GOTHAM TV AWARDS ANNOUNCES TRIBUTE RECIPIENTS
by The Gotham Staff on May 29, 2024
Recipients to be Honored at Inaugural Gotham TV Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, June 4th in NYC
New York, NY (May 29, 2024) – The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced today the three tribute recipients to be honored at the inaugural Gotham TV Awards Ceremony, taking place live and in person at 7PM on Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at Cipriani 25 in New York City. Mariska Hargitay will receive the Anniversary Tribute for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Peter Morgan will receive the Creator Tribute for The Crown, and Lulu Wang will receive the Spotlight Tribute for Expats. Nominees for the 2024 Gotham TV Awards were previously announced and all television awards will be given out at the Gotham TV Awards Ceremony.
“In launching the 2024 Gotham TV Awards, we’re proud to carry on a longstanding Gotham Awards tradition in honoring iconic artists and creators who have enriched the landscape and pushed the boundaries of TV, making an indelible impact on the medium” said Jeffrey Sharp, The Gotham’s Executive Director. “Lulu Wang and Peter Morgan have crafted profound and ambitious shows that capture the artistic breadth of television while Mariska Hargitay has delivered one of the most iconic performances in the history of TV. We look forward to honoring each of them at the inaugural Gotham TV Awards Ceremony and announcing the first ever winners of the Gotham TV Awards.”
For her outstanding run on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mariska Hargitay will receive the Anniversary Tribute. Hargitay’s beloved, critically acclaimed run on over 550 episodes of playing Captain Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is one of the most impressive achievements in television history. The Gotham will celebrate both Law & Order: SVU’s incredible 25th Anniversary and Hargitay’s unparalleled career.
“The only other character that has been on Law & Order: SVU as long as I have is New York City itself,” said Mariska Hargitay. “And what a glorious acting partner, castmate and timeless superstar this city has been. New York has so much to teach about resilience, belief in possibility—and surviving. I’m deeply honored to receive this award from The Gotham, and I dedicate it to the survivors everywhere who continue to inspire my work.”
Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Mariska Hargitay stars in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Olivia Benson, a dedicated and emotionally driven detective and commanding officer of New York City’s Special Victims Unit. Benson is the longest-running primetime drama character in television history. Hargitay also serves as executive producer and director of the series. Now in its 25th season and with over 500 episodes, SVU is the longest-running primetime drama series of all time. Hargitay won an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Drama, a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Drama Series, four Gracie Allen Awards and two People’s Choice Awards for Favorite Drama TV Star for her portrayal of Olivia Benson. Hargitay’s role on SVU awakened her to burdens that survivors of trauma often carry: the weight of shame, judgment, and isolation. Inspired by their courage, she founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004, whose mission is to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, support survivors’ healing, and end this violence forever. She subsequently produced I Am Evidence, an HBO documentary film on the topic that was nominated for a Peabody Award and won the 2019 Emmy Award for Best Documentary.
Receiving the Creator Tribute at the Gotham TV Awards is Peter Morgan for his remarkable creation of The Crown. With rave reviews and countless accolades over six seasons, The Crown is one of the most influential, beloved television series of our time. Peter Morgan has taken audiences on an astonishing journey across generations of the royal family and in so doing, set a new bar for quality television drama. Honoring Peter and The Crown in its final season will make for a central highlight of the evening.
“I am delighted to receive this prestigious inaugural award from The Gotham Institute,” said Peter Morgan. “The Crown has been an amazing ten year journey and is the sum of so many incredible parts, both in front and behind the camera. This award is truly a recognition of everyone’s work and so on behalf of us all, thank you.”
Peter Morgan is an international award-winning writer for stage, screen and film. He received multiple Oscar and BAFTA nominations for his screenplay for Stephen Frears’ The Queen starring Helen Mirren and won a host of international awards, including Golden Globe, British Independent Film and Evening Standard British Film Awards. The award-winning and Tony-nominated play Frost/Nixon received critical acclaim before being adapted into a multi–Academy Award-nominated film of the same name, which garnered five Oscar nominations, including Best Screenplay. In 2013 Peter wrote the award-winning West End play, The Audience, starring Helen Mirren. He is the creator and showrunner of The Crown, which debuted on Netflix in 2016 and ended in 2023. The series has won numerous awards, including two Golden Globes for Best Television Series – Drama and many Emmys including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. In 2022 he wrote Patriots, a play that
follows the lives of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky. Directed by Rupert Goold, the play had its initial run at The Almeida and a sell-out transfer to the West End in 2023. It won Best New Play at Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards and was nominated for Best New Play at Olivier Awards.
Lulu Wang is the recipient of the Spotlight Tribute at the Gotham TV Awards. Lulu’s bold, innovative approach in adapting Janice Y.K. Lee’s novel for television is unmistakable in the extraordinary characterizations and performances from the wide, diverse cast of Expats. Furthermore, her achievement in assembling a female-driven acting ensemble and writers’ room to reflect the source material is exemplary.
“It’s an enormous privilege to tell stories, and having the support of a community to continue telling stories is an even greater privilege,” said Lulu Wang. “As someone who’s always struggled to belong, I’m deeply moved to receive this honor from an institute that values independent voices and carves new paths for those who have historically felt like outsiders in this industry.”
Wang’s production company, Local Time, has several features, television series, and podcasts in development. Her latest limited series, Expats, starring Nicole Kidman, Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo, Jack Huston, and Brian Tee launched on Prime Video on January 26. The penultimate episode, “Central,” premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and played at subsequent fall festivals. Wang served as the showrunner and writer and directed all six episodes. Wang’s 2019 sophomore feature The Farewell, which she wrote and directed, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. Wang went on to amass critical acclaim and awards for the A24 box office hit. The film won Best Feature at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards, and received many accolades and nominations, including AFI’s Top Ten Films of 2019, a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film nomination, as well as Best Feature and Best Screenplay nods from the Gotham Independent Film Awards. In addition, The Farewell’s lead actress Awkwafina was the recipient of the Golden Globe for Best Actress, while Zhao Shuzhen received a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Independent Spirit Awards.
The tribute recipients will be honored and the winners will be announced at the inaugural Gotham TV Awards Ceremony, taking place live and in person at 7PM on Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at Cipriani 25 in New York City. The Premier Sponsor of the 2024 Gotham TV Awards is Vanity Fair.
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, the Documentary Development Initiative in partnership with HBO Documentary Films, the Gotham Awards, Gotham EDU, Owning It, Expanding Communities, and Filmmaker Magazine.
About The Gotham Awards & Gotham TV Awards
The Gotham Awards is the first major film awards show of the awards season that honors outstanding and groundbreaking voices in storytelling.
Launched in 2024, the Gotham TV Awards recognizes outstanding television series and performances that expand the boundaries of creativity while honoring iconic artists and creators of the television industry.
The Gotham Awards and The Gotham TV Awards support the year-round work of The Gotham Film & Media Institute to provide film and TV creators with vital resources in bringing their work to fruition.
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