierce | Selma (Paramount)
• Michael K. Williams | The Gambler (Paramount)

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture

• Viola Davis | The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (The Weinstein Company)
• Carmen Ejogo | Selma (Paramount)
• Teyonah Parris | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)
• Zoe Saldana | Guardians of the Galaxy (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• Octavia Spencer | Snowpiercer (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Director, Motion Picture

• Amma Asante | Belle (Fox Searchlight)
• Gina Prince-Bythewood | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
• Ava DuVernay | Selma (Paramount)
• Chris Rock | Top Five (Paramount)
• Justin Simien | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)

Outstanding Screenplay (Original or Adapted), Motion Picture

• Gina Prince-Bythewood | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
• John Ridley | Jimi: All is by My Side (XLrator Media/ Open Road Films)
• Chris Rock | Top Five (Paramount)
• Misan Sagay | Belle (Fox Searchlight)
• Justin Simien | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)

Outstanding Documentary

• Anita: Speaking Truth to the Power | Freida Lee Mock (Samuel Goldwyn)
• I Am Ali | Clare Lewins (Focus World)
• Keep on Keepin’ On | Alan Hicks (Radius-TWC)
• Time is Illmatic | One9 (Tribeca Film)
• Virunga | Orlando von Einsiedel (Netflix)

Outstanding Ensemble (Awarded to Casting Directors)

• Belle | Toby Whale (Fox Searchlight)
• Dear White People | Kim Coleman (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
• Get On Up | Kerry Barden & Paul Schnee (Universal)
• Selma | Aisha Coley (Paramount)
• Top Five | Victoria Thomas (Paramount)

Outstanding Foreign Film

• Difret (Ethiopia)| Zeresenay Mehari  (Moving Turtle)
• The Double! (U.K.) | Richard Ayoade (Magnolia Films)
• Fishing Without Nets (Kenya) | Cutter Hodierne  (Drafthouse Films)
• Freedom Road (South Africa) | Shane Vermooten (Media Village Productions)
• Half of a Yellow Sun (Nigeria) | Biyi Bandele (Monterey Media)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male

• Brandon Bell | Dear White People (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
• David Gyasi | Interstellar (Paramount)
• Andre Holland | Selma (Paramount)
• Stephan James | Selma (Paramount)
• Tyler James Williams | Dear White People (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female

• Jillian Estell| Black or White (Relativity Media)
• Patina Miller | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 (Lionsgate)
• Teyonah Parris | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)
• Amber Stevens | 22 Jump Street (Columbia/ MGM)
• Kuoth Wiel | The Good Lie (Warner Bros.)

Outstanding Voice Performance

• Vin Diesel | Guardians of the Galaxy (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• Morgan Freeman | The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Maya Rudolph | Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• Zoe Saldana | The Book of Life (20^th Century Fox)
• Damon Wayans Jr. | Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

MUSIC

Outstanding Score

• Terence Blanchard | Black or White (Relativity Media)
• Kathryn Bostic | Dear White People (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
• Danny Bramson & Waddy Wachtel | Jimi: All is by My Side (XLrator Media/ Open Road Films)
• Mask Isham | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
• Jason Moran | Selma (Paramount)

Outstanding Original Song

• “It Ain’t Easy” from Top Five | Written & Performed by: Questlove & Elza Colby (Paramount)
• “It’s On Again” from The Amazing Spider-Man 2| Performed by: Alicia Keys & Kendrick Lamar; Written by: Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Hans Zimmer & Kendrick Lamar (Sony Pictures)
• “Glory” from Selma | Performed by: John Legend & Common; Written by: John Legend, Common & Che Smith (Paramount)
• “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights | Performed by: Rita Ora; Written by: Diane Warren (Relativity Media)
• “What is Love” from Rio 2 | Performed by: Janelle Monae; Written by: Janelle Monae, Nathaniel Irvin III and Roman Irvin (20^th Century Fox)

INDEPENDENT

Outstanding Independent Feature

• 1982 | Tommy Oliver
• Christmas Wedding Baby | Kiara C. Jones
• CRU | Alton Glass
• The Retrieval | Chris Eska (Variance Films)
• Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind | Richie Adams

Outstanding Independent Documentary

• 25 to Life | Mike Brown (AAFRM)
• Evolution of a Criminal | Darius Clark Monroe
• Let the Fire Burn | Jason Osder
• Oscar Micheaux: The Czar of Black Hollywood | Bayer Mack
• Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People | Thomas Allen Harris

Outstanding Independent Short

• #AmeriCan | Nate Parker
• Muted | Rachel Goldberg
• The Voodoo | Steven Alexander

TELEVISION

Outstanding Television Documentary or Special

• Finding the Funk | Nelson George (VH1)
• Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown | Alex Gibney (HBO)
• On the Run Tour: Jay-Z & Beyonce | Jonas Akerlund (HBO)
• The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip-Hop | Billy Corben & Alfred Spellman (VH1)
• Terror at the Mall | Dan Reed (HBO)

Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series

• A Day Late and a Dollar Short | Tom Leonardis, Jeffrey M. Hayes, Bill Haber & Whoopi Goldberg (Lifetime)
• Gun Hill | Daniel Hank (BET)
• Rosemary’s Baby | Zoe Saldana, Cisely Saldana, Mariel Saldana, Tom Patricia & Robert Bernacchi (NBC)
• Seasons of Love | Joshua A. Green, Asger Hussain & Yaron Schwartzman (Lifetime)
• The Trip to Bountiful | Bill Haber, Cicely Tyson, Hallie Foote & Jeff Hayes (Lifetime)

Outstanding Actor, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Charles S. Dutton | Comeback Dad (UP)
• David Alan Grier | An En Vogue Christmas (Lifetime)
• Ving Rhames | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Keith Robinson | Lyfe’s Journey (UP)
• Larenz Tate | Gun Hill (BET)

Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Whoopi Goldberg | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Imani Hakim | The Gabby Douglas Story (Lifetime)
• Letoya Luckett | Seasons of Love (Lifetime)
• Zoe Saldana | “Rosemary’s Baby” (NBC)
• Cicely Tyson | The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)

Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Richard T. Jones | Lyfe’s Journey (UP)
• Harry Lennix | The Fright Night Files (TVOne)
• Mekhi Phifer | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Blair Underwood | The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)
• Bokeem Woodbine | The Fright Night Files (TVOne)

Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Tichina Arnold | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Kimberly Elise | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Aisha Hinds | Gun Hill (BET)
• Anika Noni Rose | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Vanessa L. Williams | The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)

Outstanding Director, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Reggie Rock Bythewood | Gun Hill (BET)
• Stan Foster | My Other Mother (UP)
• Princess Monique | Seasons of Love (Lifetime)
• Russ Parr & R.L. Scott | The Fright Night Files (TVOne)
• Ryan Richmond | Lyfe’s Journey (UP)

Outstanding Writing, TV Movie or Mini-Series

• Reggie Rock Bythewood | Gun Hill (BET)
• Shernold Edwards | A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Dayna Lynne North | An En Vogue Christmas (Lifetime)
• Peres Owino & Sharon Brathwaite-Sanders | Seasons of Love (Lifetime)
• Kimberly Walker | Comeback Dad (UP)