# Black Reel Awards of 2015

The 2015 Black Reel Awards, which annually recognize and celebrate the achievements of black people in feature, independent and television films, were announced on Thursday, February 19, 2015. Dear White People and Selma lead all films with ten nominations apiece.
Selma was the big winner of the night winning eight awards including Outstanding Picture, Director (Ava DuVernay) and Actor (David Oyelowo). The Trip to Bountiful and Gun Hill took home three awards followed by Dear White People with two wins.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.
| Best Film | Best Director |
| Selma Belle Beyond the Lights Dear White People Top Five | Ava DuVernay – Selma Amma Asante – Belle Gina Prince-Bythewood – Beyond the Lights Chris Rock – Top Five Justin Simien – Dear White People |
| Best Actor | Best Actress |
| David Oyelowo – Selma Chadwick Boseman – Get On Up Nate Parker – Beyond the Lights Chris Rock – Top Five Denzel Washington – The Equalizer | Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Belle Rosario Dawson – Top Five Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Beyond the Lights Tessa Thompson – Dear White People Quvenzhané Wallis – Annie |
| Best Supporting Actor | Best Supporting Actress |
| Wendell Pierce – Selma Nelsan Ellis – Get On Up David Oyelowo – A Most Violent Year Tyler Perry – Gone Girl Michael K. Williams – The Gambler | Carmen Ejogo – Selma Viola Davis – The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby Teyonah Parris – Dear White People Zoe Saldana – Guardians of the Galaxy Octavia Spencer – Snowpiercer |
| Best Breakthrough Performance, Male | Best Breakthrough Performance, Female |
| Tyler James Williams – Dear White People Brandon Bell – Dear White People David Gyasi – Interstellar Andre Holland – Selma Stephan James – Selma | Teyonah Parris – Dear White People Jillian Estell – Black or White Patina Miller – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 Amber Stevens – 22 Jump Street Kuoth Wiel – The Good Lie |
| Best Ensemble (Awarded to Casting Directors) | Best Screenplay, Adapted or Original |
| Aisha Coley – Selma Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee – Get On Up Kim Coleman – Dear White People Victoria Thomas – Top Five Toby Whale – Belle | Chris Rock – Top Five Gina Prince-Bythewood – Beyond the Lights John Ridley – Jimi: All Is by My Side Misan Sagay – Belle Justin Simien – Dear White People |
| Best Feature Documentary | Best Voice Performance |
| Anita: Speaking Truth to the Power – Freida Lee Mock I Am Ali – Clare Lewins Keep On Keepin' On – Alan Hicks Nas: Time Is Illmatic – One9 Virunga – Orlando von Einsiedel | Morgan Freeman – The Lego Movie Vin Diesel – Guardians of the Galaxy Maya Rudolph – Big Hero 6 Zoe Saldana – The Book of Life Damon Wayans Jr. – Big Hero 6 |
| Best Independent Feature | Best Independent Documentary |
| The Retrieval – Chris Eska 1982 – Tommy Oliver Christmas Wedding Baby – Kiara C. Jones CRU – Alton Glass Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind – Richie Adams | 25 to Life – Mike Brown Evolution of a Criminal – Darius Clark Monroe Oscar Micheaux: The Czar of Black Hollywood – Bayer Mack Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People – Thomas Allen Harris |
| Best Independent Short | Best Foreign Film |
| #AmeriCan – Nate Parker Muted – Rachel Goldberg The Voodoo – Steven Alexander | Fishing Without Nets (Kenya) – Cutter Hodierne Difret (Ethiopia) – Zeresenay Mehari The Double! (U.K.) – Richard Ayoade Freedom Road (South Africa) – Shane Vermooten Half of a Yellow Sun (Nigeria) – Biyi Bandele |
| Best Original or Adapted Song | Outstanding Original Score |
| "Glory" from Selma – Performed by John Legend and Common "It Ain't Easy" from Top Five – Performed by Questlove and Eliza Colby "It's On Again" from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Performed by Alicia Keys and Kendrick Lamar "Grateful" from Beyond the Lights – Performed by Rita Ora "What is Love" from Rio 2 – Performed by Janelle Monáe | Jason Moran – Selma Terence Blanchard – Black or White Kathryn Bostic – Dear White People Danny Bramson and Waddy Wachtel – Jimi: All Is by My Side Mark Isham – Beyond the Lights |
| Best Television Miniseries or Movie | Outstanding Director in a Television Miniseries or Movie |
| The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime) – Bill Haber and Jeff Hayes A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime) – Jeffrey M. Hayes Gun Hill (BET) – Reggie Rock Bythewood Rosemary's Baby (NBC) – Zoe Saldana, Tom Patricia and Robert Bernacchi Seasons of Love (Lifetime) – Joshua A. Green and Yaron Schwartzman | Reggie Rock Bythewood – Gun Hill (BET) Sharon Brathwaite-Sanders and Peres Owino – Seasons of Love (Lifetime) Shernold Edwards – A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime) Dayna Lynne North – An En Vogue Christmas (Lifetime) Kimberly Walker – Comeback Dad (UP) |
| Best Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series | Best Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series |
| Larenz Tate – Gun Hill (BET) Charles S. Dutton – Comeback Dad (UP) David Alan Grier – An En Vogue Christmas (Lifetime) Ving Rhames – A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime) Keith Robinson – Lyfe's Journey (UP) | Cicely Tyson – The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime) Whoopi Goldberg – A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime) Imani Hakim – The Gabby Douglas Story (Lifetime) LeToya Luckett – Seasons of Love (Lifetime) Zoe Saldana – Rosemary's Baby (NBC) |
| Best Supporting Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series | Best Supporting Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series |
| Blair Underwood – The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime) Richard T. Jones – Lyfe's Journey (UP) Harry Lennix – The Fright Night Files (TVOne) Mekhi Phifer – A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime) Bokeem Woodbine – The Fright Night Files (TVOne) | Anika Noni Rose – A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime) Tichina Arnold – A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime) Kimberly Elise – A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime) Aisha Hinds – Gun Hill (BET) Vanessa L. Williams – The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime) |
| Outstanding Screenplay in a TV Movie or Limited Series | Best Television Documentary or Special |
| Reggie Rock Bythewood – Gun Hill (BET) Stan Foster – My Other Mother (UP) Princess Monique – Seasons of Love (Lifetime) Russ Parr and R.L. Scott – The Fright Night Files (TVOne) Ryan Richmond – Lyfe's Journey (UP) | Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown (HBO) – Alex Gibney Finding the Funk (VH1) – Nelson George On the Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay-Z (HBO) – Jonas Åkerlund The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip-Hop (VH1) – Billy Corben Terror at the Mall (HBO) – Dan Reed |