Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female
{{short description|Award presented annually by the Black Reel Awards}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox award
| name = Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female
| image = Mbedu.jpg
| image_upright = 0.7
| caption = The 2023 recipient: Thuso Mbedu
| awarded_for = Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female
| presenter = Black Reel Awards (BRAs)
| country = United States
| year = Black Reel Awards of 2014
| holder_label = Most recent winner
| holder = Ariana DeBose
West Side Story (Black Reel Awards of 2022)
| website = {{url|http://blackreelawards.com/}}
}}
This article lists the winners and nominees for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female. Prior to 2014 the category was no gender specific, thus was called Outstanding Breakthrough Performance. Naomie Harris was the first woman to win the Outstanding Breakthrough Performance category. Sharon Warren was the first actress to win a Black Reel Awards in a Lead or Supporting performance and the Breakthrough performance in the same year.
Currently, Lupita Nyong'o is the first person (man or woman) to win the BRA "Triple Crown" acting award with wins in the Lead, Supporting and Breakthrough categories. Nyong'o took home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress & Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male for 12 Years a Slave and won the award for Outstanding Actress for Us.
At age 9, Quvenzhane Wallis became the youngest actress to win this award for Beasts of the Southern Wild and at age 38, Tiffany Haddish became the oldest winner in this category for Girls Trip. At the 15th Annual Black Reel Awards both Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez became the first transgender actresses nominated in this category for their performances in Tangerine.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.
=2010s=
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |
| style="background:#bebebe;"
! style="width:11%;"| Year ! style="width:35%;"| Actress ! style="width:49%;"| Film ! style="width:5%;"| Ref |
| colspan="6"| Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female |
|---|
| rowspan="6" align="center"| 2014 |
| style="background:#B0C4DE"
| 12 Years a Slave | rowspan="6" align="center"| {{cite web|url=https://blackreelawards.wordpress.com/nominees/|title=2014 Black Reel Awards - Nominees|work=Black Reel Awards|date=December 11, 2014|accessdate=August 1, 2016}} |
| Melonie Diaz
| Fruitvale Station |
| Danai Gurira
| Mother of George |
| Lindiwe Matshikiza |
| Tashiana Washington |
| rowspan="6" align="center"| 2015 |
| style="background:#B0C4DE"
| Dear White People | rowspan="6" align="center"| [https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000957/2015 2015 Black Reel Awards] |
| Jillian Estell |
| Patina Miller |
| Amber Stevens |
| Kuoth Wiel |
| rowspan="6" align="center"| 2016 |
| style="background:#B0C4DE"
| Dope | rowspan="6" align="center"| [https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000957/2016 2016 Black Reel Awards] |
| Chanel Iman
| Dope |
| Kitana Kiki Rodriguez
| Tangerine |
| Assa Sylla
| Girlhood |
| Mya Taylor
| Tangerine |
| rowspan="6" align="center"| 2017 |
| style="background:#B0C4DE"
| Hidden Figures | rowspan="6" align="center"| {{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000957/2017/1|title=Black Reel Awards (2017)|website=IMDb}} |
| Royalty Hightower
| The Fits |
| Sasha Lane
| American Honey |
| Leslie Jones |
| Aja Naomi King |
| rowspan="6" align="center"| 2018 |
| style="background:#B0C4DE"
| Girls Trip | rowspan="6" align="center"| {{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000957/2018?ref_=nmawd_awd_14|title = Black Reel Awards (2018)|website = IMDb}} |
| Betty Gabriel
| Get Out |
| Mary J. Blige
| Mudbound |
| Natalie Paul
| Crown Heights |
| Jessica Williams
| The Incredible Jessica James |
| rowspan="6" align="center"| 2019 |
| style="background:#B0C4DE"
| Black Panther | rowspan="6" align="center"| {{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000957/2019?ref_=nmawd_awd_13|title = Black Reel Awards (2019)|website = IMDb}} |
| Laura Harrier |
| Zoe Renee
| Jinn |
| KiKi Layne
| If Beale Street Could Talk |
| Cynthia Erivo |
=2020s=
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |
| style="background:#bebebe;"
! style="width:11%;"| Year ! style="width:35%;"| Actress ! style="width:49%;"| Film ! style="width:5%;"| Ref |
| rowspan="6" align="center"| 2020 |
| style="background:#B0C4DE"
| Dolemite Is My Name | rowspan="6" align="center"| {{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000957/2020?ref_=nmawd_awd_12|title = Black Reel Awards (2020)|website = IMDb}} |
| Shahadi Wright Joseph
| Us |
| Jodie Turner-Smith
| Queen & Slim |
| Taylor Russell
| Waves |
| Mame Bineta Sane |
| rowspan="6" align="center"| 2021 |
| style="background:#B0C4DE"
| The United States vs. Billie Holiday |
| Radha Blank |
| Alexis Chikaeze
| Miss Juneteenth |
| Dominique Fishback
| Judas and the Black Messiah |
| Zendaya
| Malcolm & Marie |
| rowspan="6" align="center"| 2022 |
| style="background:#B0C4DE"
| West Side Story |rowspan="6" align="center"| |
| Danielle Deadwyler |
| Taylour Paige
| Zola |
| Saniyya Sidney |
| Demi Singleton |
| rowspan="6" align="center" |2023 |
| style="background:#B0C4DE"
|rowspan="6" align="center"| |
| Sheila Atim |
| Charmaine Bingwa |
| Anna Diop |
| Dominique Thorne |
Multiple nominations from the same film
- Kiersey Clemons (winner) and Chanel Iman in Dope (2016)
- Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor in Tangerine (2016)
- Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton in King Richard (2022)
- Thuso Mbedu (winner) and Sheila Atim in The Woman King(2023)
Age superlatives
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" | Record
! scope="col" | Actress ! scope="col" | Film ! scope="col" | Age (in years) |
|---|
| Oldest winner
| 38 |
| style="height:4.5em;"
| Oldest nominee | Pariah | 50 |
| style="height:4.5em;"
| Youngest winner | 9 |
| style="height:4.5em;"
| Youngest nominee | 9 |
References
{{reflist}}
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female}}
{{Black Reel Awards}}
Breakthrough Performance, Female