An Aurora boy has been nominated for a national award for his breakout role in his first film.
Jeremiah Daniels, 12, star of the critically acclaimed film "Color Book" has just been nominated for a 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Performance in a Motion Picture.
Daniels is being widely lauded for his acting chops showcased in the film that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City last June. It also screened at the Denver Film Festival in early November, taking home the festival’s 2024 American Independent Award.
The heartfelt drama tells the story of a single father navigating the challenges of raising his son who has Down syndrome, following the death of his wife. The film has been praised for its sensitive and genuine portrayal of differently abled children. Jeremiah plays Mason, the boy at the heart of the story.
Writer and director David Fortune said he initially set out to capture the rarely-seen story of a positive Black father and son relationship. But after speaking with a number of people in his personal circle of friends with special-needs children, ultimately decided the film could fill a much-needed void, by highlighting their experiences as parents raising children like Jeremiah.
“So you learn that one, the spectrum [of special-needs children] is very vast and not one experience equates to another,” he told Colorado Matters host Chandra Thomas Whitfield during an interview on the program. “And you learn that, yes, while there might be challenges raising a child who has Down syndrome, there's also a beauty and a joy to it, because they're not looking at their child as someone who has Down syndrome. They're looking at their child as, ‘that's just my child’ and I wanted to make sure that was reflected in the film.”
Daniels is up against four other young actors, including Anthony B. Jenkins in "Deliverance" and Skylar Aleece Smith in "The Piano Lesson," in the annual awards competition that honors outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music and literature.
The public may cast a vote on the NAACP Image Awards website through midnight (EST) Feb. 7. Winners will be revealed during the “56th NAACP Image Awards'' telecast live on Saturday, Feb. 22 on BET and CBS.
The NAACP will also recognize winners in non–televised Image Awards categories at the 56th NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors Ceremonies on Friday, Feb. 21.
