To many, the Gotham Awards serve as the unofficial starting gun for the Oscar race. The annual awards — which are presented by the Gotham Film and Media Institute and voted on by a selection of film critics, programmers, and curators — serve as the first major film award ceremony of the season and offer an early look at the state of the race that has emerged in the months following the fall festival circuit.
The 34th annual Gotham Awards are set to take place tonight at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Many of the year’s biggest Oscar contenders will be on hand, as frontrunners like “Anora,” “Challengers,” “Babygirl,” and “Nickel Boys” are all nominated in some of the night’s biggest categories.
“We are proud to announce the nominees for The Gothams, selected by nominating committees who bring their independent perspective to the selection process,” Gotham Film and Media Institute executive director Jeffrey Sharp said in a statement announcing the nominations. “This year’s nominations celebrate voices from across the globe, embodying the growing embrace of international cinema by audiences everywhere.”
For award watchers and New York cinephiles, the Gotham Awards are a can’t miss event. And you don’t need to attend the ceremony to follow all of the excitement. The show, which begins at 7pm E.T./4pm P.T., will be streamed in its entirety on the Variety YouTube channel embedded below. Those who don’t have time to watch can also follow along with IndieWire’s forthcoming winners list, which will update live throughout the evening.
In addition to the competitive awards, the ceremony will also feature tributes to the creative teams behind some of the year’s biggest films. “Dune: Part Two” director Denis Villeneuve will receive the Director Tribute, while the film’s star Zendaya will be honored with the Spotlight Award. The cast of Malcolm Washington’s “The Piano Lesson” will be honored with the Ensemble Tribute, and Greg Kwedar’s “Sing Sing” will receive the Social Justice Tribute. Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold will also share the Visionary Award for their work on “A Complete Unknown,” and Angelina Jolie will receive the Performer Tribute for “Maria.”
