The film industry has changed a lot over the past two decades — and so have the Black Reel Awards, founded in D.C. in 2000 to honor filmmakers from the African diaspora.
“I kept watching award shows … but I didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me who were getting awards,” Founder Tim Gordon told WTOP. “One day, I looked into the mirror and said, ‘Somebody’s gotta change this. Somebody’s gotta create a show,’ and I said, ‘I guess I am that somebody.’ Here we are 22 years later with one of our biggest shows.”
On Monday, a virtual ceremony crowned “King Richard” with the top prize of Outstanding Film as Will Smith won Outstanding Actor as the hard-driving father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, while co-star Aunjanue Ellis won Outstanding Supporting Actress.
“I saw what Will did over the weekend at the SAG Awards, so this is his march to his award,” Gordon said. “Will Smith has never won a Black Reel Award [before now]. … Denzel [Washington] famously beat Will in 2001 with ‘Training Day’ over ‘Ali.'”
Jeymes Samuel won both Outstanding Director and Outstanding Emerging Director for “The Harder They Fall,” which won the most awards with six, including Outstanding Ensemble, Score, Editing and Costume Design. The Netflix western entered with a record 20 nominations, breaking the previous record of 17 held by “Black Panther” (2018).
“‘Much like ‘Black Panther,’ which record it destroyed … the film has to be really good, which it was, a wonderful cast, which helps a lot when you have a huge ensemble of really big names,” Gordon said. “People of color or Black people seeing themselves in ways that traditionally they don’t — an all-African American western based on real individuals.”
Tessa Thompson won Outstanding Actress for “Passing,” which received 13 nominations for its tale of a Black woman (Ruth Negga) passing as white in 1920s New York City. Filmmaker Rebecca Hall won Outstanding Screenplay and Outstanding First Screenplay.
“It was a movie that resonated with me, but I knew it was slowly-paced and I didn’t know if it would catch on with people; the fact that our voting academy gave it 13 nominations, a lot of them felt the same way I did,” Gordon said. “Rebecca Hall’s story mirrors her own personal tale. … Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson were really, really great in this film.”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth” won Outstanding Cinematography and Production Design, but it was the rare year that lead actor Denzel Washington didn’t add to his overall tally.
“Denzel Washington by far is the most celebrated actor in Black Reel Awards history,” Gordon said. “He’s a seven-time winner, including a five-time Outstanding Actor winner.”
Colman Domingo won Outstanding Supporting Actor for “Zola,” which also won Outstanding Independent Film for its breakthrough filmmaker Janicza Bravo.
The awards for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance (Male and Female) went to Anthony Ramos for “In the Heights” and Ariana DeBose for “West Side Story.”
Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” won Outstanding Documentary.
Meanwhile, Laurence Fishburne received the Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award, Halle Berry and Nate Moore received the Vanguard Awards, Suzanne De Passe received the Oscar Micheaux Memorial Award, and Chaz Ebert received the Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award.
How far has Hollywood come in becoming inclusive in recent years?
“From 2014 to now, it has steadily picked up,” Gordon said. “I’m just glad that we now have spaces for filmmakers and Black creatives to not just tell their stories but on some of the biggest stages. You think about the Ava DuVernays, Barry Jenkins, Ryan Cooglers, Spike Lees. … I’m happy with the direction we’re going, but we’ve still got a long way to go.”
Listen to our full conversation (conducted just hours before the ceremony).
