"While the Black Reel Awards were officially launched in 2000, the seed for awards were planted several years earlier. In 1993, the precursor for the Black Reels, The Oscar Micheaux Awards, were conducted by Tim Gordon in the film newsletter The Renaissance Review. Comprised of six categories, the big winner that year was Malcolm X, which took home five awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Denzel Washington, Best Supporting Actor for Delroy Lindo, Best Supporting Actress for Angela Bassett, and Best Director for Spike Lee.
It would take seven years, but Gordon fulfilled a dream to create an awards vehicle to celebrate and honor Black film achievement. Over the past [20] years, the Black Reel Awards have nominated over a thousand films and performances and awarded close to 200 awards of the best, annually."
