The Gotham Awards kicked off awards season last night. Many famous actors, writers, and directors showed up in New York City for the event.
Of note, an unscripted moment, Robert De Niro had a freakout session. As the actor read prepared remarks from a teleprompter, De Niro paused when he noticed that part of his speech, calling out Donald Trump, had been deleted from the teleprompter. You can read the full story here.
Celine Song’s “Past Lives” took Best Feature. No surprise there. Now, will it get a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars? I think so. No reason to doubt its chances. It’s one of the best reviewed films of 2023.
Lilly Gladstone took Outstanding Lead Performance for “The Unknown Country”. Charles Melton won Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Film for “May December.”
Gladstone’s performance in “The Other Woman” was fine, but, c’mon, we all know why she won. She’s the current hot thing in Hollywood and this was a way for Gotham to recognize her since “Killers of the Flower Moon” did not submit in any categories.
“Anatomy of a Fall” actually won Best Screenplay —besting “Past Lives” —and Best International Feature. AV Rockwell won Breakthrough Director for “A Thousand And One.”
If you remember, earlier this year, the Gothams removed the budgetary constraints to qualify — it was previously any feature film under $30 million. Now, a film could have cost as high as $150 million and would still qualify. No “indie spirit” there.
A few notable films decided not to be submitted for the Gothams, including “Oppenheimer,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and “The Color Purple.” Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” was among the blockbusters that did decide to submit — this resulted in Ryan Gosling being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Performance.