EXCLUSIVE: Tessa Thompson, who stars in the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios drama Heddawas selected to receive the Spotlight Award at this year’s Gotham Film Awards.
The honor will be presented at the Gotham Film & Media Institute’s 35th annual awards ceremony, scheduled for December 1 in New York.
Heddadirected and written by Nia DaCosta as an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s famous play, which had its world premiere last month at the Toronto Film Festival. It’s gearing up for a theatrical release starting Wednesday before arriving on Prime Video on October 29.
Thompson plays Hedda in DaCosta’s story set in 1950s England, with the titular young bride hiding a discontent that comes to light at a lavish party that she and her new husband George (Tom Bateman) cannot afford to throw. Over the course of the night, the ups and downs of society suffer the consequences of this dangerous and unrecognizable woman yearning for a past love in the guise of one of the guests, a brilliant author (Nina Hoss) applying for the same university position as George. Hedda orchestrates a ruthless game of manipulation, where lust, jealousy and betrayal collide.
Imogen Poots and Nicholas Pinnock also star in the film, on which Thompson also serves as a producer.
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“Tessa’s performance is both fearless and revelatory – an interpretation that delves deeper into one of the most complex characters in dramatic literature and places her in a new light for the audiences we represent here at the Gothams,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of the Gotham Film & Media Institute. “We are thrilled to honor Tessa with the Spotlight Tribute and celebrate her extraordinary work in bringing Hedda to life with such depth and nuance. Throughout her remarkable career, she has remained committed to bold and transformative storytelling.”
Last year, Gothams’ Spotlight Tribute was presented to Zendaya for her performance in Challengers. This year’s winners already include Guillermo del Toro Frankensteinwho will receive the Vanguard Tribute, and the cast of Sinners who will receive the Tribute Ensemble. More will be announced soon.
This year’s Gotham Awards nominees will be revealed on October 28.
