Columbia Faculty and Alumni Projects Among Gotham Award Nominees; Two Projects Take Home Awards
Update: December 2, 2022
Two projects from Columbia filmmakers took home prizes at the 2022 Gotham Awards.
Murina, which was written and directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović '17, follows a small family made up of young mother Nela, teenaged Julija, and strict father Ante. The family's world on a Croatian island is rocked by the visit of an old family friend. While Ante is absorbed in a land deal, Nela and Julija must deal with their complex relationships to the foreigner's presence in their home. Gracija Filipovic, one of the film’s leads, was awarded the honor of Breakthrough Performer. Kusijanović co-wrote Muina alongside Frank Graziano '18. The film, which was produced in part by Martin Scorscese’s Sikelia Productions, premiered at Cannes in the Director’s Fortnight category, where it was awarded the Camera d'Or.
Pachinko, which features writing from Writing Program alumna E.J. Koh ’13, was named the Breakthrough Television Series (Long Format). The acclaimed series from Apple+ is an adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel of the same name. The book is a sweeping saga that chronicles the hopes and dreams of a Korean immigrant family across four generations as they leave their homeland in an indomitable quest to survive and thrive. In addition to serving as a staff writer on all seven episodes of the first season, Koh is also credited with writing the fourth episode, entitled “Chapter Four.”
Read the complete list of winners here.
—
Original: November 1, 2022
The Gotham Film & Media Institute has announced the official nominations for the 32nd Annual Gotham Awards, highlighting 23 feature films, 15 series, and 35 performances across 12 award categories. Among the nominees are several projects from Columbia filmmakers. They are: The Cathedral, written and directed by Ricky D'Ambrose '12, Murina, directed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović '17, Catch the Fair One, executive produced by Assistant Professor Mynette Louie, Yellowjackets, co-created by Ashley Lyle '07 ('02 CC), and Pachinko, which features writing from Writing Program alumna E.J. Koh ’13.
The nominations were announced on October 25, 2022 by Emmy-nominated actress Angelica Ross (Pose, American Horror Story, now Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway) and Jeffrey Sharp, award-winning film producer and the Executive Director of The Gotham.
“We are thrilled to announce this year’s Gotham Award nominees and look forward to celebrating together live and in person in a few weeks. Over 500 films and TV shows were submitted for consideration this year. These filmmakers demonstrated tremendous courage and invention in the production of their work during these months, and we’d like to congratulate them all,” said Sharp.
The Gotham Awards are the first major awards ceremony of the fall season and provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films and series, as well as their writers, directors, producers, and actors. The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention.
The Cathedral, a feature film from D’Ambrose, is nominated for Best Feature. The film is a multigenerational tale tracking one family’s rise and fall over decades, as seen through the eyes of its youngest member, Jesse, an only child who develops an interest in art. The film previously screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and D’Ambrose was also selected to participate in the 51st iteration of the New Directors/New Films (ND/NF) festival from Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art.
Directed by Kusijanović, Murina follows a small family made up of young mother Nela, teenaged Julija, and strict father Ante. The family's world on a Croatian island is rocked by the visit of an old family friend. While Ante is absorbed in a land deal, Nela and Julija must deal with their complex relationships to the foreigner's presence in their home. Kusijanović has been nominated for the prestigious Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award in recognition of her work on film. Gracija Filipovic, one of the film’s leads, was also nominated in the category of Breakthrough Performer.
Kusijanović co-wrote Muina alongside Frank Graziano '18. The film, which was produced in part by Martin Scorscese’s Sikelia Productions, premiered at Cannes in the Director’s Fortnight category, where it was awarded the Camera d'Or.
Also nominated in the category of Breakthrough Performance is Catch the Fair One’s Kalie Reis (True Detective), who also served as a writer on the project. The film, executive produced by Louie, follows Native American boxer Kaylee (Reis) as she embarks on the fight of her life by going undercover in a sex trafficking operation to seek answers and revenge against the men responsible for the disappearance of her sister. The film originally debuted at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award and a Special Jury mention for Reis’ performance.
Yellowjackets, co-created by Lyle, is nominated for Breakthrough Series (Long Format). The series follows the saga of a wildly-talented high school girls soccer team who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. Yellowjackets chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over. Melanie Lynskey, who stars in the series, received a nomination for Outstanding Performance in a New Series. Lyle also serves as a co-writer and executive producer on the critically acclaimed Showtime series. The show was previously nominated for a 2022 WGA Award and a 2022 GLAAD Media Award, and Lyle was the recipient of a 2022 Final Draft Award alongside her co-creator and husband, Bart Nickerson.
Pachinko is nominated for Breakthrough Series (Long Format) as well. Pachinko is an adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel of the same name. The book is a sweeping saga that chronicles the hopes and dreams of a Korean immigrant family across four generations as they leave their homeland in an indomitable quest to survive and thrive. Apple has just announced that they will renew the series for a second season. Koh joined the writers room for the series to assist with interpreting the novel in its adaptation to the screen. In addition to serving as a staff writer on all seven episodes of the first season, Koh is also credited with writing the fourth episode, entitled “Chapter Four.” Actress Minha Kim has also been nominated in the category of Outstanding Performance in a New Series for her work in the show.
The 32nd annual Gotham Awards will take place on Monday, November 28, 2022 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.