The Gotham Film & Media Institute (The Gotham) unveiled the winners of the 32nd Annual Gotham Awards at a ceremony held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Winning the marquee Best Feature honor was Everything Everywhere All at Once, the virtuoso mix of styles, genres and parallel universe jumping, written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, in which a middle-aged, overwhelmed laundromat owner finds she can save the universe and her family unit by harnessing powers from different versions of her unexplored lives. Kwan and Scheinert, aka The Daniels, were previously Gotham-nominated for Breakthrough Director in 2016 for their debut feature Swiss Army Man. (The Daniels are repped by PRETTYBIRD for commercials, branded content and music videos.) Also scoring a Gotham Award win for Everything Everywhere All at Once for Outstanding Supporting Performance was Ke Huy Quan for his performance as the hapless Waymand Wang, who, when his buried persona of martial arts master Alpha Waymand emerges, convinces his wife that she can pull her selves together to save the world.
The winner for Outstanding Lead Performance in feature films was Danielle Deadwyler in Till for her extraordinary, layered performance, moving from grief, to anger, to activism as Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of 14-year-old Emmett Till who was murdered in 1955 by white supremacists. Deadwyler previously received a Gotham Award in 2021 as a member of the Ensemble cast of The Harder They Fall.
Receiving the Breakthrough Performer award was Gracija Filipovic for her mesmerizing and vivid performance as a young woman eager to escape her domineering father and restricted life on a small Croatian island in the lush and increasingly tense Murina.
The Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director award went to Charlotte Wells for Aftersun, her extraordinary feature debut limning a special holiday vacation taken by 11-year-old Sophie and her dad as it’s reflected and reexamined in memory 20 years later.
The Best Screenplay award went to Todd Field for Tár, the conceptually audacious feature which he also directed and produced, that charts the downfall of the powerful, world-renowned conductor and composer Lydia Tár, realized to perfection by Cate Blanchett.
The award for Best Documentary Feature was presented to Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes, a sublime mix of social issue focus and poetic artistry that embraces the interconnectedness of all living things in this portrait of a pair of Muslim brothers who tend to sick birds (primarily predatory kites) that fall from the polluted sky in New Delhi and are nursed to health in their small basement clinic.
Winning the award for Best International Feature was the timely Happening, Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion-winning film adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s autobiographical novel, that maintains an intimate focus on the central character of Anne as tension mounts and options vanish in her search for an abortion in 1960s France.
For television, Gotham Awards for debut series are given annually to those that “enrich the landscape or push the boundaries of television.” Winning the award for Breakthrough Series (Over 40 minutes) was Pachinko, based on the bestselling novel by Min Jin Lee and created for television by Soo Hugh, the series combines important history with great artistry as it follows four generations of a Korean immigrant family who struggle to realize their dreams across Korea, Japan and America. Breakthrough Series (Under 40 minutes) was awarded to Mo, the nuanced semi-autobiographical, serio-comic series about a Palestinian immigrant family from Kuwait still awaiting asylum after 20 years in Houston, Texas. Mo was created by Mohammed Amer and Ramy Youssef. Amer stars as the central Mo Najjar, whose comic reactions to everyday situations hide a well of pain.
Outstanding Performance in a New Series was awarded to Ben Whishaw for his lead role in This is Going to Hurt, based on Adam Kay’s memoir, as an overworked, stressed out, emotionally drained, and acerbic-witted junior OB-GYN doctor at an overcrowded and underfunded NHS hospital in London.
Winning Breakthrough Nonfiction Series was We Need to Talk About Cosby, W. Kamau Bell’s bold four-part series initiating a conversation contextualizing Cosby’s achievements, his impact on Black Americans, and his impact on victims as an accused predator and rapist.
Career Tributes were also given during the ceremony to performers Michelle Williams (presented by Paul Dano) and Adam Sandler (presented by the Safdie Brothers); director Gina Prince-Bythewood (presented by Kathryn Bigelow); and the Industry Tribute to Focus Features’ vice chairman Jason Cassidy and chairman Peter Kujawski (presented by James Gray and Todd Field).
An Ensemble Tribute (presented by Jesse Tyler Ferguson) was given to the cast of Fire Island including Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Matt Rogers, Tomás Matos, Torian Miller, Nick Adams, Zane Phillips, and Margaret Cho.
An Impact Tribute was given to the Venice International Film Festival and its legendary current director Alberto Barbera (presented by Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes) in honor of the festival’s 90th anniversary and its impact on scores of independent films and filmmakers.
An Innovator Tribute was given to Don Katz, founder and executive chairman of Audible, Inc. Since its 1995 launch, Katz’s company Audible has established itself as a leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling.
The second annual Icon Tribute (presented by Gotham Board member Jonathan Majors), created to call attention to the boldness, artistry, and impact of a filmmaker from a marginalized community whose work has not been previously recognized by the organization in its previous awards history was awarded to the legendary late actor, filmmaker, and activist Sidney Poitier. Accepting the award were members of the Poitier family – Anika, Pamela and Sherri Poitier.
Sidney Poitier Initiative
Majors also announced the creation of The Gotham Sidney Poitier Initiative, an ambitious set of programs developed around the spirit Sidney Poitier brought to the world as he broke down barriers in the film industry and the minds of audiences. SPI aims to expand on this legacy to support the next generation of filmmakers. Aligned closely with the priorities set by the Poitier family, the initiative will encompass the areas of mentorship, scholarship, project funding, and career advancement. The SPI Founders Committee is a collective of artists – actors, directors, producers, writers, and executives – who have aligned with the shared goal of shaping this initiative to optimally support Sidney Poitier’s living legacy.
Also announced during the ceremony:
Executive director Jeffrey Sharp welcomed the presence of Gotham-supported filmmakers from two of the organization’s most recent initiatives – the previously announced Fellows of the new Documentary Development Initiative in partnership with HBO Documentary Films, as well as announcing the latest five graduate student winners in the Focus Features & JetBlue Showcase.
Focus Features & JetBlue Short Film Showcase
The program is designed to discover and empower a diverse group of emerging filmmakers and foster multi-platform distribution of their work. The winners of the fourth annual Focus Features & JetBlue Short Film Showcase will receive a $10,000 grant and have their films shown for 12 months on JetBlue’s seatback entertainment systems under the “Gotham Selects” movie category and on Focus Features digital streaming platforms. The winning filmmakers will also receive ongoing mentorship and workshopping opportunities from The Gotham and “Every House” Soho House worldwide membership.
The winning filmmakers and shorts were:
- Yingtong Li, The Silent Whistle, Emerson College
- Taylor Mannsman, Obscura, University of Texas at Austin
- Olive Nwosu, Egúngún (Masquerade), Columbia University
- Shannon M. Sutherland, They Flew Like Blackbirds, Florida State University
- Cheryl Wong, Stigma, Style, New York University
The 32nd Annual Gotham Award recipients are:
For Best Feature, presented by Jennifer Lawrence
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Produced by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, and Jonathan Wang
Released by A24
The Best Feature jury included Colman Domingo, Mary Harron, Bill Holderman, Emily Mortimer, and Michael H. Weber.
For Best Documentary Feature, presented by Soledad O’Brien and Alina Cho
All That Breathes
Directed Shaunak Sen
Produced by Aman Mann, Shaunak Sen, and Teddy Leifer
Released by Sideshow & Submarine Deluxe in association with HBO Documentary Films
The Best Documentary jury included Jessica Beshir, Keiko Deguchi, Grace Lee, Jonas Poher Rasmussen, and Bassam Tariq.
For Best International Feature, presented Baz Luhrmann
Happening
Directed by Audrey Diwan
Produced by Edouard Weil and Alice Girard
Released by IFC Films
The Best International Feature jury included Michael Greyeyes, Brittany S. Hall, Talia Kleinhendler, Andrij Parekh, and Jeremiah Zagar.
For Outstanding Lead Performance, presented by Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong’o
Danielle Deadwyler in Till
Released by United Artists Releasing / Orion Pictures
The Outstanding Lead Performance jury included Richard Gladstein, Lily Gladstone, Aldis Hodge, Pamela Koffler, and Jay Van Hoy.
For Outstanding Supporting Performance, presented by Emilia Jones
Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once
Released by A24
The Outstanding Supporting Performance jury included Thuso Mbedu, Simon Rex, Michael Sarnoski, Emma Seligman, and Katie Silberman.
For Breakthrough Performer, presented by Radhika Jones and Jeffrey Sharp
Gracija Filipovic in Murina
Released by Kino Lorber
The Breakthrough Performer jury included Ana Lily Amirpour, Jasmine Batchelor, Tristan Goligher, Jeremy O. Harris, and Alex Thompson.
For Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director, presented by Darren Aronofsky
Charlotte Wells for Aftersun
Released by A24
The Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director jury included Jayme Lemons, Payman Maadi, Crystal Moselle, Kristen Stewart, and Neil Creque Williams.
For Best Screenplay, presented by Maggie Gyllenhaal
Todd Field for Tár
Released by Focus Features
The Best Screenplay jury included Clea DuVall, David Henry Hwang, Marian Macgowan, Chris Messina, and Keenan Scott II.
For Breakthrough Series (Over 40 Minutes), presented by Stephanie March and Brian Tyree Henry
Pachinko
Created by Soo Hugh
Executive Produced by Soo Hugh, Michael Ellenberg, Lindsey Springer, Theresa Kang-Lowe, Richard Middleton, Kogonada, and Justin Cho.
Apple TV+
The Breakthrough Series (Over 40 Minutes) jury included Nikole Beckwith, Roxann Dawson, Evan Hayes, Corbin Reid, and Bradley Whitford.
For Breakthrough Series (Under 40 Minutes), presented by Aubrey Plaza and Adam Scott
Mo
Created by Mohammed Amer and Ramy Youssef
Executive Produced by Mohammed Amer, Ramy Youssef, Ravi Nandan, Hallie Sekoff, Solvan “Slick” Naim, Harris Danow, and Luvh Rakhe.
Netflix
The Breakthrough Series (Under 40 Minutes) jury included Ryan Cunningham, Leigh Davenport, Edi Gathegi, Carly Hugo, and Devery Jacobs.
For Outstanding Performance in a New Series, presented by Ramy Youssef and Mohammed Amer
Ben Whishaw in This is Going to Hurt
AMC+ in association with BBC
The Outstanding Performance in a New Series jury included Stephanie Allain, John David Coles, Rafael Casal, Nia DaCosta, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
For Breakthrough Nonfiction Series, presented by Devery Jacobs and Helena Howard
We Need To Talk About Cosby
Created and directed by W. Kamau Bell
Executive Produced by W. Kamau Bell, Andrew Fried, Katie A. King, Vinnie Malhotra, Dane Lillegard, Sarina Roma, and Jordan Wynn
SHOWTIME
The Breakthrough Nonfiction Series jury included Yoni Brook, Lisa Cortés, Michael Gottwald, Hasan Minhaj, and Caroline Waterlow.
