Dreamgirls Reigns Supreme at the Eighth Annual Black Reel Awards

With just two weeks to go until the Academy Awards, nominees Forest Whitaker, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Hudson were honored today by The Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) in the group’s Eighth Annual Black Reel Awards.

Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks Musical Dreamgirls, which set a Black Reel Awards record with a stunning 11 nominations, was the winner in 6 categories, another Black Reel Awards record, tying it with Ray, Love and Basketball and The Corner. The vibrant, worldwide hit danced away with honors for Best Film, Best Supporting Actress, Best Breakthrough Performance, Best Original Score, Best Soundtrack and Best Song – Original or Adapted.

In one of the Black Reel Awards’ biggest developments, iconic director Spike Lee finally won his first award as he was named Best Director (Inside Man), after a record 12 nominations during the history of the awards.

Hudson was a 2-time winner for Best Supporting Actress and Best Breakthrough Performance, continuing to prove she has made the greatest film debut in the history of Hollywood with her stunning, show stopping performance as Effie White in Dreamgirls.

Following up his wins with the National Board of Review and the Washington, DC Area Film Critics, Hounsou was named Best Supporting Actor for his fiery, heartbreaking performance as a father trying to save his family and son in war torn Sierre Leone in Blood Diamond, while Forest Whitaker walked away with the Black Reel Awards’ Best Actor award for his equally frightening, comical and charismatic portrayal of infamous Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.

Meanwhile, HBO dominated the television category as its productions of Walkout and When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts took the Black Reel Awards for Best Television Film (Walkout), Best Actress (Alex Vega – Walkout), Best Supporting Actor (Michael Pena – Walkout), Best Television Director (Edward James Olmos – Walkout), and Best Television Documentary (When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts).

FAAAF also continued its dedication to the promotion of independent cinema honoring Traci Townsend – a film where one woman interviews her ex-boyfriends to find out why they never proposed marriage – as Best Independent Feature, and Snapshot – a story about a young woman who takes the photograph of a man who later is murdered – as Best Independent Mini Feature.

The Black Reel Awards were voted on by over 50 movie and television critics across the nation from January 8–19, 2007.

The Black Reel Awards are presented by the Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film, a nonprofit organization with a mission to target, identify and prepare candidates who will represent the next generation of filmmakers and potential film executives that will be able to provide a different sensibility to the stories currently told on screen.

FAAAF seeks to provide educational opportunities to this next generation of filmmakers and studio executives through two programs, Reel Kids and The Producer's Institute. Both programs will provide scholarships opportunities to minority junior high, high school and college graduate students who pursue a business career in the movie and television industries.

2007 Black Reel Awards Winners


Theatrical
Best Actor
Forrest Whitaker – The Last King of Scotland

Best Actress
Keke Palmer – Akeelah and the Bee

Best Supporting Actor
Djimon Hounsou – Blood Diamond

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls

Best Director
Spike Lee – Inside Man

Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted
Kriss Turner– Something New

Best Film
Dreamgirls/DreamWorks (Laurence Mark & David Geffen)

Best Breakthrough Performance
Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls

Best Original Score
Dreamgirls/Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas

Best Original Soundtrack
Dreamgirls /DreamWorks SKG

Best Song, Original or Adapted
And I'm Telling You – Dreamgirls (Henry Krieger/Tom Eyen)

Best Documentary
The Heart of the Game/Miramax


Independent
Best Independent Feature
Traci Townsend/Craig Ross, Jr.

Best Independent Documentary
Ithueng/Willie Ebersol

Best Independent Mini Feature
Snapshot/Kevin Coleman

Best Independent Mini Documentary
God Sleeps in Rwanda/Kimberlee Acquaro & Stacy Sherman


Television
Best Actor
Andre Braugher – Thief

Best Actress
Alex Vega – Walkout

Best Supporting Actor
Michael Pena – Walkout

Best Supporting Actress
Alfre Woodard – The Water is Wide

Best Television Director
Edward James Olmos – Walkout

Best Television Film
Walkout/Marcus De Leon, Ernie Contreras and Timothy J. Sexton

Best Television Documentary
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts/HBO