What a fantastic year in Cinema 2024 was! The Team – Nicholas Porteous, Amanda Gilmore, Justin Waldman, David Baldwin and Mr. Will unveil for you their best-of 2024 film lists here which you absolutely cannot miss! There are some surprises!
What were your faves? Let us know on IG and FB!
We thank you so much for your supporting all these years including 2024 and cannot wait to bring you the goods in 2025 whether it be first looks, screening pass giveaways, reviews or interviews, we will continue to be there for you!
To an epic 2025!
Team Mr. Will
The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced today the winners of the 34th edition of The Gothams at a ceremony held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
The winner for Best Feature was A Different Man.
The winner for Best International Feature was All We Imagine as Light.
The winner for Best Documentary Feature was presented to No Other Land.
The winner for Best Director was RaMell Ross for Nickel Boys.
The winner for Best Screenplay was Azazel Jacobs for His Three Daughters.
The winner for Breakthrough Director Gotham was Vera Drew for The People’s Joker.
The winner for Outstanding Lead Performance was Colman Domingo in Sing Sing.
The winner for Outstanding Supporting Performance was Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing.
The winner for Breakthrough Performer was Brandon Wilson in Nickel Boys.
The Gothams provide early recognition and media attention for outstanding and groundbreaking storytellers, including writers, directors, producers and actors. Nominees were selected by independent committees of film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. Separate independent juries independent of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors, and other film industry professionals determined the final recipients of The Gothams.
The Gothams Tributes, the organization’s highest honors celebrating outstanding achievement in film, were also presented at the ceremony. The Tributes recognize the industry’s most accomplished creators and performers whose work has made an indelible impact on both the art form and popular culture.
Zendaya received the Spotlight Tribute for her magnetic performance as Tashi Donaldson in the Luca Guadagnino-directed film Challengers. Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold received the Visionary Tribute for their groundbreaking collaboration on A Complete Unknown, the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic. Angelina Jolie received the Performer Tribute for her rendition of the legendary opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain’s upcoming film Maria. Franklin Leonard and his company, the Black List, the platform dedicated to nurturing written storytelling and empowering writers to maximize their professional potential, received The Gotham Anniversary Tribute. Denis Villeneuve received The Gotham Director Tribute for his remarkable world-building and storytelling prowess in Dune: Part Two. The talented cast of The Piano Lesson, which includes Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins, and Erykah Badu, received the Ensemble Tribute for their captivating chemistry and artistry.
The Gotham also announced the winners of its sixth annual Focus Features & JetBlue Student Short Film Showcase Ethan Herisse and KiKi Layne. The five winning filmmakers were Nicole Chi (Los Mosquitos, The University of Texas at Austin), a Costa Rican-Chinese writer, director, and producer; Reem Jubran (Don’t Be Long, Little Bird, University of California, Los Angeles), a Palestinian filmmaker and artist based in California; Sujin Jung (Cocoon, Loyola Marymount University) is an LA-based writer-director originally from Gyeonggi-do province, Korea; Calleen Koh (My Wonderful Life, California Institute of the Arts), a Singaporean BAFTA-nominated animation filmmaker, writer, and artist; and Eva Steinmetz (Marina, Temple University) is a Philadelphia-based theater director, filmmaker, and educator, creating new works that straddle the ordinary and extraordinary.
With the critical support of returning partners JetBlue and Focus Features as well as Soho House, The Gotham aims to discover and empower a diverse group of emerging filmmakers as well as foster multi-platform distribution of their work through the annual program. Each winner will receive a $1,000 grant and will 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. Throughout 2025, the winning filmmakers will also receive ongoing mentorship and workshopping opportunities from The Gotham.
The Gothams were announced live and in-person at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The ceremony was also livestreamed on Variety’s YouTube channel and through TEGNA network affiliates across 51 markets throughout the country.
The winners of the the 34th edition of The Gothams are:
For Best Feature, presented by Jessica Chastain
A Different Man
Directed by Aaron Schimberg
Produced by Gabriel Mayers, Vanessa McDonnell, Christine Vachon
Released by A24
The Best Feature jury included: Nicole Beharie, Oscar Isaac, Adele Romanski, Rajendra Roy, and Julia Stiles.
For Best International Feature, presented by Guy Pearce and Saoirse Ronan
All We Imagine as Light
Directed by Payal Kapadia
Produced by Julien Graff, Thomas Hakim
Released by Sideshow and Janus Films
The Best International Feature jury included: Kat Candler, Nicolas Celis, Sanaa Lathan, Greta Lee, and Tina Satter.
For Best Documentary Feature, presented by Misty Copeland and Ryan Destiny
No Other Land
Directed by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Produced by Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Self Distributed
The Best Documentary Feature included: Katy Chevigny, Ezra Edelman, David Osit, Yoruba Richen, and Shaunak Sen
For Best Director, presented by Chloë Sevigny and Sebastian Stan
RaMell Ross for Nickel Boys
Released by Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios
The Best Director jury included: Annette Insdorf, Raven Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Patrick Stettner, and Uma Thurman.
For Best Screenplay, presented by Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella
Azazel Jacobs for His Three Daughters
Released by Netflix
The Best Screenplay jury included: Janicza Bravo, Samy Burch, David Hemingson, Samuel D. Hunter, and J.T. Rogers.
For Breakthrough Director, presented by Adrien Brody and Rachel Brosnahan
Vera Drew for The People’s Joker
Released by Altered Innocence
The Breakthrough Director jury included: Kisha Imani Cameron, Geoffrey Fletcher, Sydney Sweeney, Alex Thompson, and Charlotte Wells.
For Outstanding Lead Performance, presented by Emily Mortimer and Shailene Woodley
Colman Domingo in Sing Sing
Released by A24
The Outstanding Lead Performance jury included: Lake Bell, Don Cheadle, Anthony Michael Hall
Pamela Koffler, and Joana Vicente.
For Outstanding Supporting Performance, presented by Zoey Deutch and Bella Ramsey
Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing
Released byA24
The Outstanding Supporting Performance jury included: Kaitlyn Dever, Kitty Green, Charles Melton, Angela Russo-Otstot, and Blair Underwood.
For Breakthrough Performer, presented by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Anthony Ramos
Brandon Wilson in Nickel Boys
Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios
The Breakthrough Performer jury included: Anna Diop, Carlo Mirabella-Davis, Celine Song, Teyana Taylor, and Neil Creque Williams.
Sponsors
The Premier Sponsor of the 2024 Gothams is Vanity Fair, the Official Water is FIJI Water, the Official Airline is JetBlue, the Official Spirits are Rabbit Hole Distillery, and the Official Wine is Wolffer Estate Vineyard.
About the Gotham Film & Media Institute
The Gotham celebrates and nurtures independent film and media creators, providing career-building resources, access to industry influencers, and pathways to wider recognition. The organization, under the leadership of Executive Director and award-winning producer Jeffrey Sharp, fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Gotham Week, Gotham Labs, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gothams, Gotham EDU, Owning It, and Expanding Communities.
About The Gothams
The Gotham Film & Media Institute presents The Gothams as two annual awards ceremonies celebrating innovative talent both on-screen and off-screen in film and television. As the first major event of both awards seasons, The Gothams shine a spotlight on groundbreaking work while advancing the Institute’s year-round mission to support independent storytelling
Today we get a new Trailer for A DIFFERENT MAN, starring Sebastian Stan. The film will open in theatres this Fall. The Film premiered earlier this year at SXSW ’24.
Written and Directed By: Aaron Schimberg
Cast: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, Adam Pearson
Synopsis:
Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he loses out on the role he was born to play and becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.
(Photo/video credit: VVS Films)
By Amanda Gilmore
Aspiring Actor Edward (Sebastian Stan) undergoes a radical facial reconstructive medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. However, his new face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he loses out on the role he was born to play. A play based on himself — pre-surgery. Instead, theatre Director and Playwright Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) chooses Oswald (Adam Pearson) who meets the representation of the role. But Edward becomes fixated on the role and reclaiming what was lost.
A Different Man is a pitch-black comedic Psychological Thriller that confronts the themes of identity and representation in the arts. Writer-Director Aaron Schimberg isn’t afraid to tackle social issues in his films. Representation in Cinema has been a hot topic in recent years. But none have tackled this subject through the art form the debate surrounds like Schimberg.
To include both sides of the debate, Schimberg intelligently casts Stan (a truly stunning performance that only gets more enticing with each scene), who’s in full prosthetics and makeup for the surgery, as the facially disfigured Edward. Then he casts Pearson (who plays Oswald with charm and kinetic energy), an Actor who has facial disfigurement, as Oswald. This social commentary will work for some and not others. But at the very least it’s a film that has the power to get people talking and even change minds for the better.
Aside from the social commentary, A Different Man is shot beautifully on Kodak film and has a haunting score that unsettles the more Edward fixates on losing the role.
A24 has distribution of A Different Man but the film currently doesn’t have a release date.
A Different Man screens at Sundance ‘24:
Jan 21 at 8:00 PM at Eccles Theatre
Jan 22 at 9:00 AM at Eccles Theatre
Jan 25 at 9:15 PM at Rose Wagner Theatre
Jan 26 at 5:00 PM at Redstone Cinemas – 1
Jan 28 at 4:30 PM at Holiday Village Cinemas – 2
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