Black Reel Awards of 2019


The 19th Annual Black Reel Awards ceremony, presented by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film and honoring the best films of 2018, took place on February 7, 2019, at 8:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, FAAAF presented the Black Reel Awards in 23 categories.
Black Panther lead the nominations with a record-breaking 18 nominations followed by If Beale Street Could Talk and BlacKkKlansman with 14 and 11 nominations respectively.
This marks the first year that Outstanding achievements in Costume Design, Cinematography and Production Design were recognized by the voting academy.
The 3rd Annual Black Reel Awards for Television was presented by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film and honoring the best in television from June 1, 2018 - May 31, 2019, took place on August 1, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
When They See Us lead the nominations with a record-breaking 17 nominations including Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series. The limited series went on to win 7 awards including Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series. HBO's Insecure and NBC's This Is Us took home the awards for Outstanding Comedy and Drama Series respectively.

Black Reel Awards Film Winners and nominees

Winners are highlighted in bold.
Best FilmBest Director

  • Black Panther
  • * BlacKkKlansman
  • * Green Book
  • * If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Widows
  • Ryan Coogler – Black Panther
  • * Spike Lee – BlacKkKlansman
  • * Barry Jenkins – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Boots Riley – Sorry to Bother You
  • * Steve McQueen – Widows
    • Best ActorBest Actress
  • Chadwick Boseman – Black Panther
  • * Michael B. Jordan – Creed II
  • * John David Washington – BlacKkKlansman
  • * Keith Stanfield –Sorry to Bother You
  • * Stephan James – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • KiKi Layne – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Viola Davis– Widows
  • * Zoe Renee – Jinn
  • * Amandla Stenberg – The Hate U Give
  • * Regina Hall – Support the Girls
    • Best Supporting ActorBest Supporting Actress
  • Michael B. Jordan – Black Panther
  • * Russell Hornsby – The Hate U Give
  • * Daniel Kaluuya – Widows
  • * Mahershala Ali – Green Book
  • * Brian Tyree Henry – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Letitia Wright – Black Panther
  • * Danai Gurira – Black Panther
  • * Lupita Nyong'o – Black Panther
  • * Simone Missick – Jinn
    • Best Breakthrough Performance, MaleBest Breakthrough Performance, Female
  • Winston Duke – Black Panther
  • * John David Washington – BlacKkKlansman
  • * Donald Glover – '
  • * Brian Tyree Henry – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Daveed Diggs – Blindspotting
  • Letitia Wright – Black Panther
  • * Cynthia Erivo – Bad Times at the El Royale
  • * Laura Harrier – BlacKkKlansman
  • * KiKi Layne – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Zoe Renee – Jinn
    • Best EnsembleBest Screenplay, Adapted or Original
  • Sarah Finn – Black Panther
  • * Cindy Tolan – Sorry to Bother You
  • * Cindy Tolan – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Francine Maisler, Mickie Paskal & Jennifer Rudnicke – Widows
  • * Kim Coleman – BlacKkKlansman
  • Boots Riley – Sorry to Bother You
  • * Steve McQueen & Gillian Flynn – Widows
  • * Spike Lee, Kevin Willmott, Charlie Wachtel and David Rabinowitz – BlacKkKlansman
  • * Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole – Black Panther
  • * Barry Jenkins – If Beale Street Could Talk
    • Outstanding Feature DocumentaryOutstanding Independent Feature
  • Quincy – Alan Hicks & Rashida Jones
  • * Whitney – Kevin Macdonald
  • * Hale County This Morning, This Evening – RaMell Ross
  • * Minding the Gap –Bing Liu
  • * Amazing Grace – Sydney Pollack
  • Jinn – Nijla Mumin
  • * A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. – Qasim Basir
  • * Roxanne Roxanne – Michael Larnell
  • * Monsters and Men – Reinaldo Marcus Green
  • * Yardie – Idris Elba
    • Outstanding Short FilmOutstanding Independent Documentary
  • The Tale of Four – Gabourey Sidibe
  • * Jump – Kofi Siriboe
  • * WTFIMH: What the Fuck is Mental Health – Kofi Siriboe
  • * Hair Wolf – Mariama Diallo
  • * Funk Force – Desmond Levi Jackson
  • Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me – Samuel D. Pollard
  • * Basquiat: Rage to Riches – David Schulman
  • * Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart – Tracey Heather Strain
    • Outsanding Foreign Film/ World Cinema Motion PictureOutstanding Voice Performance
  • Lionheart – Genevieve Nnaji
  • * Green Days by the River – Michael Mooleedhar
  • * Where Hands Touch – Amma Asante
  • * Vaya – Akin Omotoso
  • * Rafiki – Wanuri Kahiu
  • Shameik Moore –
  • * Taraji P. Henson – Ralph Breaks the Internet
  • * Samuel L. Jackson – Incredibles 2
  • * Mahershala Ali – '
  • * Brian Tyree Henry – '
    • Best Emerging FilmmakerBest First Screenplay
  • Boots Riley – Sorry to Bother You
  • * Idris Elba – Yardie
  • * Rashida Jones – Quincy
  • * Nijla Mumin – Jinn
  • * Reinaldo Marcus Green – Monsters and Men
  • Boots Riley – Sorry to Bother You
  • * Daveed Diggs & Rafael Casal – Blindspotting
  • * Reinaldo Marcus Green – Monsters and Men
  • * Michael Larnell – Roxanne Roxanne
  • * Nijla Mumin – Jinn
    • Best Original or Adapted SongOutstanding Original Score
  • "All the Stars" from Black Panther – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
  • * "We Won’t Move" from The Hate U Give – Arlissa
  • * "Love Lies " from Love, Simon – Khalid & Normani
  • * "Pray for Me " from Black Panther – The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar
  • * "I’ll Fight" from RBG – Jennifer Hudson
  • Nicholas Britell – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Terence Blanchard – BlacKkKlansman
  • * Ludwig Göransson – Creed II
  • * Ludwig Göransson – Black Panther
  • * Dustin O’Halloran – The Hate U Give
    • Outstanding CinematographyOutstanding Costume Design
  • James Laxton – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Chayse Irvin– BlacKkKlansman
  • * Tobias A. Schliessler – A Wrinkle in Time
  • * Rachel Morrison – Black Panther
  • * Sean Bobbitt – Widows
  • Ruth E. Carter – Black Panther
  • * Marci Rodgers– BlacKkKlansman
  • * Caroline Eselin – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Deirdra Elizabeth Green – Sorry to Bother You
  • * Paco Delgado – A Wrinkle in Time
    • Outstanding Production Design-
  • Hannah Beachler – Black Panther'
  • * Marci Mudd – BlacKkKlansman
  • * Mark Friedberg – If Beale Street Could Talk
  • * Naomi Shohan – A Wrinkle in Time
  • * Tim Galvin – Green Book''
    		• -

    Summary of Film Awards and Nominations

    List of films with multiple nominations
    FilmWinsNominationsOutstanding Film Nominee/Winner
    Black Panther1017Winner
    If Beale Street Could Talk414Nominee
    BlacKkKlansman011Nominee
    Widows07Nominee
    Sorry to Bother You37
    Jinn16
    The Hate U Give04
    13
    Monsters and Men03
    Green Book03Nominee
    A Wrinkle in Time03
    Yardie03
    Roxanne Roxanne02
    Quincy 12
    Creed II02
    Blindspotting02

    Black Reel Awards for Television Winners and nominees

    Winners are highlighted in bold.
    Outstanding Drama SeriesOutstanding Actor, Drama Series

  • Billy Porter – Pose
  • * Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us
  • * Brandon Micheal Hall – God Friended Me
  • * Damson Idris – Snowfall
  • * Kofi Siriboe – Queen Sugar
    • Outstanding Actress, Drama SeriesOutstanding Supporting Actor, Drama Series
  • Rutina Wesley – Queen Sugar
  • * Dawn-Lyen Gardner – Queen Sugar
  • * Niecy Nash – Claws
  • * Angela Bassett –9-1-1
  • * Alfre Woodard – Luke Cage
  • Joe Morton – God Friended Me
  • * Nicholas L. Ashe – Queen Sugar
  • * Orlando Jones – American Gods
  • * Giancarlo Esposito – Better Call Saul
  • * Mustafa Shakir – Luke Cage
    • Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama SeriesOutstanding Directing, Drama Series
  • Susan Kelechi Watson – This Is Us
  • * Tina Lifford – Queen Sugar
  • * Lynn Whitfield – Greenleaf
  • * Karimah Westbrook – All American
  • * Indya Moore – Pose
  • "Don't Take My Sunshine Away" from This Is Us - George Tillman Jr. '
  • * "The Book of Apocalypse: Chapter Two: The Omega" from Black Lightning – Salim Akil '
  • * "A Rock, A River, A Tree" from Queen Sugar – DeMane Davis '
  • * "Love is the Message" from Pose – Janet Mock '
  • * "R&B" from This Is Us – Kevin Hooks '
    • Outstanding Writing, Drama SeriesOutstanding Guest Actor, Drama Series
  • "Our Little Island Girl" from This Is Us - Eboni Freeman '
  • * "Scream" from Claws – Maisha Closson '
  • * "Unfriended" from God Friended Me – Safia M. Dirie '
  • * "Love is the Message" from Pose – Janet Mock & Ryan Murphy '
  • * "R&B" from This Is Us – Kay Oyegun '
  • Rob Morgan – This Is Us
  • * Carl Lumbly – This Is Us
  • * Mahershala Ali – Room 104
  • * Ron Cephas Jones – Luke Cage
  • * Common – The Chi
    • Outstanding Guest Actress, Drama SeriesOutstanding Comedy Series
  • Phylicia Rashad – This Is Us
  • * Erika Alexander – Black Lightning
  • * Rutina Wesley – The Walking Dead
  • * Marla Gibbs – NCIS
  • * Cicely Tyson – How to Get Away With Murder
  • Insecure
  • * Black-ish
  • * Grown-ish
  • * On My Block
  • * She's Gotta Have It
    • Outstanding Actor, Comedy SeriesOutstanding Actress, Comedy Series
  • Don Cheadle – Black Monday
  • * Anthony Anderson – Black-ish
  • * Tracy Morgan – The Last O.G.
  • * Idris Elba –Turn Up Charlie
  • * Keegan-Michael Key – Friends from College
  • Issa Rae – Insecure
  • * Tracee Ellis Ross – Black-ish
  • * Tiffany Haddish – The Last O.G.
  • * DeWanda Wise – She's Gotta Have It
  • * Regina Hall – Black Monday
    • Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy SeriesOutstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy Series
  • Tituss Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
  • * Kenan Thompson – Saturday Night Live
  • * Laurence Fishburne – Black-ish
  • * Jay Ellis – Insecure
  • * Anthony Ramos – She's Gotta Have It
  • Jenifer Lewis – Black-ish
  • * Leslie Jones – Saturday Night Live
  • * Yvonne Orji – Insecure
  • * Natasha Rothwell - Insecure
  • * Marsai Martin - Black-ish
    • Outstanding Directing, Comedy SeriesOutstanding Writing, Comedy Series
  • "Black Like Us" from Black-ish - Salli Richardson '
  • * "High-Like" from Insecure – Millicent Shelton '
  • * "Ghost-Like" from Insecure – Regina King '
  • * "Purple Rain" from Black-ish – Charles Stone III '
  • * "Black History Month" from Black-ish – Tracee Ellis Ross '
  • "Black Like Us" from Black-ish - Peter Saji '
  • * "Relatively Grown Man" from Black-ish – Steven White '
  • * "Ghost-Like" from Insecure – Issa Rae & Natasha Rothwell '
  • * "Obsessed-Like" from Insecure – Prentice Penny '
  • * "#NationTime" from She's Gotta Have It – Radha Blank '
    • Outstanding Guest Actor, Comedy SeriesOutstanding Guest Actress, Comedy Series
  • Katt Williams – Black-ish
  • * Idris Elba – Saturday Night Live
  • * Ernie Hudson – Ballers
  • * Kenan Thompson – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
  • * RuPaul – Grace and Frankie
  • Anna Deavere Smith – Black-ish
  • * Rosie Perez – She's Gotta Have It
  • * Marla Gibbs – Rel
  • * Maya Rudolph – The Good Place
  • * Regina King – The Big Bang Theory
    • Outstanding TV Movie or Limited SeriesOutstanding Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series
  • When They See Us
  • * Native Son
  • * "The Bobby Brown Story"
  • * Luther
  • * True Detective
  • Jharrel Jerome – When They See Us
  • * Ashton Sanders – Native Son
  • * Mahershala Ali – True Detective
  • * Woody McClain – "The Bobby Brown Story"
  • * Idris Elba – Luther
    • Outstanding Actress, TV Movie/Limited SeriesOutstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie/Limited Series
  • Niecy Nash – When They See Us
  • * Aunjanue Ellis – When They See Us
  • * Michaela Coel – Black Earth Rising
  • * Emayatzy Corinealdi – The Red Line
  • * Alfre Woodard – Juanita
  • Michael K. Williams – When They See Us
  • * Asante Blackk – When They See Us
  • * Caleel Harris – When They See Us
  • * Marquis Rodriguez – When They See Us
  • * Michael Ealy – "Being Mary Jane: Becoming Pauletta"
    • Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie/Limited SeriesOutstanding Directing, TV Movie/Limited Series
  • Marsha Stephanie Blake – When They See Us
  • * Kylie Bunbury – When They See Us
  • * Isis King – When They See Us
  • * Carmen Ejogo – True Detective
  • * Marla Gibbs – '
  • When They See Us - Ava DuVernay '
  • * Juanita – Clark Johnson '
  • * Native Son – Rashid Johnson '
  • * "We All Must Care" from The Red Line – Victoria Mahoney '
  • * "The Bobby Brown Story" – Kiel Adrian Scott '
    • Outstanding Writing, TV Movie/Limited SeriesOutstanding TV Special or Documentary
  • "Part 1" from When They See Us - Ava DuVernay, Julian Breece & Attica Locke '
  • * "Part 2" from When They See Us – Ava DuVernay, Julian Breece & Attica Locke'
  • * "Part 3" from When They See Us – Ava DuVernay & Robin Swicord'
  • * "Part 4" from When They See Us – Ava DuVernay & Michael Starrbury '
  • * "The Bobby Brown Story" – Abdul Williams'
  • Surviving R. Kelly
  • * '
  • * HΘMΣCΘMING
  • * Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland
  • *
    • Outstanding Music -
  • Pose
  • * Insecure
  • * When They See Us
  • * Greenleaf
  • * ''Empire'
    		• -

    Summary of Television Awards and Nominations

    Series with multiple nominations
    FilmWinsNominationsOutstanding Series Nominee/Winner
    When They See Us717Winner
    Black-ish513Nominee
    This Is Us610Winner
    Insecure210Winner
    Queen Sugar16
    Pose26Nominee
    She's Gotta Have It05Nominee
    "The Bobby Brown Story"04Nominee
    Native Son03Nominee
    Saturday Night Live03
    True Detective03Nominee
    God Friended Me13
    Luke Cage03
    Claws03Nominee
    Black Lightning03Nominee
    Juanita02
    The Last O.G.02
    The Red Line02
    Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt12
    Luther02Nominee
    Greenleaf02
    All American02Nominee
    Black Monday12