Derek Cianfrance and Laura Poitras are among the acclaimed filmmakers set to be recognized at the 2025 Gotham Week honors, highlighting stellar independent film and media contributions.
In addition, the second annual awards ceremony, the centerpiece of Gotham Week’s 46th edition, will also honor Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor and Elegance Bratton and Chester Gordon’s Move Ya Body: The Birth of House documentary.
Cianfrance and Poitras will be recognized with the Alumni of Distinction Award given to acclaimed members of the independent fillmaking community who previously participated in Gotham programs.
Cianfrance — whose next film Roofman, starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, will be released in October — saw his debut Brother Tied featured in Gotham Week, formerly IFP Week, in 1998. Additionally, Cianfrance’s critically acclaimed Blue Valentine, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, received The Gotham Film and Media Institute’s Chrysler/IFP/Silverwood Prize. The writer-director’s other credits include the films The Place Beyond the Pines, which starred Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes; The Light Between the Oceans, starring Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz; and the Oscar-nominated Riz Ahmed starrer The Sound of Metal, which he co-wrote with Darius and Abraham Marder. He also wrote and directed every episode of the HBO miniseries I Know This Much Is True, adapted from the Wally Lamb novel of the same name and starring Mark Ruffalo, who won an Emmy for his performance.
Poitras, the Oscar and Pulitzer Prize-winning filmmaker and journalist, won two Gotham Awards for best documentary for The Oath and Citizenfour. And her early films Flag Wars and My Country, My Country were featured as part of The Gotham’s documentary work in progress section of Gotham Week, formerly IFP Week. Her new film, Cover-Up, is a portrait of investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. Her other films include the Golden Lion-winning, Oscar-nominated All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and the Oscar-winning Citizenfour.
Taylor will receive the Gotham Week Honors Cultural Impact Award in recognition of the crowdfunding platform’s significant contributions to and strong support for the independent filmmaking community.
The Bratton-directed and Gordon-produced Move Ya Body, which traces house music to its conception and had its world premiere at Sundance, will receive the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Award.
Gotham Week will also honor up-and-coming filmmakers in four categories: U.S. Shorts to Features, U.S. Features in Development, Spotlight on Documentaries and Global Producer of the Year.
“The Gotham is honored to celebrate two iconic Gotham alumni filmmakers as well as one of our community’s vital leaders shaping the future of independent storytelling,” The Gotham executive director Jeffrey Sharp said in a statement. “Derek and Laura, whose deep roots with The Gotham predate their remarkable career success, exemplify the alumni we’re proud to champion, while Everette has been transformative for independent creators by providing essential support to bring their visions to life. We’re also thrilled to recognize Elegance and Chester, whose Move Ya Body reminds us how independent film can illuminate culture, history, and community. Now in its second year, the Gotham Week Honors reflect how we continue to innovate around our legacy program Gotham Week and reaffirm our commitment to sustaining a vibrant home for independent storytellers.”
The Gotham’s deputy director Kia Brooks added, “Gotham Week Honors has become a special moment for our organization. We’re especially excited this year to highlight the incredible projects coming out of the Project Market, alongside celebrating established Gotham alumni filmmakers and influential cultural leaders who are shaping the future of our industry. It’s an honor to bring our community together to recognize these outstanding voices and industry trailblazers.”
The 2025 Gotham Week Honors are set for Oct. 1 in Brooklyn, New York.
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