President of BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) Gina Duncan to Receive Cultural Impact Honor; Filmmakers RaMell Ross and Sean Wang to be Honored with Alumni of Distinction Awards

Gotham Week to Feature Screening and Q&A of Azazel Jacobs’ “His Three Daughters” on October 1st at BAM Rose Cinemas & Screening of RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” on October 3rd

NEW YORK (September 10, 2024) – The Gotham Film & Media Institute proudly presents the inaugural Gotham Week Honors, spotlighting outstanding contributions to the independent film and media landscape. The event will take place on Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024, in Brooklyn, as part of the 45th annual Gotham Week.

Gina Duncan, President of BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), will be honored with the first-ever Gotham Week Cultural Impact Honor. This award celebrates Duncan’s remarkable journey in cinema and media, from her work at the Jacob Burns Film Center, through her tenure at Sundance, to her current role leading one of the world’s most renowned cultural institutions.

“Gina Duncan’s career exemplifies the spirit of this recognition,” said Jeffrey Sharp, Executive Director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute. “Her significant contributions to New York’s cultural landscape and ongoing commitment to fostering diverse voices in film and media reflect our core mission. This award celebrates Duncan’s powerful impact on the city’s arts and culture, as well as her invaluable support of The Gotham’s growth and vision.”

Duncan was appointed as BAM’s president in February of 2022. The appointment marked a return to BAM for Duncan, who previously served as its first vice president of film and strategic programming. Under her tenure, the film program flourished, and a revolutionary approach to repertory programming which centered underrepresented voices in cinema was recognized as a “vital” part of the New York film landscape by The New York Times. Prior to the BAM presidency, Duncan was at the Sundance Institute where she served as Producing Director since September 2020. During her tenure, she was responsible for producing the Sundance Film Festival online and in-person, as well as managing the Institute’s year-round operations. As Producing Director, she was an integral part of fiscal and artistic planning and oversight for the Institute. 

Filmmakers RaMell Ross and Sean Wang will each receive an inaugural Gotham Week Alumni Honor of Distinction Award. This award pays tribute to outstanding alumni of The Gotham programs who serve as beacons of the independent filmmaking community.

The Gotham has followed Ross’s career since he brought Hale County This Morning, This Evening to the Documentary Lab and Gotham Week Project Market in 2016. The film’s trajectory from acclaimed festival runs to an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature has been remarkable. With his narrative film debut Nickel Boys, Ross continues to push boundaries in independent filmmaking, with critics hailing it as “a new American masterpiece.” The Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios film will open in theaters on October 25^th and will host a special screening and Q&A with Ross at Gotham Week on October 3rd.  

Ross is an artist, filmmaker, writer, and liberated documentarian. He has been awarded an Aaron Siskind Foundation Individual Photographer’s Fellowship, Howard Foundation Fellowship, a USA Artist Fellowship and was a 2022 Solomon Fellow at Harvard University. His feature experimental documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening won a Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and 2020 Peabody Award. It was nominated for an Oscar at the 91st Academy Awards and an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Film. Ross holds degrees in Sociology and English from Georgetown University and is an associate professor in Brown University’s Visual Art Department. His work is in various public and private collections such as the Museum for Modern Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the High Museum. His book Spell, Time, Practice, American, Body was shortlisted for the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation photobook award.

Wang’s relationship with The Gotham began when he brought Dìdi to the Gotham Week Project Market in 2022. The film’s success story includes triumphant festival runs at Sundance, SXSW, and Beijing, culminating in its acquisition by Focus Features. At the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Dìdi achieved further acclaim, winning both the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast.

Wang is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker currently based in Los Angeles. He is a Google Creative Lab 5 alum, former Sundance Ignite Fellow, and 2023 Sundance Screenwriters & Directors Lab Fellow. His latest short, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma), premiered at SXSW 2023 where it won the Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film and is currently streaming on Disney+ & Hulu. His debut feature film, Dìdi (弟弟), premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by Focus Features.

In addition, Gotham Week Honors will recognize emerging filmmakers in four categories:

• — US Shorts to Features
• — US Features in Development
• — Spotlight on Documentaries
• — Global Producer of the Year

“Gotham Week Honors represents a pivotal moment for our organization,” said Kia Brooks, Deputy Director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute. “It allows us to celebrate both established figures who have shaped our industry and emerging talents who represent its future. We’re excited to bring together our community to recognize these outstanding individuals.”

The full list of honorees will be announced following the ceremony on October 2nd. 

Additionally, Gotham Week announced today that it will host a screening of His Three Daughters followed by a Q&A with director Azazel Jacobs on Tuesday, October 1 at BAM Rose Cinemas. RSVP to attend at thegotham.org. An additional screening will feature a showcase of the shorts to features participating in the The Gotham Week Project Market taking place at Nitehawk Cinemas. Tickets can be purchased at https://nitehawkcinema.com/prospectpark. 

“Now in our third year, The Gotham Week Expo continues to evolve and provide tangible solutions for film & media creators to determine the best pathway for their work and career within the industry,” added Brooks. “We also couldn’t be more excited to bring our community early looks at such films as His Three Daughters.” 

For more information about Gotham Week Honors and The Gotham Film & Media Institute, please visit https://thegotham.org/gotham-week/. 

The Gotham and Gotham Week are generously supported by a group of loyal corporate, foundation, and government benefactors. The 2024 Premier Sponsors are Netflix, Amazon MGM Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery; the Gold Sponsors are Hulu, SAGindie, and The Walt Disney Studios; the Official Venues are BAM Rose Cinemas, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Nitehawk Cinemas, Soho Works, the workspace to Soho House; and the Official Spirits Partner is Kings County Distillery. Gotham Week Honors supporters are Bad Math and IndieClear. Gotham Week is also supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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 EDU, Expanding Communities, Owning It, Filmmaker Magazine, and the Gotham Awards, and Gotham TV Awards.

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