Gotham Awards 2017 Nominees

Submission Deadline: Thursday, September 14, 2017 At 5PM EST

Submissions portal will open August 1, 2017



Basic Criteria for the Competitive Awards – Feature Films

There will be eight (8) competitive awards in 2017 – Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Actor, Best Actress, Breakthrough Actor, Best Screenplay, the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award, and the IFP Gotham Audience Award. All eligible submissions must meet the following basic criteria for competitive awards:



Filmmaking with a point of view.

Each IFP Gotham Independent Film Award ™ will be given to individual films or performers in films where the vision of an individual director, producer, writer or writer/director is abundantly evident, and where the film cannot be classically defined as a "work for hire."

Films must be American.

The film must be directed and/or produced (credited lead producers) by a US born or based filmmaker.

Feature-length (defined as over 70 minutes). Series or multi-part works can only be submitted in the Breakthrough Series categories.

Films made with an economy of means.

Budget level and sources of financing are taken into consideration during criteria review.

Screening availability by the Nominating Committee.

• The film must be submitted by password protected viewing link (direct link or third party “screening room”) or on DVD by the deadline or made available for screening by nominating committee. (Not applicable to the Gotham Audience Award)

Theatrical, Day and Date, or Digital Platform Release.

The release can be through a theatrical releasing entity or by direct or self-distribution by filmmakers, either in an exclusively theatrical release or day and date with digital platforms or VOD release.

Films must be scheduled for a theatrical and/or digital platform release during calendar year 2017 (Midnight January 1 – 11:59 pm December 31). Films will only be considered in the year in which they first meet the release criteria. By the submission deadline, films must have a confirmed 2017 release date and booking. See special criteria for cable and digital platforms below.



Theatrical Release: The release can be through a theatrical releasing entity or by direct or self-distribution by filmmakers, either in an exclusively theatrical release or day and date with digital platforms or VOD release. The film must be screened for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in New York City and/or Los Angeles County and must run for a minimum of seven consecutive days. The film must be advertised, marketed, and available for press review during the New York and/or Los Angeles County run in a manner considered normal and customary to the industry for the official theatrical release of independent films and not as an “under the radar” release for awards consideration only. The film can be publicly exhibited in film or digital formats, delivered to the screen by an image and sound file format suitable for exhibition in existing commercial cinema sites.



Digital Platform/Pay TV: Films that are not released theatrically but have played Gotham Award qualifying festivals and then are released exclusively via a digital platform or PayTV/Cable VOD in 2017 may qualify for consideration in all relevant categories, with the stipulation that the films first screened in 2017 at one of the following qualifying festivals: Berlin, Cannes, Los Angeles Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Toronto International Film Festival, or Tribeca Film Festival. The digital platform release can be via VOD, streaming, DTO, or DTR.