The 2006 Black Movie Awards Red Carpet @ The Shrine Wiltern Theater October 15, 2006 Coverage and Photos by Candace Waller (www.candacewaller.com)

The Black image on film is an ever-present struggle that directors, producers, writers and actors have dealt with since the first motion picture images were projected onscreen. As far as African-Americans images have come from the overtly racist scenes portrayed in “Birth of a Nation”, careful examination of some of the most successful films with Black actors and actresses reveals that we may not have progressed very far at all nearly a certury later. Therefore, it is imperative that we as a community make a concerted effort to support positive Black films and filmmaking. And it is a mission that we at Highergroundonline are going to do our best to support. One of the most important yearly events honoring Black filmmaking is The Black Movie Awards, which took place on Sunday, October 15, 2006.

(The following information is taken from the Black Movie Awards Website www.blackmovieawards.com)

The Black Movie Awards was launched in 1997 as a celebration of Black cinema and the achievements of people of African descent in both Hollywood and the independent film community. It was first held as the culminating event of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), a five-day international film market and retreat, recognized as the premiere Black film festival in the United States (www.abff.com).

In years past, recognition of actors and filmmakers from the African diaspora at major award ceremonies has, at best, been limited. The BMAs, created by Jeff Friday, was envisioned as a vehicle to increase public awareness of the cinematic achievements of Black actors and filmmakers and encourage artistic diversity in Hollywood.

Quality films are universal; great stories and performances break through cultural barriers to entertain, challenge and inspire all audiences, regardless of race, religion or gender. The BMAs mission is to highlight the irrefutable global appeal of Black cinema and the people who personify it.

The first televised broadcast of the Black Movie Awards premiered on TNT October 19, 2005 and was hosted by Cedric "the Entertainer." Due to its success, 2006 marked the show's second TV broadcast, which aired October 18, 2006 on TNT. This year’s show was hosted by Tyler Perry (Madea’s Family Reunion, Diary of a Mad Black Woman).

The following is a complete list of nominations and winners (in bold).

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Presley Chweneyagae (as Tsotsi) – Tsotsi [Miramax Films]
Chiwetel Ejiofor (as Lola ) – Kinky Boots [Miramax Films]
Tyrese Gibson (as O2) – Waist Deep [Rogue Pictures (Focus)]
Cuba Gooding, Jr. (as Mikey) – Shadowboxer [Freestyle Releasing]
Denzel Washington (as Keith Frazier) – Inside Man [Universal Pictures]

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mos Def (as Eddie Bunker) – 16 Blocks [Warner Bros. Pictures]
Laurence Fishburne (as Dr. Larabee) – Akeelah & the Bee [Lionsgate]
Jamie Foxx (as Staff Sgt. Sykes) – Jarhead [Universal Pictures]
Hubert Koundé (as Arnold Bluhm) – The Constant Gardener [Focus Features]
Jeffrey Wright (as Bennett Holiday) – Syriana [Warner Bros. Pictures]

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Halle Berry (as Ororo Munro/Storm) – X-Men: The Last Stand [20th Century Fox]
Meagan Good (as Coco) – Waist Deep [Rogue Pictures (Focus)]
Sanaa Lathan (as Kenya McQueen) – Something New [Focus Features]
Queen Latifah (as Georgia Byrd) – Last Holiday [Paramount/Universal]
Keke Palmer (as Akeelah) – Akeelah & the Bee [Lionsgate]

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Angela Bassett (as Tanya Anderson) – Akeelah & the Bee [Lionsgate]
Rosario Dawson (as Mimi Marquez) – Rent [Sony Pictures]
Lauren London (as New New) – ATL [Warner Bros. Pictures]
Lynn Whitfield (as Victoria) – Madea’s Family Reunion[Lionsgate]
Alfre Woodard (as Joyce McQueen) – Something New [Focus Features]

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SCREENWRITING
Tina Gordon Chism – ATL [Warner Bros. Pictures]
Rob Hardy – The Gospel [Screen Gems]
Tyler Perry – Madea’s Family Reunion [Lionsgate]
Kriss Turner – Something New [Focus Features]
Norman Vance, Jr. – Roll Bounce [Fox Searchlight Pictures]

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Vondie Curtis-Hall – Waist Deep [Rogue Pictures (Focus)]
Malcolm D. Lee – Roll Bounce [Fox Searchlight Pictures]
Spike Lee – Inside Man [Universal Pictures]
Chris Robinson – ATL [Warner Bros. Pictures]
John Singleton – Four Brothers [Paramount Pictures]

OUTSTANDING MOTION PICTURE
Akeelah & the Bee (Producers: Laurence Fishburne, Nancy Hult Ganis, Sid Ganis, Danny Llewelyn, Michael Romersa) [Lionsgate]
ATL (Producers: Dallas Austin, Jody Gerson, James Lassiter, Will Smith, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins) [Warner Bros. Pictures]
Four Brothers (Producer: Lorenzo di Bonaventura) [Paramount Pictures]
Inside Man (Producer: Brian Grazer) [Universal Pictures]
Madea’s Family Reunion (Producers: Reuben Cannon, Tyler Perry) [Lionsgate]
Tsotsi (Producer: Peter Fudakowski) [Miramax Films]