The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) will introduce a new annual Ensemble Tribute at the 2020 IFP Gotham Awards. In its inaugural year the award will be presented to The Trial of the Chicago 7, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. Previously a juried award, the tribute will honor the performances of a group of dynamic and noteworthy cast onscreen and celebrate their collective effort and contributions to the film’s narrative.
The IFP Gotham Awards is one of the leading awards for independent film. As the first major awards ceremony of the season, the IFP Gotham Awards provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy indie films and their writers, directors, producers, and actors with 11 competitive awards categories. The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention. The 30th Anniversary of the IFP Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, January 11, 2021. The awards show will be presented live from Cipriani Wall Street New York in a hybrid format featuring virtual interactive tables in order to follow health and safety protocols brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 features an ensemble cast of Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong, Mark Rylance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Alex Sharp, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Caitlin Fitzgerald, Alice Kremelberg, and Ben Shenkman. The film follows the true story of the Chicago Seven, a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters who were charged surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The film is currently available on Netflix.
“For our 30th Anniversary, we are proud to introduce a new tribute honor, recognizing excellence in an ensemble cast,” said Jeffrey Sharp, Executive Director of IFP. “Starting this year and in the years to come, we look to celebrate a film that demonstrates the collaborative nature of a group performance and the effect that it has in elevating each individual, and the overall story. Each cast member of The Trial of the Chicago 7 delivers an intricate and powerful performance, and we are delighted to celebrate them and their cumulative achievement.”
It was previously announced that Chadwick Boseman will receive this year’s posthumous Actor Tribute, Viola Davis the Actress Tribute, Steve McQueen the Director’s Tribute, and Ryan Murphy the Industry Tribute.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this yearโs Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa โT-Rexโ Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shieldsโ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More