Gotham Awards 2023: Past Lives wins big, De Niro blasts Trump and Apple
The 2023 Gotham Awards celebrated outstanding achievements in independent filmmaking, providing an early glimpse into potential favourites for the upcoming awards season. The ceremony, held at Cipriani Wall Street and organised by the Gotham Film & Media Institute, saw Past Lives emerge as the big winner, securing the top prize for Best Feature.
The Gotham Awards
As the film industry navigates challenges, including the impact of a Screen Actors Guild strike and the changing dynamics of storytelling, the Gotham Awards stand as a beacon, heralding the arrival of exceptional cinematic narratives and groundbreaking performances.
Top winner
Directed by Celine Song and distributed by A24, Past Lives embarked on its journey to acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in January, ultimately blossoming into an arthouse sensation in June.
READ MORE: Past Lives Review: Celine Song's devastating debut scores one above all your multiverses
The film, featuring the stellar performances of Greta Lee and John Magaro, intricately weaves a narrative around a woman born in Seoul who, upon marrying an American, reconnects with a childhood friend from South Korea.
Celine Song, making her directorial debut, expressed heartfelt gratitude upon accepting the award, describing the film as a deeply personal exploration of extraordinary emotions set in an ordinary East Village bar.
Updated norms
The Gotham Awards, renowned for their idiosyncrasies, continued to break away from traditional norms.
- The selection process involved small committees comprising film professionals, critics, and journalists, eschewing the more common popular vote approach.
- The awards were a trailblazer in adopting gender-neutral acting categories, with ten nominees each for lead and supporting performances.
- The removal of a $35 million budget cap for nominees demonstrated the institute's dedication to acknowledging excellence irrespective of the production's financial scale.
De Niro fumes
The evening, however, took an unexpected turn when veteran actor Robert De Niro took the stage to present a tribute award.
- De Niro expressed displeasure at Apple, the producer of Martin Scorsese’s latest, Killers of the Flower Moon, in which he stars.
- He accused the tech giant of editing his speech without his knowledge, highlighting a section that had been omitted.
- Despite the glitch, De Niro passionately delved into broader societal issues, condemning what he referred to as America's "post-truth society" and criticising Hollywood's historical misrepresentations, particularly singling out John Wayne's depictions of Native Americans.
The winners
Here’s a full list of winners at the Gotham Awards 2023:
BEST FEATURE
Passages
Past Lives – WINNER
Reality
Showing Up
A Thousand and One
OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Origin
Lily Gladstone, The Unknown Country – WINNER
Greta Lee, Past Lives
Franz Rogowski, Passages
Babetida Sadjo, Our Father, The Devil
Andrew Scott, All of Us Strangers
Cailee Spaeny, Priscilla
Teyana Taylor, A Thousand and One
Michelle Williams, Showing Up
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Juliette Binoche, The Taste of Things
Penélope Cruz, Ferrari
Jamie Foxx, They Cloned Tyrone
Claire Foy, All of Us Strangers
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Glenn Howerton, BlackBerry
Sandra Hüller, The Zone of Interest
Rachel McAdams, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Charles Melton, May December – WINNER
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
BEST SCREENPLAY
All of Us Strangers, Andrew Haigh
Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet, Arthur Harari – WINNER
May December, Samy Burch
R.M.N., Cristian Mungiu
The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
All of Us Strangers
Anatomy of a Fall – WINNER
Poor Things
Tótem
The Zone of Interest
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
20 Days in Mariupol
Against the Tide
Apolonia, Apolonia
Four Daughters – WINNER
Our Body
BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR
Raven Jackson, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Georgia Oakley, Blue Jean
Michelle Garza Cervera, Huesera
Celine Song, Past Lives
AV Rockwell, A Thousand and One – WINNER
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SERIES
Jacob Anderson, Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire
Dominique Fishback, Swarm
Jharrel Jerome, I’m a Virgo
Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face
Bel Powley, A Small Light
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
Chaske Spencer, The English
Rachel Weisz, Dead Ringers
Ali Wong, Beef – WINNER
Steven Yeun, Beef
BREAKTHROUGH TELEVISION OVER 40 MINUTES
Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire
Dead Ringers
The English
The Last of Us
A Small Light – WINNER
Telemarketers
BREAKTHROUGH TELEVISION UNDER 40 MINUTES
Beef – WINNER
High School
I’m A Virgo
Rain Dogs
Swarm
The awards race
The frontrunner heading into the ceremony was director Andrew Haigh's All of Us Strangers, a metaphysical gay romance that secured four nominations across various categories. However, the film did not dominate the winners' list, with Past Lives emerging as the unexpected victor.
- Song's directorial debut and its success at the Gotham Awards could potentially position it as a dark horse in the upcoming Oscar race, reminiscent of previous winners like Nomadland.
To know more about the annual awards race and the journey to the Oscars, check out: How To Win An Oscar
The Gotham Awards historically possess a mixed track record when it comes to predicting future awards glory.
- While last year's Everything Everywhere All at Once rode its Gotham success to a runaway Oscar campaign, the year before saw The Lost Daughter falter on the campaign trail despite winning at the Gothams.
The 2023 ceremony, therefore, sets the stage for Past Lives to navigate the turbulent landscape of awards season, with its Sundance breakout and arthouse appeal potentially propelling it to further success on the grand stage of the Academy Awards.