Great Movies
RogerEbert.com Publisher Chaz Ebert has been selected by the Black Reel Awards to receive the Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award for her accomplishments as a film producer and businesswoman, building on the legacy of Roger Ebert through this website as well as an important voice for diversity and change in the film industry. In 2021, Ms. Ebert was a producer of one of the most acclaimed films of the year, “Passing,” based on the novel by Nella Larsen, written and directed by Rebecca Hall, and starring Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, and André Holland. Tim Gordon, Black Reel Awards founder and CEO, said, “Chaz Ebert, this year's Honorary Recipient of the Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award, embodies many of the qualities of the late activist with her work as both a film producer and businesswoman. Ms. Ebert's journey has been one of quiet resiliency and achievement as she has been an ambassador for the legacy of her husband's work and simultaneously forged a path uniquely her own."
"I'm inspired and honored to have witnessed the evolution and explosion of Black film talent, above and below the line during this era of The Black Reel Awards," Gordon continued. "Our goal remains the same as it was at our inception, to create a space and give voice to African-Americans and those of African descent who are so instrumental in shifting our culture."
For 22 years, The Black Reel Awards has recognized the excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora within the global film industry, spotlighting established and emerging talent above and below the line. Filmmakers Barry Jenkins, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, and Matthew Cherry received some of their first awards recognition from the Black Reel Awards.
Other 2022 awardees include Vanguard Award winners Halle Berry for her tireless and inspiring work in the film community and Nate Moore, Vice President of Production and Development for Marvel Studios for his contributions to and promotion of diversity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Actor, producer and twelve-time Black Reel Award nominee Laurence Fishburne will receive the Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award and producer Suzanne De Passe will receive the Oscar Micheaux Memorial Award.
The 22nd annual Black Reel Awards will be streaming on February 28, 2022, at 8pm EST/5pm PST. Presenters include Colman Domingo, Patina Miller, and Robin Thede. idobi Network, the go-to alternative-music platform, continues their support of excellence and the spirit of rebellion intrinsic to game-changing artists as the first presenting sponsor of The Black Reel Awards.
Nell Minow reviews movies and DVDs each week as The Movie Mom online and on radio stations across the US. She is the author of The Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies and 101 Must-See Movie Moments.
