Precursor: 54th NAACP Image Awards Nominations (2022)

While it’s to be expected that not everyone wishes to punish Will Smith for his actions at the Oscars last year, it still seems a bit tacky to recognize him given the situation. Regardless, his film didn’t do that well in the nominations, so I suppose that’s a small comfort. I’m not surprised that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Till, and The Woman King did well, but I am surprised that Nope didn’t do better and that a film that was on no one’s radar called A Jazzman’s Blues managed to top it.

Nominations Tallies

(12) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(9) The Woman King
(7) Till
(5) Emancipation
(4) A Jazzman’s Blues
(3) Alice, Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story, Wendell & Wild

The Nominations

Best Motion Picture

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Emancipation
A Jazzman’s Blues
Till
The Woman King

Best Animated Picture

DC League of Super-Pets
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Turning Red
Wendell & Wild

Best Directing

Ryan Coogler – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Chinonye Chukwu – Till
Antoine Fuqua – Emancipation
Kasi Lemmons – I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Gina Prince-Bythewood – The Woman King

Best Actor

Joshua Boone – A Jazzman’s Blues
Sterling K. Brown – Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
Daniel Kaluuya – Nope
Jonathan Majors – Devotion
Will Smith – Emancipation

Best Actress

Viola Davis – The Woman King
Danielle Deadwyler – Till
Regina Hall – Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
Keke Palmer – Alice
Letitia Wright – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Best Supporting Actor

John Boyega – The Woman King
Jalyn Hall – Till
Aldis Hodge – Black Adam
Tenoch Huerta – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Cliff “Method Man” Smith – On the Come Up

Best Supporting Actress

Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Danai Gurira – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Lashana Lynch – The Woman King
Janelle Monáe – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Lupita Nyong’o – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Best Writing

Alice
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Devil You Know
Nope
The Woman King

Best Costume Design

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Emancipation
A League of Their Own
Star Trek: Discovery
The Woman King

Best Make-Up

Cheaper by the Dozen
Emergency
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Surface
We Own This City

Best Hairstyling

All American
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Fantasy Football
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
Till

Best International Motion Picture

Athena
Bantú Mama
Broker
Learn to Swim
The Silent Twins

Best Documentary

Civil
Descendant
Is That Black Enough for You?!?
Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues
Sidney

Short Form (Animated)

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
I Knew Superman
More Than I Want to Remember
Supercillious
We Are Here

Short Form (Live Action)

Dear Mama…
Fannie
Fathead
Incomplete
Pens & Pencils

Best Independent Motion Picture

Breaking
Causeway
The Inspection
Mr. Malcolm’s List
Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story

Best Ensemble

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Emancipation
A Jazzman’s Blues
Till
The Woman King

Best Character Voice-Over Performance (Television or Film)

Angela Bassett – Wendell & Wild
Kevin Hart – DC League of Super-Pets
Taraji P. Henson – Minions: The Rise of Gru
Keke Palmer – Lightyear
Lyric Ross – Wendell & Wild

Best Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture

Joshua Boone – A Jazzman’s Blues
Jalyn Hall – Till
Ledisi – Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story
Y’lan Noel – A Lot of Nothing
Yola – Elvis

Entertainer of the Year

.Angela Bassett
.Mary J. Blige
.Quinta Brunson
.Viola Davis
.Zendaya

Directing in a Documentary

W. Kamau Bell – We Need to Talk About Cosby
Nadia Hallgren – Civil
Reginald Hudlin – Sidney
Sacha Jenkins – Everything’s Gonna Be All White
Sacha Jenkins – Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues

Breakthrough Creative in a Motion Picture

Stephen Adetumbi, Jarrett Roseborough – This Is My Black
Ericka Nicole Malone – Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story
Mo McRae – A Lot of Nothing
Elvis Mitchell – Is That Black Enough for You?!?
Krystin Ver Linden – Alice