Everything Everywhere All at Once, written and directed by (The Daniels) Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, won Best Feature at the 32nd Annual Gotham Awards. The film follows a middle-aged, overwhelmed laundromat owner who finds she can save the universe and her family unit by harnessing powers from different versions of her unexplored lives.
Everything Everywhere All at Once also scored Outstanding Supporting Performance for 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.
The award for Best Documentary Feature went 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.
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.
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.
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.
Jonathan 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.
The complete list of winners of the 32nd Annual Gotham Award recipients are:
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
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
Best International Feature
presented Baz Luhrmann
Happening
Directed by Audrey Diwan
Produced by Edouard Weil and Alice Girard
Released by IFC Films
Outstanding Lead Performance
presented by Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong’o
Danielle Deadwyler in Till
Released by United Artists Releasing / Orion Pictures
Outstanding Supporting Performance
presented by Emilia Jones
Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All At Once
Released by A24
Breakthrough Performer
presented by Radhika Jones and Jeffrey Sharp
Gracija Filipovic in Murina
Released by Kino Lorber
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director
presented by Darren Aronofsky
Charlotte Wells for Aftersun
Released by A24
Best Screenplay
presented by Maggie Gyllenhaal
Todd Field for Tár
Released by Focus Features
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+
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
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
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
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 twelve 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