Gotham Awards Delayed

The coronavirus pandemic continues to impact every aspect of the entertainment industry through various delays and postponements from film and television production all the way through to award ceremonies and now another award ceremony is joining the ranks of those delayed. The Gotham Awards has announced that it is pushing back the date of its annual ceremony due to the continuing pandemic. The awards, which usually take place in late November or early December, have now been pushed to Monday, January 11, 2021.

“The IFP Gotham Awards have continued to be a staple in independent film and television, and we look forward to celebrating the 30th anniversary and helping to kick off this year’s unconventional awards season,” IFP executive director Jeffrey Sharp said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter).

The Gotham Awards event is generally the first ceremony of awards season and honors independent films. Last year, Marriage Story won for best feature with Adam Driver winning Best Actor for his role in said film while Awkwafina won Best Actress for The Farewell. The upcoming 2021 awards ceremony will mark the awards’ 30th anniversary.

The Gotham Awards is just the latest awards ceremony to shift its date due to the pandemic after both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. In June, both awards shifted their dates, with the Academy Awards moving their ceremony from February 28, 2021 to April 25, 2021. At the same time, the Academy also extended the window of competition into 2021 to account for films that had to be delayed due to the pandemic. Gotham Awards is doing something similar with its eligibility window, allowing films released between January 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021 to be considered for its honors. Gotham Award submissions must be made by Thursday, October 1st. Nominations will be announced on Thursday, November 12th.

Other awards that have pushed their dates due to the coronavirus pandemic are the Directors Guild of America which recently set their awards for April 10, 2021, the SAG Awards, and the BAFTA Film Awards.

What do you think about this latest awards delay? What do you think about the extended eligibility windows for the various awards? Let us know your thoughts about this and the ongoing pandemic-related entertainment delays in the comments.

Photo credit: Jemal Countess/Getty Images for IFP.