Black Reel Awards Ceremony Rescheduled to January, And It Will Combine Film and TV Honors
Black Reel Awards
For the first time, the Black Reel Awards will combine its film and TV honors ceremonies with a temporary change due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The seventh annual Black Reel Television Awards ceremony was initially scheduled for August 14, 2023, but will now be combined with the Black Reel Awards on January 13, 2024.
Representatives for the Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in Film (FAAAF), which hosts the Black Reels, explained that temporarily rescheduling the summer celebration “gives the opportunity for the resolution of the strikes to occur and allow for the presence and participation of all the honorees.” Tim Gordon, the Black Reel Awards’ founder and executive director, stated regarding the honorees that, “The best part about recognizing excellence in anything is giving those who have done the work the opportunity to shine,” adding, “We felt announcing the winners on our site or in a press release would not appropriately honor the fantastic work of those in our entertainment community.”
The Black Reels, as determined by the voting membership of the FAAAF, is an annual awards ceremony that recognizes African Americans in the industry and the cinematic accomplishments of the African diaspora in the international television industry. The TV Awards debuted in 2015 as a component of the same celebration as the movie Awards and separated into a distinct event in August 2017.
Among the most nominated programs for the TV honors are the Peacock limited series The Best Man: The Final Chapters with 18 nominations, ABC’s Abbott Elementary with 16, and FX’s Atlanta and Hulu’s Swarm tied with eight. Atlanta creator Donald Glover leads the individual nominees with five nominations, with Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson following with three nominations (including one for guest hosting Saturday Night Live).
As the situation develops, the eighth annual Black Reel Television Awards are still planned for August 12, 2024.