New York, NY (Tuesday, November 25, 2014) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s premier member organization of independent storytellers, announced today the emcee and presenters for the 24th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP. The seven competitive awards to be presented include Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Actor, Best Actress (presenting sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein), Breakthrough Actor, the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director award, and the Gotham Audience Award. In addition to the competitive awards, Gotham Award Tributes will be given to actor Tilda Swinton, director Bennett Miller, and Industry Tribute recipient Netflix’s Ted Sarandos.

The 2014 awards will be emceed by Academy Award nominated® actress Uma Thurman, who received a Gotham Award Tribute in 2001. Award presenters scheduled for the evening include: Patricia Arquette, Will Arnett, Jake Gyllenhaal, Heather Graham, Ethan Hawke, Scarlett Johansson, Catherine Keener, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Amy Schumer, Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank, Marisa Tomei and Miles Teller. Streep and Swank were past Tribute honorees at the Gotham Awards. Other previous Gotham Award winners among the presenters include Hawke and Tomei (both for the Before Devil Knows You’re Dead ensemble), Johansson (Vicky Cristina Barcelona ensemble), and Keener (Synecdoche, New York ensemble).

As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the Gotham Awards provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention, including recent winners and ultimate Oscar® contenders.

Some of the artists who will be in attendance include: Steve Carell, Shane Carruth, J.C. Chandor, Cary Fukunaga, Jonathan Glazer, Bill Hader, Jon Hamm, Oscar Isaac, Famke Janssen, Julianne Moore (also a previous Gotham Award Tribute honoree), Amy Seimetz, Jenny Slate and Jennifer Westfeldt. 

“Each year the independent film community comes together at the Gotham Awards to honor the best work from independent storytellers. We are excited that so many talented and celebrated artists are joining us in saluting this year’s nominees of master film artists and talented newcomers,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP and the Made in NY Media Center.

Live Stream

The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, December 1st at Cipriani Wall Street.  Audiences can also watch the Gotham Awards and find out the winners live, streaming at www.ifp.org on December 1st at 6:30pm with the red carpet, hosted by Jonathan Lisecki.

Charity Auction

The Gotham Awards’ fourth annual fundraising auction, held in conjunction with charitybuzz.com, is another way to support the work of independent film. The auction raises funds for IFP’s educational programs to provide ongoing support to filmmakers throughout the year. The auction includes nationally accessible items.  Bid to win a consultation with HBO’s Sheila Nevins, Sony Pictures Classics’ Dylan Leiner, Bleecker Street’s Andrew Karpen, or you could win casting sessions with industry pros like Laura Rosenthal or Avy Kaufman. Also offered are exclusive prizes like premiere tickets to A24’s upcoming A Most Violent Year and house seats to Cabaret on Broadway, including a visit with Alan Cumming post-show in his dressing room. All items are open for bidding through December 11, 2014 at www.charitybuzz.com/gotham.

Sponsors

The Premier Sponsor of the 24th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards is The New York Times and the Platinum Sponsor is euphoria Calvin Klein. Additionally, the awards are promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times each November. The Official Spirit is Maestro Dobel Tequila. The Official Wine Partner is Line 39 by O’Neil.

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 fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. IFP represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, IFP has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.

About the Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP

The Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP, 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