Announcing the winners of the 34th edition of The Gothams

A Different Man Wins Best Feature and No Other Land Wins Best Documentary Feature

All We Imagine As Light Wins Best International Feature and His Three Daughters Wins Best Screenplay 

Performance Awards go to Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, and Brandon Wilson

Winners of Sixth Annual Focus Features & JetBlue Student Short Film Showcase Announced

 The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced today the winners of the 34th edition of The Gothams at a ceremony held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

The winner for Best Feature was A Different Man. 

The winner for Best International Feature was All We Imagine as Light.

The winner for Best Documentary Feature was presented to No Other Land.

The winner for Best Director was RaMell Ross for Nickel Boys.

The winner for Best Screenplay was Azazel Jacobs for His Three Daughters.

The winner for Breakthrough Director Gotham was Vera Drew for The People’s Joker.

The winner for Outstanding Lead Performance was Colman Domingo in Sing Sing.

The winner for Outstanding Supporting Performance was Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing.

The winner for Breakthrough Performer was Brandon Wilson in Nickel Boys.

The Gothams provide early recognition and media attention for outstanding and groundbreaking storytellers, including writers, directors, producers and actors. Nominees were selected by independent committees of film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. Separate independent juries independent of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors, and other film industry professionals determined the final recipients of The Gothams.

The Gothams Tributes, the organization's highest honors celebrating outstanding achievement in film, were also presented at the ceremony. The Tributes recognize the industry's most accomplished creators and performers whose work has made an indelible impact on both the art form and popular culture. 

Zendaya received the Spotlight Tribute for her magnetic performance as Tashi Donaldson in the Luca Guadagnino-directed film Challengers. Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold received the Visionary Tribute for their groundbreaking collaboration on A Complete Unknown, the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic. Angelina Jolie received the Performer Tribute for her rendition of the legendary opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain’s upcoming film Maria. Franklin Leonard and his company, the Black List, the platform dedicated to nurturing written storytelling and empowering writers to maximize their professional potential, received The Gotham Anniversary Tribute. Denis Villeneuve received The Gotham Director Tribute for his remarkable world-building and storytelling prowess in Dune: Part Two. The talented cast of The Piano Lesson, which includes Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins, and Erykah Badu, received the Ensemble Tribute for their captivating chemistry and artistry. 

The Gotham also announced the winners of its sixth annual Focus Features & JetBlue Student Short Film Showcase Ethan Herisse and KiKi Layne. The five winning filmmakers were Nicole Chi (Los Mosquitos, The University of Texas at Austin), a Costa Rican-Chinese writer, director, and producer; Reem Jubran (Don’t Be Long, Little Bird, University of California, Los Angeles), a Palestinian filmmaker and artist based in California; Sujin Jung (Cocoon, Loyola Marymount University) is an LA-based writer-director originally from Gyeonggi-do province, Korea; Calleen Koh (My Wonderful Life, California Institute of the Arts), a Singaporean BAFTA-nominated animation filmmaker, writer, and artist; and Eva Steinmetz (Marina, Temple University) is a Philadelphia-based theater director, filmmaker, and educator, creating new works that straddle the ordinary and extraordinary.

With the critical support of returning partners JetBlue and Focus Features as well as Soho House, The Gotham aims to discover and empower a diverse group of emerging filmmakers as well as foster multi-platform distribution of their work through the annual program. Each winner will receive a $1,000 grant and will have their films shown for twelve months on JetBlue’s seatback entertainment systems under the “Gotham Selects” movie category and on Focus Features digital streaming platforms. Throughout 2025, the winning filmmakers will also receive ongoing mentorship and workshopping opportunities from The Gotham.

The Gothams were announced live and in-person at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The ceremony was also livestreamed on Variety's YouTube channel and through TEGNA network affiliates across 51 markets throughout the country. 

The winners of the the 34th edition of The Gothams are: 

For Best Feature, presented by Jessica Chastain

A Different Man

Directed by Aaron Schimberg

Produced by Gabriel Mayers, Vanessa McDonnell, Christine Vachon

Released by A24

The Best Feature jury included: Nicole Beharie, Oscar Isaac, Adele Romanski, Rajendra Roy, and Julia Stiles.

For Best International Feature, presented by Guy Pearce and Saoirse Ronan

All We Imagine as Light

Directed by Payal Kapadia

Produced by Julien Graff, Thomas Hakim

Released by Sideshow and Janus Films

The Best International Feature jury included: Kat Candler, Nicolas Celis, Sanaa Lathan, Greta Lee, and Tina Satter.

For Best Documentary Feature, presented by Misty Copeland and Ryan Destiny

No Other Land

Directed by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor

Produced by Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning

Self Distributed 

The Best Documentary Feature included: Katy Chevigny, Ezra Edelman, David Osit, Yoruba Richen, and Shaunak Sen

For Best Director, presented by Chloë Sevigny and Sebastian Stan

RaMell Ross for Nickel Boys 

Released by Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios

The Best Director jury included: Annette Insdorf, Raven Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Patrick Stettner, and Uma Thurman.

For Best Screenplay, presented by Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella

Azazel Jacobs for His Three Daughters 

Released by Netflix

The Best Screenplay jury included: Janicza Bravo, Samy Burch, David Hemingson, Samuel D. Hunter, and J.T. Rogers.

For Breakthrough Director, presented by Adrien Brody and Rachel Brosnahan

Vera Drew for The People’s Joker 

Released by Altered Innocence

The Breakthrough Director jury included: Kisha Imani Cameron, Geoffrey Fletcher, Sydney Sweeney, Alex Thompson, and Charlotte Wells.

For Outstanding Lead Performance, presented by Emily Mortimer and Shailene Woodley

Colman Domingo in Sing Sing 

Released by A24

The Outstanding Lead Performance jury included: Lake Bell, Don Cheadle, Anthony Michael Hall

Pamela Koffler, and Joana Vicente.

For Outstanding Supporting Performance, presented by Zoey Deutch and Bella Ramsey

Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing 

Released byA24

The Outstanding Supporting Performance jury included: Kaitlyn Dever, Kitty Green, Charles Melton, Angela Russo-Otstot, and Blair Underwood.

For Breakthrough Performer, presented by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Anthony Ramos

Brandon Wilson in Nickel Boys 

Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios

The Breakthrough Performer jury included: Anna Diop, Carlo Mirabella-Davis, Celine Song, Teyana Taylor, and Neil Creque Williams.

Sponsors

The Premier Sponsor of the 2024 Gothams is Vanity Fair, the Official Water is FIJI Water, the Official Airline is JetBlue, the Official Spirits are Rabbit Hole Distillery, and the Official Wine is Wolffer Estate Vineyard. 

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 Labs, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gothams, Gotham EDU, Owning It, and Expanding Communities.

About The Gothams

The Gotham Film & Media Institute presents The Gothams as two annual awards ceremonies celebrating innovative talent both on-screen and off-screen in film and television. As the first major event of both awards seasons, The Gothams shine a spotlight on groundbreaking work while advancing the Institute's year-round mission to support independent storytelling.