‘Maestro’ To Receive Gotham Awards Cultural Icon & Creator Tribute Honoring Director Bradley Cooper And Leonard Bernstein
The Gotham Awards will honor Maestro, the upcoming Netflix film by Bradley Cooper, with its new Cultural Icon & Creator Tribute that recognizes cultural icons and filmmakers responsible for bringing their story to life.
The tribute, created for this year’s ceremony, “will honor New York legend Leonard Bernstein, the acclaimed musician, conductor, composer, teacher, and author, while celebrating Cooper and his masterful effort cinematically capturing his story,” the Gotham Film & Media Institute said today.
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“With Maestro, Bradley Cooper and the film’s entire creative team have vividly brought to life the story of an almost mythical figure in popular culture,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of the Institute, which hosts the awards. “Cooper has crafted a powerful story that highlights the ecstatic highs and anguished lows that come with a life pursuing love, family, and art. It is our privilege to honor Bernstein, Cooper, and this spectacular film.”
Maestro premiered at the Venice Film Festival, Deadline review here. It chronicles the lifelong relationship between Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein, played by Cooper and Carey Mulligan. The film was written by Cooper and Josh Singer (Spotlight, The Post) with Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Fred Berner, Amy Durning, and Martin Scorsese are producers.
Born in 1918, Leonard “Lenny” Bernstein was appointed to his first permanent conducting post at the age of 25 in 1943, as Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic. On November 14, 1943, Bernstein substituted on a few hours’ notice for the ailing Bruno Walter at a Carnegie Hall concert, which was broadcast nationally on radio, receiving critical acclaim. Soon orchestras worldwide sought him out as a guest conductor. He became Music Director of the New York Philharmonic in 1958. From then until 1969, he led more concerts with the orchestra than any previous conductor. He lso contributed substantially to the Broadway musical stage. In 1957 he collaborated with Jerome Robbins, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents, on the landmark musical West Side Story. Festivals of Bernstein’s music have been produced throughout the world. He passed away in 1990.
“From the beginning of the filmmaking process, Bradley and Carey spent as much time with us as they could, learning about our parents. Along the way, we came to realize how Lenny-like Bradley actually was — not only in his intensity, open-heartedness, and constant striving for perfection; but also in his ability to absorb and reflect the culture around him. Our father did it with music; Bradley does it through his filmmaking. Their combined marks on history are indelible. As for Carey, she astounded us with her brilliant portrayal of our mother: the subtle, graceful Felicia. We are so grateful to Carey, and to Bradley, for bringing our mother and father back to us through the screen,” said the couple’s three children, Alexander, Nina and Jamie Bernstein, who helped in the production.
Netflix will release Maestro in select U.S. theaters Nov. 2. Streaming Dec. 20.
The 33rd annual Gotham Awards Ceremony is set for Nov. 27 at Cipriani Wall Street in NYC. Nominees will be announced Oct. 24.
Air, which tells the story of the creation of the Air Jordan brand, will also receive the Gotham Visionary Icon & Creator Tribute, recognizing director Ben Affleck‘s film as well as the real-life collaborators on the Michael Jordan shoe phenomenon.
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