Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 3, 2026

RaMell Ross

RaMell Ross is an American filmmaker. His directorial debut, Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018), earned him a Peabody Award, and nominations for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film and the Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Ross directed and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2024 film adaptation of the novel The Nickel Boys (2019), for which he won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

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RaMell Ross
Ross at the 2018 Montclair Film Festival
Born1982 (age 43–44)
Frankfurt, Germany
Education
OccupationsFilm director, photographer, professor
Websitehttps://www.ramellross.com

RaMell Ross is an American filmmaker. His directorial debut, Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018), earned him a Peabody Award, and nominations for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film and the Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Ross directed and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2024 film adaptation of the novel The Nickel Boys (2019), for which he won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director,123 and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (shared with Joslyn Barnes).4

Early life and education

Ross was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and raised in Fairfax, Virginia, where he attended Lake Braddock Secondary School.56

In 2005, Ross graduated from Georgetown University, where he majored in English and sociology and played on the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team.16 He later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design.6

Career

In 2006, Ross moved to Ireland to work for Playing For Peace's Northern Ireland initiative. While in Ireland he played professional basketball for MDS Star of the Sea Belfast, a team in Ireland's SuperLeague North Division. It was here he would first get an interest in directing and video editing as he worked as an apprentice of the video editor for North Star Basketball.7

In 2009, Ross moved to Greensboro, Alabama for a position as a basketball coach and photography teacher.8 These experiences inspired multiple collections of photographs and art installments inspired by black life in the American South.9

Filmmaker Magazine named Ross among "25 New Faces of Independent Film" in 2015. That year, he was a Sundance Institute New Frontier Artist in Residence at the MIT Media Lab.10 He joined faculty of the Brown Arts Initiative at Brown University in 2016, where he currently serves as an assistant professor of visual art.11 Soon after, he was awarded a two-year Mellon Gateway Fellowship.12

Ross' directorial debut, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, an experimental documentary about black life in Hale County, Alabama, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.13 He was awarded the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the festival. The film went on to win a Peabody Award and in 2019 was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film and the Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking.14

Easter Snap, Ross' documentary short depicting five men preparing a hog to be butchered in a ritualistic fashion, debuted at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.115

The Ogden Museum of Southern Art presented a retrospective of Ross' artwork, titled Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body: The Work of RaMell Ross from October 2021 to March 2022. A book of Ross' work titled Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body was released in 2023.9

Nickel Boys, Ross' film adaptation of the Colson Whitehead novel The Nickel Boys, debuted at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024.16 The film opened the 2024 New York Film Festival.17

Filmography

Year Title Notes Ref.
2018 Hale County This Morning, This Evening Documentary film 1
2019 Easter Snap Documentary short 15
2024 Nickel Boys Narrative feature film 17

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2018 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Award for Creative Vision Hale County This Morning, This Evening Won 1
Gotham Awards Best Documentary Wona 13
2019 Academy Awards Best Documentary Feature Film Nominateda 1
Primetime Emmy Awards Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking Nominatedb 1
Peabody Awards Documentary Category Wonc 14
Chicago International Film Festival Best Documentary Short Easter Snap Won 1
2024 Gotham Awards Best Director Nickel Boys Won 18
New York Film Critics Circle Best Director Won 19
Astras Film Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Nominatedd 20
Boston Society of Film Critics Best Adapted Screenplay Wond 21
Chicago Film Critics Association Best Director Won 22
Best Adapted Screenplay Wond
Breakthrough Filmmaker Won
Toronto Film Critics Association Best Director Won 23
Best Screenplay Wond
Stockholm Film Festival Best Film Won [1]
2025 National Society of Film Critics Best Director Runner-up 24
Georgia Film Critics Association Best Director Nominated 25
Best Adapted Screenplay Wond
Breakthrough Award Won
Satellite Awards Best Director Nominated 26
Best Adapted Screenplay Wond
London Film Critics' Circle Director of the Year Won 27
Critics' Choice Awards Best Director Nominated 28
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominatedd
Directors Guild of America Awards First-Time Theatrical Feature Film Won 29
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Wond 30
31
Paul Selvin Award Honoredd
British Academy Film Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Nominatedd 32
Black Reel Awards Outstanding Director Won 33
34
Outstanding Screenplay Wond
Outstanding Emerging Director Won
Outstanding First Screenplay Won
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture Won 35
Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture Wond
USC Scripter Awards Film Nominatedd 36
Academy Awards Best Adapted Screenplay Nominatedd 4
Notes

Notes

  1. Shared with Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim
  2. Shared with Joslyn Barnes, Su Kim, and Lois Vossen
  3. Recognized as one of ten honorees
  4. Shared with Joslyn Barnes
References

References

  1. "RaMell Ross". United States Artists. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  2. Kramer, Karen (December 14, 2024). "How RaMell Ross' 'Nickel Boys' Embraces and Expands the Legacy of Stanley Kramer (Guest Column)". Variety. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  3. Lewis, Hilary (December 3, 2024). "New York Film Critics Circle Names 'The Brutalist' as Best Film of 2024". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  4. Lang, Brent; Moreau, Jordan (January 23, 2025). "Oscar Nominations 2025: 'Emilia Pérez' Leads with 13 Nods, 'Wicked' and 'The Brutalist' Follow with 10". Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  5. "Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body: The Work of Ramell Ross at the Ogden Museum". Lenscratch. March 17, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  6. "RaMell Ross". Hoya Basketball. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  7. "Former Hoya Standout Ramell Ross Playing in Ireland, Playing for Peace". Brown Alumni Magazine. November 28, 2006. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  8. "A Symphony of Moments". Brown Alumni Magazine. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  9. Orr, Niela. "The Literary Lexicon of RaMell Ross". Oxford American. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  10. "RaMell Ross". Ogden Museum of Southern Art. June 22, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  11. "Artist, scholar RaMell Ross heads to the Oscars with 'Hale County' up for best documentary". Brown University. 21 February 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  12. "Brown Arts Institute FY18" (PDF). Brown University. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  13. "RaMell Ross – Hale County This Morning, This Evening". New York University. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  14. "Peabody 30 Winners". Peabody Awards. August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  15. "Easter Snap". Field of Vision. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  16. Feinberg, Scott. "Telluride: 'Nickel Boys', Adapted from Colson Whitehead's Book, Will Challenge Oscar Voters". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  17. "RaMell Ross's Nickel Boys Will Open the 62nd New York Film Festival". Film at Lincoln Center. July 22, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  18. Lewis, Hilary; Chuba, Kirsten (December 2, 2024). "2024 Gotham Awards: 'A Different Man' Wins Best Feature as 'Nickel Boys', 'Sing Sing' Each Take Two". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  19. D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 3, 2024). "New York Film Critics Circle Names 'The Brutalist' Best Film & Its Star Adrien Brody Best Actor: Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  20. "2024 Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards Nominations Have Arrived" (Press release). The Astras. November 25, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  21. "BSFC Names 'Anora' Best Film of 2024". Boston Society of Film Critics. December 8, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  22. Anderson, Erik (December 11, 2024). "2024 Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) Winners: 'The Brutalist' is Best Pic; 'Challengers', 'Nickel Boys' Earn Multiple Awards". AwardsWatch. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  23. Anderson, Erik (December 15, 2024). "2024 Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) Winners: 'Nickel Boys' Named Best Picture, RaMell Ross Wins Best Director". AwardsWatch. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  24. Buenahora, Andrés (January 4, 2025). "National Society of Film Critics Award Winners: 'Nickel Boys' and 'A Real Pain' Among Top Honorees". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  25. Anderson, Erik (January 8, 2025). "2024 Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) Winners". AwardsWatch. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  26. "IPA Reveals Winners for the 29th Satellite Awards". International Press Academy. January 26, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  27. Oganesyan, Natalie (February 2, 2025). "'The Brutalist' Wins Film of the Year at London Film Critics' Circle". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  28. Evans, Greg (December 12, 2024). "'Conclave' and 'Wicked' Lead Critics Choice Awards Film Nominations – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  29. Petski, Denise (February 8, 2025). "DGA Awards: Sean Baker Wins Top Film Prize for 'Anora'; RaMell Ross Takes First-Time Feature Prize; 'Porcelain War', 'Shōgun', 'Hacks' Among Winners — Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  30. Hipes, Patrick (February 7, 2025). "'Nickel Boys' Screenwriters RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes to Receive WGA West's Paul Selvin Award". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  31. Schneider, Michael; Maas, Jennifer (February 15, 2025). "'Shogun', 'Hacks', 'Anora', 'Nickel Boys' Land Top Honors at Writers Guild Awards 2025 (Full Winners List)". Variety. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  32. Ritman, Alex; Shafer, Ellise (January 15, 2025). "BAFTA Film Awards Nominations: 'Conclave' and 'Emilia Pérez' Lead While 'Wicked' Shut Out of Best Film". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  33. Jackson, Angelique (December 19, 2024). "'Nickel Boys' Leads Black Reel Awards Nominees". Variety. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  34. Hipes, Patrick (February 17, 2025). "'Nickel Boys' Tops Black Reel Awards With Six Wins Including Best Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  35. Lewis, Hilary (February 22, 2025). "'Nickel Boys', Jennifer Hudson Top NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  36. Davis, Clayton (January 22, 2025). "USC Scripter Awards Nominations: 'The Wild Robot' Surprises Alongside 'Nickel Boys' and 'Sing Sing'". Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
External links