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RaMell Ross’ Nickel Boys and Malcolm Washington’ The Piano Lesson dominated the nominations for the 25th Black Reel Awards with 13 and 12 noms, respectively. The films will square off in 10 categories including Outstanding Film, Director, Screenplay and Ensemble.

Titus Kaphar’s Exhibiting Forgiveness is next with nine nominations, followed by Zoë Kravitz’s Blink Twice with seven. See the full list spanning 22 categories below.

Winners will be honored during the silver anniversary ceremony held virtually on February 10 and streaming live on BlackReelAwards.com.

Related: 2024-25 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More

“As we commemorate 25 years, we are proud to highlight the transformative power of Black cinema,” Black Reel Awards Founder Tim Gordon said. “This year’s nominees represent not only excellence in storytelling but also groundbreaking achievements that push boundaries and elevate our culture.”

Presented by Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film, the Black...

As a broad spectrum of short films draw attention at film festivals and screening events, identifying frontrunners becomes increasingly difficult. Listed below are some of the noteworthy films that may win hardware during awards season, distinguishing themselves with exceptional artistry, festival recognition

or audience popularity.

Animated Shorts

“Self”

Written and directed by Searit Kahsay Huluf — one of Variety’s 2024 Animators to Watch — “Self” is the 11th film in Pixar’s SparksShorts series, a program designed to enable studio employees to develop their own short projects. Huluf ’s film combines CG and stop-motion animation to tell a story of self-discovery about a wooden doll that’s desperate to fit in with its peers. In addition to working with her Pixar colleagues, Huluf collaborated with Oscar-winning animation and VFX company Tippett Studio for help on the film’s stop-motion sequences, resulting in a unique blend of the two animation styles.

“In...

The creators behind Hollywood’s latest and upcoming animated projects, including “Inside Out 2,” “Transformers One” and more, were celebrated at Variety‘s 10 Animators to Watch. The event and cocktail reception, presented by Nickelodeon, were held at The Aster in Hollywood on July 10.

Variety Senior Awards Editor Clayton Davis kicked off the ceremony by introducing Josh Cooley, director of “Toy Story 4” and the upcoming “Transformers One,” who presented Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation President Ramsey Naito with the inaugural Executive Impact in Animation award.

“[Ramsey] understands the power of giving filmmakers the freedom to make creative decisions,” Cooley said. “Her no house style approach also allows creators to build distinct immersive visual worlds and allows us to take creative swings so we can all tell inspiring, meaningful and creative stories.”

Naito accepted her award and said she loves animation because of its unique challenges: limitless possibilities, the ability to...

Despite significant growth in both the subscriber base and the quality of its product, Disney+ recorded a substantial loss of $1.5 billion in the final quarter of last year, doubling that of its losses in the same period a year prior. While the streaming platform’s output is better than ever before, the company has already implemented steps to ensure losses aren’t as substantial this year, having raised the subscription price by $3 and promising more new and original content.

While the latter remains to be seen, February’s offering looks somewhat on the paltry side. From time to time, Disney+ can release some truly big-budget television and movies with some of the most expensive TV shows ever made. Over the past few years, the streamer has seen the premiere of The Mandalorian, a massive hit, Obi-Wan Kenobi, featuring the return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, along with Marvel shows and movies like Black Widow,...

A new image reveals a first look at Pixar's upcoming short film Self. The short is a hybrid of stop-motion and CGI animation, marking the studio's first venture into this style. The short film explores a wooden doll's journey of self-discovery and fitting in, reminiscent of Pinocchio. Self is part of Pixar's SparkShort series, featuring more mature themes, and will be followed by a lineup of new releases, the most anticipated of which is Inside Out 2 later this year.

Pixar has revealed a first look at their upcoming short film Self for Disney+, which utilizes a hybrid of stop-motion and CGI. While the animation company is best known for their popular theatrical releases like Toy Story and Up, they have also produced a series of short films in different animation styles. In recent years, many of these shorts have been released on Disney+.

Now, Pixar has unveiled a...

Exclusive: Outfest has unveiled their lineup for the 17th annual Outfest Fusion — or the more official title: Outfest 2020: Culture. Film. Music. Story. The fest will run March 6-10 and include screenings, performances, panels, galas, workshops, and world premieres in Los Angeles.

Outfest Fusion brings together one of the largest, inclusive and diverse cross-sections of the Lgbtq+ community and its allies. The fest is a space the next generation of storytellers and cultural ambassadors are discovered. This year, Outfest Fusion 2020 will feature more than 60 films, including 11 World Premieres, 4 North American Premieres, 12 West Coast Premieres, 13 Los Angeles Premieres and 1 International Premiere.

Films featured this year include El Principe (The Prince) directed by Sebastián Muñoz’s El Principe (The Prince) which won the Queer Lion at the 2019 Venice Film Festival. The fest will also feature the L.A. premiere of Andrew Ahn’s Driveways which stars Hong Chau and Golden...