Ferrari–the emotional and thrilling dramatization of the life of the legendary ex-racer, racecar manufacturer, and entrepreneur, directed and produced by Michael Mann–will receive the Icon & Creator Tribute for Innovation at the 33rd annual Gotham Awards Ceremony, taking on Monday, November 27, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
The Icon & Creator Tribute was created for this year’s Gotham Awards in order to recognize cultural icons and the filmmakers responsible for bringing that icon’s story to life. With the Icon & Creator Tribute for Innovation, The Gotham will honor Enzo Ferrari, the Italian auto racer and Ferrari S.p.A. founder, while celebrating Mann and his brilliantly crafted portrayal of the enigmatic man.
“Both Enzo Ferrari and Michael Mann are recognized as legends in their respective industries for their vision, innovation, and relentless commitment to pushing the boundaries of their crafts,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute. “With his thrilling drama highlighting one remarkable season in the life of the man behind the red cars, Mann captures the passion and complexity at the heart of this Italian icon. We are proud to honor both the legacy of Enzo Ferrari and Mann’s extraordinary film.”
Starring Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Patrick Dempsey and Gabriel Leone, Ferrari is set in the summer of 1957. Behind the spectacle of Formula 1, ex-racer Enzo Ferrari is in crisis. Bankruptcy threatens the factory he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing 10 years earlier. Their volatile marriage has been battered by the loss of their son, Dino, a year earlier. Ferrari struggles to acknowledge his son Piero, born at the end of WWII, and his mother, Lina Lardi. Meanwhile, his drivers’ passion to win pushes them to the edge as they launch into the treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, the Mille Miglia.
From Modena, Italy, Enzo Ferrari began his auto racing career in 1919. He raced successfully through the 1920’s and then worked for Alfa Romeo managing its race team before founding the Scuderia Ferrari racing team in conjunction with Alfa in 1929. It served as a testing ground for his ideas and innovations. After World War II, the Ferrari marque earned renown as its drivers won many major championships. Ferrari created his first racecar; the 125 S in 1947 and it won the Rome Grand Prix on its sixth outing. By 1952 Ferrari had won his first world championship. Following were many iconic models, such as the 250 GTO and the 275 GTB in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, Ferrari continued to dominate the racing world, winning numerous world championships. Ferrari resigned as president of his company in 1977 and died in 1988 at age 90. Today, Ferrari remains a dominant force in racing and is the winningest team in Formula 1 and one of the most beloved and recognizable sports car brands in the world.
Mann is a four-time Academy Award® nominee, two-time Emmy®-winner, and recipient of WGA, DGA and BAFTA Awards as a director, producer and writer. After writing and directing the Emmy®-winning television movie The Jericho Mile, Mann executive produced the highly influential television series Miami Vice and Crime Story. He won an Emmy® for the miniseries Drug Wars: The Camarena Story, which he co-wrote and executive produced. Mann directed the pilot and executive produced the HBO series Luck, starring Dustin Hoffman, and the limited documentary series Witness, also for HBO. Most recently, Mann executive produced and directed the pilot that launched the HBO Max series Tokyo Vice, starring Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe in 2022.
Mann made his feature film directorial debut with Thief in 1980 and went on to also write and direct Manhunter, The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, The Insider, Ali, Miami Vice, and direct Collateral, Public Enemies, and Blackhat. As a producer, Mann’s work includes Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, as well as The Kingdom, Hancock, Texas Killing Fields, and Ford v Ferrari.
In addition to cinema, “Heat 2,” Mann’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel, written with Meg Gardiner, was published by Harper Collins in the summer of 2022.
Following its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, Ferrari was the closing night film at New York Film Festival. NEON will release Ferrari in theaters nationwide on December 25.
