Vision and Mission

FAAAF’S primary mission is to provide educational opportunities to the next generation of studio executives through its two-member programs, Reel Kids and the Producer’s Institute. It is the desire of the Foundation, now known as the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film, that our programs will help train the studio executives and filmmakers that will continue to shape the images of people of color well into the 21st century.

The Ceremony

Founded by Tim Gordon and Sabrina McNeal in 2000, the first annual Black Reel Awards presentation was held on February 16, 2000, online courtesy of Reel Images Magazine. Two years later, the third annual Black Reel Awards held its first live presentation at a private dinner function at the Cada Vez in Washington, DC, with an audience of about 150 people.

Twenty statuettes were awarded, honoring African American artists, directors, and other participants in the filmmaking industry, for their works in 2001.

The ceremony ran for 90 minutes. In subsequent years, the Black Reel Awards have largely been presented in the nation's capital, with the exception of one year when the awards were moved to New York.

The awards have been presented live several times: the fourth annual Black Reel Awards presentation was held at H2O on the Southwest waterfront in Washington, DC with an audience of about 200 people; the sixth annual Black Reel Awards presentation was held at the French Embassy with an audience of about 350 people, and the thirteenth annual Black Reel Awards presentation was held at the MIST Harlem with an audience of about 200 people.

Initially winners were announced online. Later, the live awards presentations would use a sealed envelope to reveal the name of each winner.

The winners of each category are announced on the night of the event during the live broadcast. The ceremony also showcases the best African-American performances as well as those from the African diaspora.

The website for the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film is http://faaaf.org/