‘Hedda’ Star Tessa Thompson To Receive Gotham Film Awards’ Spotlight Award

EXCLUSIVE: Tessa Thompson, who stars in the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios drama Hedda, has been tapped to receive the Spotlight Award at this year’s Gotham Film Awards.

The honor will be bestowed at the Gotham Film & Media Institute’s 35th annual awards ceremony set for December 1 in New York City.

Hedda, directed and written by Nia DaCosta as an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s famed play, world premiered last month at the Toronto Film Festival. It is gearing up for a theatrical release beginning Wednesday before it lands on Prime Video on October 29.

Thompson portrays Hedda in the story DaCosta has set in 1950s England, with the titular newlywed who hiding a discontent that will reveal itself at a lavish party she and her new husband George (Tom Bateman) can’t afford to throw. Over the course of the night, the high and low of society endure the consequences of this dangerous and unknowable woman yearning for a past love in the guise of one of the guests, a brilliant author (Nina Hoss) who is up for the same academic 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 deepens one of dramatic literature’s most complex characters and brings her into new focus for the audience that we represent here at The Gothams,” said Gotham Film & Media Institute executive director Jeffrey Sharp. “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, transformative storytelling.”

Last year, the Gothams’ Spotlight Tribute was presented to Zendaya for her performance in Challengers. This year’s honorees already include Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, which will receive the Vanguard Tribute, and the cast of Sinners which will receive the Ensemble Tribute. More will be announced soon.

This year’s Gotham Awards nominees will be revealed October 28.