Gotham Awards To Honor ‘The Piano Lesson’ With Ensemble Tribute At December Ceremony
The Gotham Awards said Wednesday that it will honor Netflix’s The Piano Lesson with the 2024 Gotham Awards Ensemble Tribute during the 34th annual awards ceremony December 2 in New York City.
The Piano Lesson, directed by Malcolm Washington and co-written by Washington and Virgil Williams based on the famed play by August Wilson, features a cast that includes Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins, and Erykah Badu.
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Set in 1936 Pittsburgh just after the Great Depression, The Piano Lesson follows the lives of the Charles family in the Doaker Charles household and an heirloom, the family piano, which documents the family history through carvings made by their enslaved ancestor.
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The pic just had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. It is set to premiere in select theaters on November 8 before it lands on Netflix on November 22.
Today’s news marks the first tribute announcement for the Gothams, whose awards ceremony marks the unofficial start of sorts to the film awards season. Nominations are set to be announced October 29 in nine competitive categories including Best Feature, won last year by Celine Song’s Past Lives.
The Gothams will add more tributes in the coming weeks. Previous recipients of the Ensemble honor, given to “recognize the talented casts whose artistry and chemistry captivate audiences on the big screen,” include The Hurt Locker, Babel, Winter’s Bone, Moonlight, The Favourite and The Trial of the Chicago 7 among others.
“The Piano Lesson is a stunning adaptation, bringing August Wilson’s play to life with captivating cinematic artistry,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of Gothams organizer the Gotham Film & Media Institute. “The remarkable talent, effort, and chemistry of this brilliant ensemble cast forms the heart of the film, elevating its touching story of family legacy. It’s precisely this kind of collaborative excellence that our Ensemble Tribute Award aims to recognize.”
The Piano Lesson is produced by Denzel Washington and Todd Black, with executive producers Constanza Romero Wilson, Jennifer Roth and Katia Washington.
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