The 25th annual Black Reel Awards have announced their nominations, celebrating African American contributions to cinema. Amazon MGM Studios’ Nickel Boys leads with an impressive 13 nominations, closely followed by Netflix’s The Piano Lesson, which secured 12. Both films are competing for Outstanding Film and Outstanding Director, with nods for RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys) and Malcolm Washington (The Piano Lesson).

Stars from the two films also shone brightly in the nominations. Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor from Nickel Boys received individual honors, while John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, and Ray Fisher from The Piano Lesson were similarly recognized.

Joining these two films in the Outstanding Film category are Challengers, Exhibiting Forgiveness, and Sing Sing. The Outstanding Director category includes Titus Kaphar (Exhibiting Forgiveness), Zoë Kravitz (Blink Twice), and Steve McQueen (Blitz).

Other standout nominees include Zendaya, celebrated as both actor and producer for Challengers, and Ellis-Taylor, who received two nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Performance category for Nickel Boys and Exhibiting Forgiveness. Brian Tyree Henry also earned dual nods for his performances in The Fire Inside and Transformers One.

The acting categories are packed with talent, including Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Regina King (Shirley), and Denzel Washington (Gladiator II). Breakthrough performers such as Elliot Heffernan (Blitz) and Jharrel Jerome (Unstoppable) are also in the spotlight.

Presented by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF), the Black Reel Awards honor achievements across 22 categories. The ceremony will stream live on February 10 on BlackReelAwards.com.

“As we commemorate 25 years, we are proud to highlight the transformative power of Black cinema,” said Tim Gordon, founder of the Black Reel Awards. “This year’s nominees represent not only excellence in storytelling but also groundbreaking achievements that push boundaries and elevate our culture.”

The full list of nominees is below:

OUTSTANDING FILM
“Challengers” | Luca Guadagnino, Rachel O’Connor, Amy Pascal & Zendaya, producers
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” | Stephanie Allain, Derek Cianfrance, Sean Cotton, Titus Kaphar & Jamie Patricof, producers
“Nickel Boys” | Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner & David Levin, producers
“The Piano Lesson” | Todd Black & Denzel Washington, producers
“Sing Sing” | Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar & Monique Walton, producers

OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE
Naomi Ackie | “Blink Twice”
Ryan Destiny | “The Fire Inside”
Colman Domingo | “Sing Sing”
Cynthia Erivo | “Wicked”
Andre Holland | “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
Marianne Jean-Baptiste | “Hard Truths”
Regina King | “Shirley”
John David Washington | “The Piano Lesson”
Kerry Washington | “The Six Triple Eight”
Zendaya | “Challengers”

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR
Titus Kaphar | “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
Zoë Kravitz | “Blink Twice”
Steve McQueen | “Blitz”
RaMell Ross | “Nickel Boys”
Malcolm Washington | “The Piano Lesson”

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Danielle Deadwyler | “The Piano Lesson”
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor | “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor | “Nickel Boys”
Brian Tyree Henry | “The Fire Inside”
Clarence Maclin | “Sing Sing”
Lashana Lynch | “Bob Marley: One Love”
Zoe Saldaña | “Emilia Pérez”
Jurnee Smollett | “We Grown Now”
Denzel Washington | “Gladiator II”
Brandon Wilson | “Nickel Boys”

OUTSTANDING SCREENPLAY
“Blitz” | Steve McQueen
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” | Titus Kaphar
“The Fire Inside” | Barry Jenkins
“Nickel Boys” | RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
“The Piano Lesson” | Malcolm Washington & Virgil Williams

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY (awarded to the director)
“Dahomey” | Mati Diop, director
“Daughters” | Angela Patton & Natalie Rae, directors
“Luther: Never Too Much” | Dawn Porter, director
“Piece by Piece” | Morgan Neville, director
“Seeking Mavis Beacon” | Jazmin Renée Jones, director

OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL FILM (awarded to the country)
“Bird” | United Kingdom
“Emilia Pérez” | France
“Hard Truths” | United Kingdom
“Old Righteous Blues” | South Africa
“Nine” | South Africa

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE (awarded to the casting director)
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” | Kim Coleman, casting director
“Hard Truths” | Nina Gold, casting director
“Nickel Boys” | Victoria Thomas, casting director
“The Piano Lesson” | Lindsay Graham & Mary Vernieu, casting directors
“Sing Sing” | Greg Kwedar, casting director

OUTSTANDING VOICE PERFORMANCE
Ayo Edebiri | “Inside Out 2”
Brian Tyree Henry | “Transformers One”
Dwayne Johnson | “Moana 2”
Lupita Nyong’o | “The Wild Robot”
Aaron Pierre | “Mufasa: The Lion King”

OUTSTANDING INDEPENDENT FILM(awarded to the director)
“Albany Road” | Christine Swanson, director
“Blink Twice” | Zoë Kravitz, director
“Hard Truths” | Mike Leigh, director
“I Saw the TV Glow” | Jane Schoenbrun, director
“We Grown Now” | Minhal Baig, director

OUTSTANDING SHORT FILM (awarded to the director)
“Chocolate With Sprinkles” | Huriyyah Muhammad, director
“Mosiah” | Jirard, director
“On a Sunday at Eleven” | Alicia K. Harris, director
“Self” | Searit Kahsay Huluf, director
“Will I See You Again?” | Michael Perez-Lindsey, director

OUTSTANDING SCORE (awarded to the composer)
“Blink Twice” | Chandra Dancy, composer
“Bob Marley: One Love” | Kris Bowers, composer
“The Fire Inside” | Tamar-kali, composer
“Saturday Night” | Jon Batiste, composer
“The Wild Robot” | Kris Bowers, composer

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG (awarded to the performers & writers)
“Bricks” from “Exhibiting Forgiveness” | Andra Day, performer; Cassandra Batie & Jherek Bischoff, writers
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez” | Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón & Camille, performers; Clément Ducol, Camille & Jacques Audiard, writers
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight” | H.E.R., performer; Dianne Warren, writer
“Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing” | Adrian Quesada & Abraham Alexander, performers; Adrian Quesada, Abraham Alexander & Brandon Marcel, writers
“Piece by Piece” from “Piece by Piece” | Pharrell Williams and Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers, performers; Pharrell Williams, writer

OUTSTANDING SOUNDTRACK
“Bob Marley: One Love” – Tuff Gong / Island
“Mufasa: The Lion King” – Walt Disney Records
“Piece by Piece” – Columbia / I AM Other
“Wicked” – Republic / Verve
“The Wild Robot” – Black Lot Music

OUTSTANDING EMERGING DIRECTOR
Titus Kaphar | “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
Zoë Kravitz | “Blink Twice”
RaMell Moss | “Nickel Boys”
Angela Patton | “Daughters”
Malcolm Washington | “The Piano Lesson”

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Naomi Ackie | “Blink Twice”
Ryan Destiny | “The Fire Inside”
Ray Fisher | “The Piano Lesson”
Elliot Heffernan | “Blitz”
Ethan Herisse | “Nickel Boys”
Blake Cameron James | “We Grown Now”
Jharrel Jerome | “Unstoppable”
Clarence Maclin | “Sing Sing”
Lamorne Morris | “Saturday Night”
Brandon Wilson | “Nickel Boys”

OUTSTANDING FIRST SCREENPLAY (awarded for the debut screenplay by a first-time writer)
“Blink Twice” | Zoë Kravitz
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” | Titus Kaphar
“Nickel Boys” | RaMell Moss
“Parallel” | Aldis & Edwin Hodge
“The Piano Lesson” | Malcolm Washington

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Ernest Cole: Lost and Found” | Wolfgang Held & Moses Tau, cinematographers
“Luther: Never Too Much” | Bryan Gentry, cinematographer
“Nickel Boys” | Jomo Fray, cinematographer
“Rez Ball” | Kira Kelly, cinematographer
“Suncoast” | Bruce Francis Cole, cinematographer

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
“The Book of Clarence” | Antoinette Messam, costume designer
“The Piano Lesson” | Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, costume designer
“Shirley” | Megan Coates, costume designer
“We Grown Now” | Courtney Wheeler, costume designer
“Wicked” | Paul Tazewell, costume designer

OUTSTANDING EDITING
“Daughters” | Adelina Bichis & Troy Lewis, editors
“Hard Truths” | Tania Reddin, editor
“Seeking Mavis Beacon” | Yeelen Nelson Cohen, Jon Fine & Jazmin Renée Jones, editors
“Twisters” | Terilyn A. Shropshire, editor
“We Grown Now” | Stephanie Filo, editor

OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING & MAKEUP
“Bob Marley: One Love” | Nadia Stacy & Carla Farmer
“The Book of Clarence” | Allison Lacour, Wayne Jolla Jr. & Yolanda Mercadel
“Nickel Boys” | Iganica Soto-Aguilar & Shandrea Williams
“The Piano Lesson” | Andrea ‘Mona’ Bowman & Para Shardé Malden
“Shirley” | Nakoya Yancey & Debi Young

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Nickel Boys” | Nora Mendis (production designer), Elizabeth Herberg (art director) & Monique Champagne (set decorator)
“Nine” | Gilbert Ekow Ampah (production designer) & Edmund Johnson (set decorator)
“The Piano Lesson” | David J. Bomba (production designer), Chardae Adams (art director) & Patrick Cassidy (set decorator)

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