The Gotham Awards are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving, in an issue of Salmagundi, published on November 11, 1807. Part of the Gotham Film & Media Institute, "the largest membership organization in the United States dedicated to independent film", the awards were inaugurated in 1991 as a means of showcasing and honoring films made primarily in the northeastern region of the United States.
The 15th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 30, 2005 and were hosted by Kyra Sedgwick. The nominees were announced on October 25, 2005.
Jeffrey Sharp is an American feature film and TV producer and Executive Director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute.
The Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and honors feature film directorial debuts. Named after Bingham Ray since 2013, the breakthrough director award was first given in 1991 as the Open Palm Award, with Jennie Livingston being the first recipient of the award, for her work in Paris Is Burning. From 1991 to 1996 only the winner was announced, since 1997, a set of 5 to 6 nominees is presented annually.
The 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 30, 2009. The nominees were announced on October 19, 2009. The ceremony was hosted by Kumail Nanjiani.
Joana Vicente is a Portuguese independent movie producer and executive. A prominent figure in the New York film industry, Vicente has produced over forty films with her producing partner and husband Jason Kliot. In 1999 Vicente and Kliot produced Tony Bui's feature debut, Three Seasons, which took the three top awards at the Sundance Film Festival, including the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize. Vicente and Kliot have since worked with directors such as Steven Soderbergh, Brian De Palma, Hal Hartley, Nicole Holofcener, Jim Jarmusch, and Alex Gibney.
The 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 26, 2012. The nominees were announced on October 18, 2012. The ceremony was hosted by Mike Birbiglia.
The 23rd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on December 2, 2013. The nominees were announced on October 24, 2013. The ceremony was hosted by Nick Kroll. It is the first Gotham Awards ceremony where the awards for best actor and best actress were given out.
Eliza Hittman is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer from New York City. She has won multiple awards for her film Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which include the New York Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award—both for best screenplay.
Isidore Bethel is a French-American filmmaker who was among Filmmaker's "25 New Faces of Independent Film" in 2020 and DOC NYC's "40 Under 40" in 2023. The films he edits, directs, and produces use filmmaking to make sense of overwhelming experiences and touch on recurrent themes of displacement, sexuality, aging, trauma, grief, therapy, and art-making. His first feature film as director, Liam, premiered at the Boston LGBT Film Festival in 2018 and received the Jury Prize in the Documentary section of the Paris LGBTQ+ Film Festival. His second film, Acts of Love, which French actor Francis Leplay co-directed, premiered at Hot Docs, received the Tacoma Film Festival's Best Feature Award, and appeared on MovieWeb's list of the top LGBTQ+ films of 2021.
The 26th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on November 28, 2016. The nominees were announced on October 20, 2016. Actors Ethan Hawke and Amy Adams, director Oliver Stone and producer Arnon Milchan received tribute awards. The ceremony was hosted by Keegan-Michael Key.
The 14th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on December 1, 2004. The nominees for Breakthrough Actor and Director were announced on November 1, 2004 and the nominees in the film categories were announced on November 10, 2004. The ceremony was hosted by Bob Balaban. It was the first Gotham Award ceremony where the prizes for Best Feature and Best Documentary were awarded.
The 13th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on September 22, 2003. The ceremony was hosted by Michael Ian Black. It was the first Gotham Awards ceremony where the individual awards such as the Filmmaker Award were replaced with Career Tributes resulting in several Tributes each year instead of one.
The 8th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on September 23, 1998, and were hosted by Stanley Tucci. At the ceremony, Sidney Lumet was honored with a Career Tribute, Frances McDormand received the Actor Award, Richard LaGravenese was given the Writer Award and David V. Picker was awarded the Producer/Industry Executive Award.
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Documentary is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. It was first presented in 2004 with Jonathan Demme's The Agronomist being the first recipient of the award.
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Series – Long Form is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and honors series with episodes over 40 minutes. Until 2019, the award honored a new "continuing or limited series with episodes running 30 minutes or longer". It was first awarded in 2015.
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Series – Short Form is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and honors series with episodes under 40 minutes. Until 2019, the award intended to honor a new continuing or limited series new digital media programming, with five or more episodes mostly under 20 minutes. It was first awarded in 2015.
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast was one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards awarded between 2005 and 2012. The award was called Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Performance between 2008 and 2012.
The 30th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, were held on January 11, 2021. The nominations were announced on November 12, 2020. Actors Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis, director Steve McQueen, writer Ryan Murphy, and the cast of The Trial of the Chicago 7 received tribute awards.
The Gotham Independent Film Audience Award was one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards awarded between 2010 and 2020. The winner was determined via an online vote, in earlier years by the independent film community and film fans (2010–2013), and later by members of the Independent Filmmaker Project (2014–2020).
