The cast of Malcolm Washington’s Netflix film The Piano Lesson — John David Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins and Erykah Badu — will receive an Ensemble Tribute at the 2024 Gotham Awards ceremony, the Gotham Film & Media Institute announced Wednesday.
This honor — and a number of others still to be announced — will be presented during a gala dinner celebrating the 34th annual Gotham Awards at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on Monday, Dec. 2.
Recipients of the Ensemble Tribute, which was first introduced in 2005 “to recognize talented casts whose artistry and chemistry captivate audiences on the big screen,” have included The Hurt Locker, Babel, Winter’s Bone, Moonlight, The Favourite and The Trial of the Chicago 7.
“The Piano Lesson is a stunning adaptation, bringing August Wilson’s play to life with captivating cinematic artistry,” Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute, said in a statement. “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 aims to recognize.”
Added The Piano Lesson EP Constanze Romero-Wilson: “What Malcolm Washington, his brilliant filmmaking team and ensemble cast of John David Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu and Skylar Smith have achieved is an August Wilson story in cinematic form. His words still resonate — are still singing — but so are the images, the performances, and the intimate window into each character’s inner world. I am honored and grateful to be part of this project which brings August Wilson’s meaningful stories to a new generation of audiences.”
The Piano Lesson, which had its world premiere at the recent Telluride Film Festival, will be shown in select theaters starting Nov. 8 and then will become available to stream on Netflix on Nov. 22.
