2020 IFP GOTHAM AWARDS ANNOUNCE TRIBUTES

CHADWICK BOSEMAN TO RECEIVE POSTHUMOUS ACTOR TRIBUTE
 

VIOLA DAVIS TO RECEIVE ACTRESS TRIBUTE

30th Anniversary to Take Place Monday, January 11, 2021

New York, NY (December 3, 2020) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), announced today that SAG Award-winning actor Chadwick Boseman will receive a posthumous Actor Tribute, and Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Viola Davis will receive an Actress Tribute.  The IFP Gotham Awards is one of the leading awards for independent film and signals the kick-off to the film awards season. As the first major awards ceremony of the season, the IFP Gotham Awards provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films and their writers, directors, producers, and actors with eleven competitive awards categories. The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention.  The 30th Anniversary of the IFP Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, January 11, 2021. The awards show will be presented live from Cipriani Wall Street New York in a hybrid format featuring virtual interactive tables in order to follow health and safety protocols brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Chadwick Boseman was an incredibly talented actor whose significance and impact onscreen and kindness offscreen will never be forgotten. We at IFP are forever indebted to him for all of his contributions to our organization, his legacy in providing mentorship and we are proud to honor him and all of his historical and groundbreaking contributions with this tribute,” said Jeffrey Sharp, Executive Director of IFP. “Viola Davis is a force within the industry, acting in some of the most culturally impactful and influential films of the past two decades. While universally recognized in her achievements on the stage, television and film, her extraordinary performance in MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is in many ways the culmination of an entire career. Chadwick and Viola’s work on this film marks the first year in which The Gotham Awards have honored two actors from the same film with a tribute. Both are champions within our industry and we look forward to celebrating their accomplishments.”

Chadwick Boseman was a SAG award-winning actor who had his first major role in Persons Unknown, and went on to star as baseball player Jackie Robinson in 42, singer James Brown in GET ON UP and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in MARSHALL.  He starred as the superhero the Black Panther in the Marvel series including films BLACK PANTHER, AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR and AVENGERS: ENDGAME, winning two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture.  He was most recently seen in Spike Lee’s DA 5 BLOODS for Netflix.  In August 2020 Boseman passed away from complications of colon cancer.  In his final performance Boseman will be seen opposite Viola Davis in George C. Wolfe’s MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, telling the story of a heated recording session of blues singer Ma Rainey and her band, based on the Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson’s play.  The film will be available on Netflix December 18, 2020.

Viola Davis is an Oscar, Emmy and Tony-Award winning actress.  She won an Oscar and Golden Globe for her performance in Denzel Washington’s FENCES, based upon August Wilson’s play of the same name, for which she won a Tony Award as well.  She was nominated for both an Oscar and Golden Globe for her roles in Tate Taylor’s THE HELP and John Patrick Shanley’s DOUBT, and won an Emmy Award for her role in How to Get Away with Murder.  She is the first African-American actress to achieve the “Triple Crown of Acting,” named for actors who have won a competitive Academy Award, Emmy Award, and Tony Award in the acting categories.  Davis has also starred in films including Steve McQueen’s WIDOWS, Denis Villeneuve’s PRISONERS and will be seen in James Gunn’s upcoming THE SUICIDE SQUAD.  She stars opposite Boseman in George C. Wolfe’s upcoming MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM.

Additional tributes will be announced for the 2020 IFP Gotham Awards in the coming weeks.  For information please visit: http://gotham.ifp.org

ABOUT CHADWICK BOSEMAN
Chadwick Boseman was a SAG award-winning actor whose breakout performance came in 2013 when he garnered rave reviews for his portrayal of Jackie Robinson in Warner Bros’ 42. His illustrious career continued as he went on to play other Black icons, including singer James Brown in GET ON UP and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in MARSHALL. Segueing into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was first introduced as “T’Challa” in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, which ultimately led to his own film as the African superhero “Black Panther” in Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER. The film received seven Academy Award nominations, including Marvel’s first-ever Best Picture nomination. For his performance, Boseman won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture, as well as the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture alongside the film’s ensemble. He was most recently seen in Spike Lee’s DA 5 BLOODS for Netflix. In his final performance, Boseman will be seen opposite Viola Davis in George C. Wolfe’s MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, telling the story of a heated recording session of blues singer Ma Rainey and her band, based on the Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson’s play. The film will be available on Netflix December 18, 2020.

ABOUT VIOLA DAVIS
Viola Davis is a critically revered, award-winning actress of film, television and theater.  She is the first black actress to win two Tony Awards (“Fences” & “King Hedley II”), an Oscar (“Fences”) and an Emmy (“How to Get Away with Murder”). Davis can next be seen in Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”  She recently starred in the sixth and final season of “How to Get Away with Murder,” a role for which she became the first African American actress to receive the Emmy Award for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.” In 2012, Davis and her husband founded their production company, JuVee Productions, with its focus being on giving a voice to the voiceless through strong, impactful and culturally relevant narratives.

Tributes will be honored and winners presented live from Cipriani Wall Street New York in a hybrid format featuring virtual interactive tables.  To purchase virtual tables or tickets to attend, please contact Steven Pfeiffer by email at [email protected], or by phone at (212) 465-8200 Ext. 219.

Sponsors

The Premier Sponsor of the 2020 Gotham Awards is The New York Times. The Official Auto Partner is Cadillac, the Official Water Partner is FIJI Water, the Official Airline Partner is JetBlue, and the Official Wine Partner is Robert Hall Winery.

About IFP

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. 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 IFP Week, Filmmaker Magazine, and the IFP Gotham Awards.

About the IFP Gotham Awards

The IFP Gotham Awards, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.

For information on attending: http://gotham.ifp.org

PRESS CONTACTS:

FRANK PR | 646.861.0843

Stephanie Davidson | [email protected]

Bess Donoghue | [email protected]