The 22nd Annual Black Reel Awards ceremony, presented by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) and honoring the best films of 2021, took place on February 28, 2022, and streamed on blackreelawards.com at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, FAAAF presented the Black Reel Awards in 24 categories. The film nominations were announced on December 16, 2021.

The Harder They Fall led the nominations with twenty and broke the record of most film nominations; this record was previously held by Black Panther (2018), which received seventeen nominations and a record-breaking ten wins in 2019. The film went on to win a total of six awards, the most wins by any film; King Richard and Passing tied for second place with three wins each, with the former winning Outstanding Motion Picture. The Harder They Fall is also the first western nominated for Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Screenplay from the group. Director Jeymes Samuel tied with Radha Blank for the most individual nominations in a single year with seven; Samuel went on to win for Outstanding Director, Outstanding Emerging Director, and Outstanding Score for The Harder They Fall. At 90 years old, Rita Moreno became the oldest nominee in any category after receiving a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress for West Side Story.

The 6th Annual Black Reel Awards for Television nominations were announced on June 16, 2022. The ceremony took place on August 14, 2022. The sitcom Abbott Elementary led all programs with seven wins, including Outstanding Comedy Series, while HBO led all networks and platforms with ten wins from their record forty nominations. Actor Donald Glover led the pack in individual nominations with five, winning one for Outstanding Actor, Comedy Series.

Film winners and nominees Outstanding Motion Picture Outstanding Director King Richard – Will Smith, Tim White and Trevor White, producers The Harder They Fall – Lawrence Bender, Shawn Carter, James Lassiter and Jeymes Samuel, producers Passing – Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Rebecca Hall and Margot Hand, producers The Tragedy of Macbeth – Joel Coen, Robert Graf and Frances McDormand, producers West Side Story – Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Kevin McCollum, producers | valign="top" | Jeymes Samuel – The Harder They Fall Halle Berry – Bruised Nia DaCosta – Candyman Reinaldo Marcus Green – King Richard Rebecca Hall – Passing Outstanding Actor Outstanding Actress Will Smith – King Richard as Richard Williams Mahershala Ali – Swan Song as Cameron Turner Winston Duke – Nine Days as Will Jonathan Majors – The Harder They Fall as Nat Love Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth as Lord Macbeth Tessa Thompson – Passing as Irene "Reenie" Redfield Zazie Beetz – The Harder They Fall as Stagecoach Mary Halle Berry – Bruised as Jackie "Pretty Bull" Justice Jennifer Hudson – Respect as Aretha Franklin Taylour Paige – Zola as Aziah "Zola" King Outstanding Supporting Actor Outstanding Supporting Actress Colman Domingo – Zola as Abegunde "X" Olawale Idris Elba – The Harder They Fall as Rufus Buck André Holland – Passing as Brian Redfield Lakeith Stanfield – The Harder They Fall as Cherokee Bill Jeffrey Wright – The French Dispatch as Roebuck Wright Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard as Oracene "Brandy" Price Ariana DeBose – West Side Story as Anita Regina King – The Harder They Fall as Trudy Smith Rita Moreno – West Side Story as Valentina Ruth Negga – Passing as Clare Bellew Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female Anthony Ramos – In the Heights as Usnavi de la Vega Deon Cole – The Harder They Fall as Wiley Escoe Edi Gathegi – The Harder They Fall as Bill Pickett Joshua Henry – tick, tick... BOOM! as Roger Caleb McLaughlin – Concrete Cowboy as Cole Ariana DeBose – West Side Story as Anita Danielle Deadwyler – The Harder They Fall as Cuffee Taylour Paige – Zola as Aziah "Zola" King Saniyya Sidney – King Richard as Venus Williams Demi Singleton – King Richard as Serena Williams Outstanding Ensemble Outstanding Screenplay The Harder They Fall – Victoria Thomas, casting director In the Heights – Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey, casting directors King Richard – Rich Delia and Avy Kaufman, casting directors Passing – Kim Ostroy and Laura Rosenthal, casting directors Zola – Kim Coleman, casting director | valign="top"| Passing – Rebecca Hall Candyman – Nia DaCosta, Jordan Peele, and Win Rosenfeld The Harder They Fall – Jeymes Samuel and Boaz Yakin In the Heights – Quiara Alegría Hudes Zola – Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris |- ! width="50%"| Outstanding Documentary Feature ! width="50%"| Outstanding Independent Film |- | valign="top"| Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) – Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson Ailey – Jamila Wignot Citizen Ashe – Rex Miller and Sam Pollard My Name Is Pauli Murray – Julie Cohen and Betsy West Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It – Mariem Pérez Riera | valign="top"| Zola – Janicza Bravo Concrete Cowboy – Ricky Staub Nine Days – Edson Oda Test Pattern – Shatara Michelle Ford The Water Man – David Oyelowo |- ! width="50%"| Outstanding Short Film ! width="50%"| Outstanding Independent Documentary |- | valign="top"| Coffee – Jordan Pitt 54 Years Late – Michele Wise Wright The Door of Return – Kokutekeleza Musebeni and Anna Zhukovets Junior – Jehnovah Carlisle The Snakes – Michelle Beck | valign="top"| 100 Years from Mississippi – Tarabu Betserai Kirkland Big Chief, Black Hawk – Jonathan Isaac Jackson I Still Breathe – Alfred George Bailey Little Satchmo – John Alexander UNZIPPED: An Autopsy of American Inequality – Colin K. Gray |- ! width="50%"| Outstanding Foreign-Language Film ! width="50%"| Outstanding Voice Performance |- | valign="top"| African America – Muzi Mthembu (South Africa) Bitter Sugar – Malik Isasis (Tunisia) Faya Dayi – Jessica Beshir (Ethiopia) | valign="top"| Maya Rudolph – The Mitchells vs. the Machines as Linda Mitchell Eric André – The Mitchells vs. the Machines as Dr. Mark Bowman Marsai Martin – Spirit Untamed as Prudence "Pru" Granger Maya Rudolph – Luca as Daniela Paguro Zoe Saldaña – Vivo as Rosa |- ! width="50%"| Outstanding Emerging Director ! width="50%"| Outstanding First Screenplay |- | valign="top"| Jeymes Samuel – The Harder They Fall Halle Berry – Bruised Janicza Bravo – Zola Rebecca Hall – Passing Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson – Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Passing – Rebecca Hall In the Heights – Quiara Alegría Hudes Zola – Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris Outstanding Original Song Outstanding Score "Automatic Woman" from Bruised – H.E.R., performer; Van Hunt, H.E.R. and Brittany Hazzard, writers "Be Alive" from King Richard – Beyoncé, performer; Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and DIXSON, writers "Guns Go Bang" from The Harder They Fall – Jay-Z and Kid Cudi, performers; Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Kid Cudi and Jeymes Samuel, writers "The Harder They Fall" from The Harder They Fall – Koffee, performer; Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Jeymes Samuel, writers "Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)" from Respect – Jennifer Hudson, performer; Carole King, Jennifer Hudson and Jamie Hartman, writers The Harder They Fall – Jeymes Samuel Candyman – Robert Aiki Aubrey In the Heights – Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Bill Sherman Passing – Devonte Hynes Respect – Kris Bowers Outstanding Cinematography Outstanding Costume Design The Tragedy of Macbeth – Bruno Delbonnel The Harder They Fall – Mihai Mălaimare Jr. In the Heights – Alice Brooks Passing – Edu Grau West Side Story – Janusz Kamiński The Harder They Fall – Antoinette Messam Coming 2 America – Ruth E. Carter Passing – Marci Rodgers The Tragedy of Macbeth – Mary Zophres West Side Story – Paul Tazewell Outstanding Editing Outstanding Production Design The Harder They Fall – Tom Eagles Bruised – Jacob Craycroft and Terilyn A. Shropshire King Richard – Pamela Martin Respect – Avril Beukes Zola – Joi McMillon The Tragedy of Macbeth – Stefan Dechant The Harder They Fall – Martin Whist In the Heights – Nelson Coates Passing – Nora Mendis West Side Story – Adam Stockhausen

Honorary awards Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award – Chaz Ebert Vanguard Award – Halle Berry and Nate Moore Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award – Laurence Fishburne Oscar Micheaux Memorial Award – Suzanne de Passe

Films with multiple nominations and awards

The following films received multiple nominations:

+ Nominations Film 20 The Harder They Fall 13 Passing 9 King Richard Zola 7 In the Heights West Side Story 5 Bruised The Tragedy of Macbeth 4 Respect 3 Candyman 2 Concrete Cowboy The Mitchells vs. the Machines Nine Days Summer of Soul

The following films received multiple awards:

Wins Film 6 The Harder They Fall 3 King Richard Passing 2 The Tragedy of Macbeth Zola

Television winners and nominees Comedy Outstanding Comedy Series Abbott Elementary – Quinta Brunson , showrunner (ABC) Atlanta – Donald Glover, showrunner (FX) black-ish – Courtney Lily, showrunner (ABC) Insecure – Prentice Penny, showrunner (HBO) South Side – Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle, showrunners (HBO Max) Outstanding Actor, Comedy Series Outstanding Actress, Comedy Series Donald Glover as various characters on Atlanta (FX) Anthony Anderson as Andre "Dre" Johnson Sr. on black-ish (ABC) Don Cheadle as Corey on Social Distance (Netflix) Keegan-Michael Key as Aaron Jackson on Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+) Lamorne Morris as Keef on Woke (Hulu) Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues on Abbott Elementary (ABC) Issa Rae as Issa Dee on Insecure (HBO) Regina Hall as Dawn Darcy on Black Monday (Showtime) Robin Thede as various characters on A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO) Tracee Ellis Ross as Dr. Rainbow "Bow" Johnson on black-ish (ABC) Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy Series Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy Series Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie on Abbott Elementary (ABC) Brian Tyree Henry as Alfred ‘Paper Boi’ on Atlanta (FX) Dulé Hill as Bill Williams on The Wonder Years (ABC) Jay Ellis as Lawrence Walker on Insecure (HBO) Lakeith Stanfield as Darius on Atlanta (FX) Janelle James as Ava Coleman on Abbott Elementary (ABC) Natasha Rothwell as Kelli Penny on Insecure (HBO) Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary (ABC) Yvonne Orji as Molly Carter on Insecure (HBO) Zazie Beetz as Van on Atlanta (FX) Outstanding Guest Actor, Comedy Series Outstanding Guest Actress, Comedy Series Orlando Jones as Martin Eddie on Abbott Elementary (ABC) Kofi Siriboe as Crenshaw on Insecure (HBO) Lil Rel Howery as Bishop on South Side (HBO Max) Reginald C. Hayes as Denzel Collins Abbott Elementary (ABC) Sam Richardson as Edwin Akufo on Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) Quinta Brunson as Patrice on A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO) Adriyan Rae as Cadace on Atlanta (FX) Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Detective Williams on Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) Michelle Obama as herself on black-ish (ABC) Lizzo as herself on Saturday Night Live (NBC) Outstanding Directing, Comedy Series Outstanding Writing, Comedy Series Abbott Elementary ("Ava vs. Superintendent") – Directed by Matthew A. Cherry (ABC) Atlanta ("Tarrare") – Directed by Donald Glover (FX) Atlanta ("Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga") – Directed by Donald Glover (ABC) The Flight Attendant ("Drowning Woman") – Directed by Pete Chatmon (HBO Max) The Wonder Years ("Love & War") – Directed by Numa Perrier (ABC) Abbott Elementary ("Pilot") – Written by Quinta Brunson (ABC) Atlanta ("Three Slaps") – Written by Stephen Glover (FX) Atlanta ("Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga") – Written by Donald Glover (FX) Insecure ("Out, Okay?") – Written by Prentice Penny (HBO) Ted Lasso ("Do the Right-est Thing") – Written by Ashley Nicole Black (Apple TV+)

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