TEXAS BLACK FILM FESTIVAL 2009! Announces Nominees in the following categories.

Nominees for Best Actor in a Short or Feature Film
Lionel Mack Smith for his performance in the short film "Larry (The Actor)"

Louis Gossett, Jr. for his performance in the feature film "The Least Among You."

Zora Howard for her performance in the short film "Premature"

Angela Bassett for her performance in the feature film "Gospel Hill."

Marie Tirenkti of Ghana for her performance in "Warrior Queen"


Nominees for Best Documentary
"Krumbs" Directed by Margaret Galbraith (Brooklyn, NY)

"Redemption Stone-The Life and Times of Tom Lewis" -- Directed by Tom Dziedzic -- (Alabama)

"HomeGrown: HipLife in Ghana" -- Directed by Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi (Berkeley, CA)

"Beneath the Skin: Baptists and Racism" -- Directed by Cliff Vaughn
(Nashville, TN)

"Juror Number Six" (Texas Film) -- Directed by Rachel Lyon (Dallas, TX)



Nominees for Best Animation
"The Plastic Pearls of the Pacific" Directed by Brandon Strathmann -- California State University Fullerton, CA

Nominees for Best Short Film
Premature - Directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green (New York, NY)
Warrior Queen - Directed by Hezekiah Lewis (Apple Valley, CA)
Larry (The Actor) -- Directed by Eric Poydar - Sudbury, MA
Rain, A Love Story -- Dircted by Anthony Brooks (Chicago, IL)
The Runner - Directed by Nicholas Cormier (Plano, TX)

Nominees for Best Feature Film
Black Candle -- (Narrated by Maya Angelou) Documentary Feature. Directed by M. K. Asante, Jr. (Baltimore, Maryland)

The Least Among You -- (Starring Lou Gossett, Jr.) Directed by Mark Young (Dallas, TX)

Gospel Hill (Starring Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson and Nia Long) - Directed by Giancarlo Esposito. (Ridgefield, Connecticut)

Clean Mic - Laughing Until It Hurts (Featuring Dick Gregory and Paul Mooney) Directed by Will Gorham - VA


Nominees for Best Director of a Feature Film
M. K. Asante, Jr. (Baltimore, Maryland) for The Black Candle

Mark Young (Dallas, TX) for The Least Among You (Starring Lou Gossett, Jr.)

Giancarlo Esposito. (Ridgefield, Connecticut) for Gospel Hill

Will Gorham - (Virginia) for Clean Mic - Laughing Until It Hurts


Audience Choice Award
Audience members will have the opportunity to score films with a simple point ranking system of "1 through 5." The film with the most audience points receives the Audience Choice Award.

Nominees for Best Texas Film
The Least Among You - by Mark Young (Dallas, Texas)
Juror Number 6 - by Rachel Lyons (Plano, TX)
Hope - by William Shipley (San Antonio, TX)
Platonic Bomb - by Michael Brown (Dallas, TX)
The Runner - by Nicholas Comier, III (Plano, TX)

Nominees for Best Overall Film
The Black Candle (Feature Documentary Narrated by Maya Angelou) Directed by M. K. Asante, Jr. (Baltimore, MD)

Gospel Hill - (Feature Film) Directed by Giancarlo Esposito (Ridgefield, CT)

Warrior Queen - (Short Historical Narrative) Directed by Hezekiah Lewis (Apple Valley, CA)

The Least Among You (Feature Film) Directed by Texas Native Mark Young (Dallas, Texas)

Krumbs (Short Documentary) Directed by Margaret Galbraith Brooklyn, NY