Precious Leads the Way in 2009!

The heartrending story of a teenage girl’s fight to survive and find love is the front-runner as the Black Reel Awards announce their nominees for 2009. Precious becomes only the fourth film in Black Reel Award history to receive double digit nominations, a staggering 10 in all.

“What a special and magical journey for Precious,” said Tim Gordon, Executive Director and founder of the Black Reel Awards. “For a film that almost went straight-to-DVD to now be garnering major awards consideration is not only impressive but embodies the never-say-die attitude that has come to define our awards.”

Other front-runners include Disney’s The Princess and the Frog and the legal drama American Violet with seven and six nominations, respectively. Among those sharing the Best Film spotlight with Precious, American Violet and The Princess and the Frog is the inspirational high-school sports melodrama The Blindside (four nominations) and Clint Eastwood’s Nelson Mandela biopic Invictus.

Lee Daniels, who helmed Precious from the page to the screen is nominated for Best Director alongside Bill Duke for Not Easily Broken, Spike Lee for Passing Strange (four nominations), Scott Sanders for Black Dynamite and George Tillman, Jr. for Notorious (four nominations).

2009 represents a particularly strong crop of films, which the Black Reel Awards, celebrating its 10th anniversary, is proud to recognize. The nominees represent past Black Reel Award winners and current Oscar contenders, and constitute some of the finest performances of this or any year.

“We are thrilled to have had the privilege to champion the extraordinary artistry of the Black community over the last ten years. It has been very rewarding watching this small endeavor evolve and grow to become a well-respected vehicle that annually honors not only Black Hollywood’s elite but many new, exciting talents in front of and behind the camera,” said Gordon.

Further 2009 Black Reel Awards nominees follow:

Best Actor
Quinton Aaron – The Blind Side
Jamie Foxx – The Soloist
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Souléymane Sy Savané – Goodbye Solo
Denzel Washington – The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Best Actress,
Nicole Beharie – American Violet
Taraji P. Henson – I Can Do Bad All By Myself
Sophie Okonedo – Skin
Maya Rudolph – Away We Go
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious

Best Supporting Actor
Charles Dutton – American Violet
Chiwetel Ejiofor – 2012
Lenny Kravitz – Precious
Derek Luke – Madea Goes to Jail
Anthony Mackie – The Hurt Locker

Best Supporting Actress
Mariah Carey – Precious
Mo’Nique – Precious
Paula Patton – Precious
Zoe Saldana – Avatar
Alfre Woodard – American Violet

Best Breakthrough Performance
Quinton Aaron – The Blind Side
Nicole Beharie – American Violet
Souléymane Sy Savané – Goodbye Solo
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious
Jamal Woolard – Notorious

Best Ensemble
American Violet | Samuel Goldwyn
Notorious | Fox Searchlight
Passing Strange | Sundance Selects
Precious | Lionsgate
The Princess and the Frog | Walt Disney

Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted
Brian Bird – Not Easily Broken
Geoffrey Fletcher – Precious
John Lee Hancock – The Blind Side
Scott Sanders, Michael Jai White and Byron Minns – Black Dynamite
George Tillman Jr. – Notorious

Best Song, Original or Adapted
Almost There | The Princess and Frog (Anika Noni Rose)
Down in New Orleans | The Princess and the Frog (Anika Noni Rose)
I Can Do Bad | I Can Do Bad All By Myself (Mary J. Blige)
Keys (Marianna) | Passing Strange (Stew, de’dre Aziza and Daniel Breaker)
Never Knew I Needed | The Princess and the Frog (Ne-Yo)

Best Documentary
Good Hair | Roadside Attractions
Michael Jackson’s This Is It | Columbia
More Than a Game | Lionsgate
Passing Strange: The Movie | Sundance Selects
Tyson | Sony Pictures Classics

Best Voice Performance
Keith David – Coraline
Keith David – The Princess and the Frog
Delroy Lindo – Up
Anika Noni Rose – The Princess and the Frog
Forest Whitaker – Where the Wild Things Are

INDEPENDENT

Best Independent Feature
Blue | Ryan Miningham
Mississippi Damned | Tina Mabry
Sugar | Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden
The Tenant | Lucky Ejim
This is The Life | Ava Duvernay

Best Independent Mini Feature
Life on Earth | Jeffrey Keith
(Mis)leading Man | Morocco Omari
The Rowe Effect | Kiel Adrian Scott

Best Independent Documentary
Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness | Llewellyn Smith
Without Bias | Kirk Fraser
Still Bill | Alex Vlack & Damani Baker

The Black Reel Awards is comprised of 60 film critics from television, radio, print and the Internet. Voting was conducted from December 9-11, 2009. The winners will be announced on Friday, February 12, 2010.