The Woman King and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Lead 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards Nominations

Dec 15

The votes are in and the nominations for the 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards recognize royalty and excellence in another astounding year for Black cinema.

This year, two films tied for the throne of nomination royalty. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King, about the warrior women of the country of Dahomey, and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, about a superhero from the fictional African nation of Wakanda and a memorial to Chadwick Boseman, both claimed 14 nominations. Two other films joined the ranks of double-digit nominations: MGM’s Till and A24’s The Inspection.

Independent studio A24 flexed its muscle this year garnering 11 nominations across all categories. However, Amazon Studios landed a record 3 nominations in the Outstanding Independent Film category for Master, Nanny, and Emergency. Perennial powerhouse, Disney Studios nabbed the most nominations for a studio with 15.

The iconic Viola Davis landed her sixth Outstanding Actress nomination for her work in The Woman King, becoming the most recognized individual in the Actress category in Black Reel Award (Bolts) history. At the same time, Director Elegance Bratton made a strong case for himself with The Inspection. He received the most recognition for a single creative this year with four Bolt nominations. The number four is also key for another director, Gina Prince-Bythewood who grabbed her fourth Outstanding Director nomination, becoming the most recognized woman director in Black Reel Award history. Two of her previous films, The Secret Life of Bees and Love and Basketball resulted in wins.

Grammy and fashion icon, Rihanna scored two Bolt nominations in the Outstanding Original Song category for “Born Again” and “Lift Me Up”—both from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. For the first time in history, all the nominees in the Outstanding Original Song category were performed and, at least, partly written by women.

With an Outstanding Supporting Actor nomination for his work in Breaking, Michael K. Williams joined Chadwick Boseman and Gloria Foster as the third person to a receive posthumous acting nominations from the Black Reel Awards.

Who will plant their flag and lay their claim to these titles? Which royal or jack of all trades will become the latest to achieve Black Reel supremacy? Tune in to the Black Reel Awards ceremony presented in partnership with idobi radio on February 6, 2023.

Follow the 23rd Annual Black Reel TV Awards (Bolts TV) on Twitter and Instagram @BlackReelAwards and Facebook at TheBlackReelAwards.

BLACK REEL AWARD NOMINEES 2022

OUTSTANDING FILM
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER | KEVIN FEIGE & NATE MOORE, producers

DEVOTION | MOLLY SMITH, RACHEL SMITH, THAD LUCKINBILL & TRENT LUCKINBILL, producers
NOPE | JORDAN PEELE & IAN COOPER producers
TILL | KEITH BEAUCHAMP, BARBARA BROCCOLI, WHOOPI GOLDBERG, MICHAEL REILLY & THOMAS LEVIN, producers
THE WOMAN KING | MARIA BELLO, VIOLA DAVIS, CATHY SCHULMAN & JULIUS TENNON, producers

OUTSTANDING ACTOR

JOHN BOYEGA | BREAKING
STERLING K. BROWN | HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL.

LETITIA WRIGHT | BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR

ELEGANCE BRATTON | THE INSPECTION
GINA PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD | THE WOMAN KING

CHINONYE CHUKWU | TILL
RYAN COOGLER | BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

JORDAN PEELE | NOPE

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR

BRIAN TYREE HENRY | CAUSEWAY

MICHEAL WARD | EMPIRE OF LIGHT

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS | BREAKING

BOKEEM WOODBINE | THE INSPECTION
JEFFREY WRIGHT | THE BATMAN

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS

ANGELA BASSETT | BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER

THUSO MBEDU | THE WOMAN KING
JANELLE MONAE | GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

KEKE PALMER | NOPE
GABRIELLE UNION | THE INSPECTION

OUTSTANDING SCREENPLAY

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER | RYAN COOGLER & JOE ROBERT COLE, writers

HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL | SHANNON REIS, casting director

THE INSPECTION | KIM COLEMAN, casting director
TILL | KIM COLEMAN, casting director
THE WOMAN KING | AISHA COLEY, casting director

OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL FILM

NEPTUNE FROST (RWANDA) | SAUL WILLIAMS & ANISIA UZEYMAN, directors

OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL (FRANCE) | ELLIE FOUMBI, director
SAINT OMER (FRANCE) | ALICE DIOP, director

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

AFTERSHOCK | TONYA LEWIS LEE & PAULA EISELT, directors

DESCENDANT | MARGARET BROWN, director
IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU? | ELVIS MITCHELL, director

LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK & BLUES | SACHA JENKINS, director

GABRIELLE UNION | STRANGE WORLD

OUTSTANDING SCORE

ALICE | COMMON, composer
END OF THE ROAD | CRAIG DELEON, composer

NANNY | TANERÉLLE & BARTEK GLINIAK, composers

NOPE | MICHAEL ABELS, composer
THE WOMAN KING | TERENCE BLANCHARD, composer

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG
“BORN AGAIN” (BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER)
RIHANNA, performer; RIHANNA, THE-DREAM, LUDWIG GORANSSON & JAMES FAUNTLEROY, writers
“KEEP RISING” (THE WOMAN KING)
JESSY WILSON & ANGELIQUE KIDJO, performers; JESSY WILSON, ANGELIQUE KIDJO & JEREMY LUTITO, writers
“LIFT ME UP” (BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER)
RIHANNA, performer; RIHANNA, RYAN COOGLER, LUDWIG GORANSSON & TEMS, writers “PAPER AIRPLANES” (A JAZZMAN’S BLUES)
RUTH B., performer; RUTH B. & TERENCE BLANCHARD, writers
“STAND UP” (TILL)
JAZMINE SULLIVAN, performer; JAZMINE SULLIVAN & D’MILE, writers

OUTSTANDING SOUNDTRACK

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
A JAZZMAN’S BLUES
REMEMBER ME: THE MAHALIA JACKSON STORY

TILL
THE WOMAN KING

OUTSTANDING INDEPENDENT FILM

EMERGENCY | CAREY WILLIAMS, director
HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL. | ADAMMA EBO, director

THE INSPECTION | ELEGANCE BRATTON, director
MASTER | MARIAMA DIALLO, director
NANNY | NIKYATU JUSU, director

OUTSTANDING SHORT FILM

ANGOLA DO YOU HEAR US? VOICES FROM A PLANTATION PRISON | CINQUE NORTHERN, director
ELEGY: MY TWO MONTHS IN HARLEM | ANDRE LAMBERTSON, director

FANNIE | CHRISTINE SWANSON, director
NEW MOON | JEREMIE BALAIS, RAÚL DOMINGO & JEFFIG LEBARS, directors

NORTH STAR | P.J. PALMER, director

OUTSTANDING EMERGING DIRECTOR

ELEGANCE BRATTON | THE INSPECTION
ADAMMA EBO | HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL.

NIKYATU JUSU | NANNY
ELVIS MITCHELL | IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU?

CAREY WILLIAMS | EMERGENCY

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR

JALYN HALL | TILL
DARYL MCCORMACK | GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE

MASTER | MARIAMA DIALLO, writer
NANNY | NIKYATU JUSU, writer
ON THE COME UP | KAY OYEGUN, writer

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER | AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW, cinematographer

EMANCIPATION | ROBERT RICHARDSON, cinematographer
NOPE | HOYTE VAN HOYTEMA, cinematographer
TILL | BOBBY BUKOWSKI, cinematographer
THE WOMAN KING | POLLY MORGAN, cinematographer

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER | RUTH E. CARTER, costume designer

HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL. | LORRAINE COPPIN, costume designer

NANNY | CHARLESE ANTOINETTE JONES, costume designer
TILL | MARCI RODGERS, costume designer
THE WOMAN KING | GERSHA PHILLIPS, costume designer

OUTSTANDING EDITING

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER | MICHAEL P. SHAWVER, KELLEY DIXON & JENNIFER LAME, editors
WHITNEY HOUSTON: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY | DAYSHA BROADWAY, editor

LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK & BLUES | JASON POLLARD & ALMA HERRERA-PAZMINO, editors
THIRTEEN LIVES | JAMES D. WILCOX, editor
THE WOMAN KING | TERILYN A. SHROPSHIRE, editor

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER | HANNAH BEACHLER, production designer

DEVOTION | WYNN THOMAS, production designer
NOPE | RUTH DE JONG, production designer
TILL | CURT BEECH, production designer
THE WOMAN KING | AKIN MCKENZIE, production designer

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