Winners
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Winners *
25th Annual Black Reel Awards
25th Annual Black Reel Awards | Celebrating the Best in Black Cinema
Get ready for an unforgettable night honoring excellence in Black film at the 2025 Black Reel Awards! Join us as we celebrate the year’s finest achievements, from powerful performances to visionary storytelling.
This year’s top contenders are:
Nickel Boys – Leading the pack with 13 nominations, including Outstanding Film, Director, and Supporting Performance.
The Piano Lesson – A close second with 12 nominations, showcasing outstanding performances and direction.
Exhibiting Forgiveness – With 9 nominations, this moving story captivates with its emotional depth.
Blink Twice – Securing 7 nominations with a thrilling narrative and brilliant ensemble.
Sing Sing – With 6 nominations, this film highlights resilience and hope behind bars.
We Grown Now – Earning 5 nominations for its heartfelt depiction of friendship and coming of age.
Plus, we’ll spotlight this year’s biggest stars, breakthrough talents, and creative visionaries, celebrating the impact of Black storytelling on the global stage. Use #BlackReelAwards #bolts25 #reellegacy25 to join the conversation on social media! Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss a moment of this star-studded celebration!
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Outstanding Film
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CHALLENGERS
Luca Guadagnino, Rachel O’Connor, Amy Pascal & Zendaya, producers
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EXHIBITING FORGIVENESS
Stephanie Allain, Derek Cianfrance, Sean Cotton, Titus Kaphar & Jamie Patricof, producers
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NICKEL BOYS
Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner & David Levin, producers (winners)
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THE PIANO LESSON
Todd Black & Denzel Washington, producers
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SING SING
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar & Monique Walton, producers
Outstanding Lead Performance
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NAOMI ACKIE
Blink Twice
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RYAN DESTINY
The Fire Inside
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COLMAN DOMINGO
Sing Sing
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ANDRE HOLLAND
Exhibiting Forgiveness
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MARIANNE JEAN-BAPTISTE
Hard Truths (winner)
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REGINA KING
Shirley
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JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON
The Piano Lesson
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KERRY WASHINGTON
The Six Triple Eight
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ZENDAYA
Challengers
Outstanding Director
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TITUS KAPHAR
Exhibiting Forgiveness
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ZOE KRAVITZ
Blink Twice
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STEVE MCQUEEN
Blitz
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RAMELL ROSS
Nickel Boys (winner)
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MALCOLM WASHINGTON
The Piano Lesson
Outstanding Supporting Performance
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DANIELLE DEADWYLER
The Piano Lesson (winner)
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AUNJANUE ELLIS-TAYLOR
Exhibiting Forgiveness
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AUNJANUE ELLIS-TAYLOR
Nickel Boys
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BRIAN TYREE HENRY
The Fire Inside
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CLARENCE MACLIN
Sing Sing
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LASHANA LYNCH
Bob Marley: One Love
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ZOE SALDANA
Emilia Perez
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JURNEE SMOLLETT
We Grown Now
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DENZEL WASHINGTON
Gladiator II
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BRANDON WILSON
Nickel Boys
Outstanding Screenplay
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BLITZ
Steve McQueen
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EXHIBITING FORGIVENESS
Titus Kaphar
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THE FIRE INSIDE
Barry Jenkins
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NICKEL BOYS
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
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THE PIANO LESSON
Malcolm Washington & Virgil Williams
Outstanding Documentary
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DAHOMEY
Mati Diop, director
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DAUGHTERS
Angela Patton & Natalie Rae, directors
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LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH
Dawn Porter, director (winner)
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PIECE BY PIECE
Morgan Neville, director
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SEEKING MAVIS BEACON
Jazmin Renée Jones, director
Outstanding International Film
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BIRD
United Kingdom
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EMILIA PEREZ
France
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HARD TRUTHS
United Kingdom (winner)
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OLD RIGHTEOUS BLUES
South Africa
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NINE
South Africa
Outstanding Ensemble
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EXHIBITING FORGIVENESS
Kim Coleman, casting director
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HARD TRUTHS
Nina Gold, casting director
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NICKEL BOYS
Victoria Thomas, director
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THE PIANO LESSON
Lindsay Graham & Mary Vernieu, casting directors (winner)
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SING SING
Greg Kwedar, casting director
Outstanding Voice Performance
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AYO EDEBIRI
Inside Out 2
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BRIAN TYREE HENRY
Transformers One
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DWAYNE JOHNSON
Moana 2
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LUPITA NYONG'O
The Wild Robot (winner)
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AARON PIERRE
Mufasa: The Lion King
Outstanding Independent Film
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ALBANY ROAD
Christine Swanson, director
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BLINK TWICE
Zoë Kravitz, director
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HARD TRUTHS
Mike Leigh, director
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I SAW THE TV GLOW
Jane Schoenbrun, director
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WE GROWN NOW
Minhal Baig, director (winner)
Outstanding Short Film
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CHOCOLATE WITH SPRINKLES
Huriyyah Muhammad, director (winner)
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MOSIAH
Jirard, director
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ON A SUNDAY AT ELEVEN
Alicia K. Harris, director
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SELF
Searit Kahsay Huluf, director
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WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN?
Michael Perez-Lindsey, director
Outstanding Score
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BLINK TWICE
Chanda Dancy, composer
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BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE
Kris Bowers, composer
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THE FIRE INSIDE
Tamar-kali, composer
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SATURDAY NIGHT
Jon Batiste, composer
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THE WILD ROBOT
Kris Bowers, composer (winner)
Outstanding Original Song
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"BRICKS"
(Exhibiting Forgiveness)
Andra Day, performer; Cassandra Batie & Jherek Bischoff, writers
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"EL MAL"
(Emilia Pérez)
Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón & Camille, performers; Clément Ducol, Camille & Jacques Audiard, writers
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"THE JOURNEY"
(The Six Triple Eight)
H.E.R., performer; Diane Warren, writer (winner)
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"LIKE A BIRD"
(Sing Sing)
Adrian Quesada & Abraham Alexander, performers; Adrian Quesada, Abraham Alexander & Brandon Marcel, writers
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"PIECE BY PIECE"
(Piece by Piece)
Pharrell Williams and Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers, performers; Pharrell Williams, writer
Outstanding Soundtrack
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BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE
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MUFASA: THE LION KING
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PIECE BY PIECE
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WICKED
Winner
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THE WILD ROBOT
Outstanding Emerging Director
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TITUS KAPHAR
Exhibiting Forgiveness
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ZOE KRAVITZ
Blink Twice
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RAMELL ROSS
Nickel Boys (winner)
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ANGELA PATTON
Daughters
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MALCOLM WASHINGTON
The Piano Lesson
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance
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NAOMI ACKIE
Blink Twice
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RYAN DESTINY
The Fire Inside
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RAY FISHER
The Piano Lesson
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ELLIOT HEFFERNAN
Blitz
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ETHAN HERISSE
Nickel Boys
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JHARREL JEROME
Unstoppable
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BLAKE CAMERON JONES
We Grown Now
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CLARENCE MACLIN
Sing Sing (winner)
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LAMORNE MORRIS
Saturday Night
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BRANDON WILSON
Nickel Boys
Outstanding First Screenplay
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ZOE KRAVITZ
Blink Twice
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TITUS KAPHAR
Exhibiting Forgiveness
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RAMELL ROSS
Nickel Boys (winner)
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ALDIS HODGE & EDWIN HODGE
Parallel
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MALCOLM WASHINGTON
The Piano Lesson
Outstanding Cinematography
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ERNEST COLE: LOST AND FOUND
Wolfgang Held & Moses Tau, cinematographers
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LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH
Bryan Gentry, cinematographer
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NICKEL BOYS
Jomo Fray, cinematographer (winner)
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REZ BALL
Kira Kelly, cinematographer
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SUNCOAST
Bruce Francis Cole, cinematographer
Outstanding Costume Design
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THE BOOK OF CLARENCE
Antoinette Messam, costume designer
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THE PIANO LESSON
Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, costume designer
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SHIRLEY
Megan Coates, costume designer
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WE GROWN NOW
Courtney Wheeler, costume designer
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WICKED
Paul Tazewell, costume designer (winner)
Outstanding Editing
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DAUGHTERS
Adelina Bichis & Troy Lewis, editors
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HARD TRUTHS
Tania Reddin, editor
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SEEKING MAVIS BEACON
Yeelen Cohen, Jon Fine & Jazmin Jones, editors
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TWISTERS
Terilyn A. Shropshire, editor
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WE GROWN NOW
Stephanie Filo, editor (winner)
Outstanding Hairstyling & Makeup
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BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE
Nadia Stacy & Carla Farmer
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THE BOOK OF CLARENCE
Matiki Anoff, Nakoya Yancey & Wayne Jolla Jr.
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NICKEL BOYS
Iganica Soto-Aguilar & Shandrea Williams
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THE PIANO LESSON
Andrea 'Mona' Bowman & Para Shardé Malden (winners)
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SHIRLEY
Nakoya Yancey & Debi Young
Outstanding Production Design
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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, Chardae Adams & Patrick Cassidy (winners)