Chadwick Boseman's widow Simone Ledward honors her late husband in a moving speech

Nearly five months after his passing, Chadwick Boseman’s widow Simone Ledward Boseman honored her late husband in her first public address since his passing.

Simone, 30, accepted her husband’s Tribute Award at the 30th Annual Gotham Awards on Monday night, delivering a stirring speech during the virtual awards ceremony.  

Boseman was also nominated for his final performance in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, though his widow’s moving speech was a highlight of the event.

‘He is the most honest person I’d ever met. He actively searched for it, in himself, those around him and the moment. The truth can be a very easy thing for the self to avoid. But if one does not live in truth, then it’s impossible to live life,’ she began.

‘So it became how he lived his life, day in and day out. Imperfect but determined. He was blessed to live many lives within his concentrated one. He developed his understanding of what it meant to be the one, the none and the all. ‘A vessel to be poured into and out of,’ he’d said,’ she added.

‘He harnessed the power of letting go, and letting God’s love shine through. He realized that when one is able to recognize that when their strength does not come from themself, they rarely mess up. That’s what he was doing when he was acting. Modeling for us a path to true fulfillment,’ she continued.

‘May we not let his conviction be in vain. May our spirits be fertile soil for God’s wisdom to fall upon. So thank you. Praise God,’ she added.

She continued that it was an, ‘honor to receive this award on behalf of my husband,’ adding it was an ‘acknowledgment of not only his profound work but of his impact on this industry and this world.’

The widow fought back the tears as she concluded, ‘Chad, thank you. I love you. I am so proud of you. Keep shining your light on us. Thank you.’

Andre Holland took to the stage to present the tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who, like Holland himself, found his way to New York around the same time.

Holland shared a memory from the opening weekend of the film 42, as they were sitting in the boarding area of a Kansas City airport just before the film came out.

‘There was this one moment where Chad turned to me and he looked at me in a way I’ll never forget. I saw shock, he was clearly flattered, there was an acknowledgment in his eyes that his life would never be the same, and a confidence in his eyes that he would meet that challenge and many more.’

Holland added that Boseman thought of acting as a, ‘noble’ profession, and he had a way of being kind, ‘without being soft.’

‘He was a special artist, a wonderful human, he made everybody better, and I’m always grateful that he was my friend,’ Holland added, before a video package of his timeless work was shown. 

The evening’s festivities kicked off from Cipriani Wall Street New York with Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) executive director Jeffrey Sharp proclaiming that independent film is alive and well, despite theaters shut down due to COVID-19.

He added that after the year we’ve had in 2020, he wanted to have an ‘interactive’ awards show from New York City, asking fans to ‘bear with us as we try to make this happen for you.’ 

He then cuts to a retrospective on the first 30 years of the Gotham Awards before this year’s ceremony gets under way.

Zachary Quinto, via a video presentation, presents the first award of the night, for Breakthrough Actor, which was won by Kingsley Ben-Adir for his portrayal of Malcom X in One Night in Miami.

‘I was not expecting to hear that at all, and I bought a whole bottle of champagne because I was planning on sitting back and watching the evening happen. Thank you Gotham. I haven’t seen everyone’s work who I’m nominated in this category, I’ve only seen Sydney’s, and you blew me away. I just want to send a big shout-out to Regina King. It’s a great honor and a privilege and I’m grateful for the acknowledgment.’

Padma Lakshmi takes the stage next to present the award for Best Documentary, which she calls ‘the stories of our time.’

The award was won by two films this year, which have ‘incorporated media by the film’s subjects over the course of many years,’ with A Thousand Cuts and Time both winning.

A Thousand Cuts director Ramona S. Diaz thanked Lia Moreno, her longtime collaborator, and the rest of her partners on the film.

Time director Garrett Bradley said, ‘This is so trippy,’ while adding, ‘This is a reflection of our trust and hard work.’

Anne del Castillo, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office in Media and Entertainment, presented the Made in New York award to someone she has a lot in common with, Jeffrey Wright, joking that they’re both commissioners, since he’s playing Comissioner Gordon.

‘When the pandemic struck, Jeffrey created a foundation to support frontline workers and restaurants,’ Castillo said.

‘Yes I was born in Washington D.C. but after 32 years I am proud to say I was made in New York,’ Wright said.

He also fired some shots at the current White House administration, i.e. the ‘idiocy in Washington,’ stating he knew he had to start his foundation to ‘do it ourselves.’

He also thanked Daniel Craig and Spike Lee who were early supporters of his foundation, along with restaurant workers in New York.

He asked fans to visit the website BrooklynForLife.org to contribute to his worthy cause, asking his fans to ‘stay safe and we’ll see you on the other side.’

Manchester-By-The-Sea wri
ter Kenneth Lonergran presented the Best Screenplay Award, adding the writers ‘often work alone, but they’re never left alone.’

He added that whenever he sees a screenplay he enjoys he, ‘feels a pang of jealousy,’ because he knows the ‘fortitude’ it took to put the words on the page.

‘I have a lot of admiration for these writers. I also hate them,’ he joked.

Lonergran awarded two scripts as the winner, Radha Blank’s The Forty-Year-Old Version and Dan Sallitt’s Fourteen.

Blank began by saying, ‘Holy s**t,’ adding that Lonergran’s work, ‘means so much to me.’ while thanking everyone in the category with her.

‘I want to thank everyone who helped me translate that screenplay into a film,’ while thanking all of her collaborators.

‘I was not expecting to get this,’ she added, while thanking her agents and managers, adding, ‘Thank you to New York. I could not tell this story without this city as a major force and character.’

Dan Sallitt wanted to thank the ‘five to ten people who needed to be thanked’ but he didn’t think he had the time.

George C. Wolfe, director of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, began the show’s tribute to Viola Davis, who he says, ‘gives all she has to bring her characters to life.’

He praised her ‘deep, deep command to craft,’ along with a ‘purity of heart and passion and fire and generosity,’ and because of those qualities, her characters ‘transcend.’

‘It is my honor to present the 30th Annual Gotham Awards Tribute Award to Viola Davis,’ Wolfe said, before a video package of Davis’ exceptional work throughout the years.

‘Thank you George, IFP and Jeff Sharpe for this awesome acting tribute,’ Davis began, adding she’s ‘so proud’ to be part of August Wilson’s collective work.

‘It’s like August Wilson said, white people have always made themselves custodians of the Black experience,’ she added.

‘It has been the joy of my life, so I thank you so much for this honor, and I thank you so much for recognizing August’s work through me,’ she continued.

Rene Elise Goldsberry takes to the stage to present the winners of the Student Short Film Showcase, who each win $10,000 and a 12-month distribution platform on JetBlue’s in-flight entertainment and distribution through Focus Features.

Jeffrey Sharp also announced that they will create a mentorship endowment in the name of late filmmaker Joel Schumacher, who passed away in June, with MTV Entertainment Group.

The Mustang director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre presented the Best International Feature award, marking the first time the Gotham Awards has celebrated international films.

The inaugural award went to Identifying Features, with director Fernanda Valadez accepting the award.

‘I think film is an amazing tool to help us to understand each other, because it allows us to live a little in someone else’s shoes,’ the director said.

Nicole Kidman presented, via video, the Industry Tribute to her director of The Prom, Ryan Murphy, before footage of his numerous movies and TV shows.

‘Thank you to Jeff Sharp and the IFP Gotham Awards and to Nicole Kidman, my friend, for that lovely introduction,’ Murphy said.

He added that when he first started writing for television 25 years ago, he was shocked to learn the limitations placed on LGBTQ characters.

‘This has been a challenging year for all of us, and for many, tragic,’ Murphy said.

The Gotham Audience Award was presented next by Palm Springs star Cristin Milioti, which was voted by online by IFP members.

She then joked that Rudy Guilliani challenged the award, and it should go to the 2004 film Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2, though it was recently cleared up.

She then announced the 2020 Gotham Audience Award went to Nomadland, which was accepted by writer-director Chloe Zhao.

‘Thank you Gotham Awards for bringing us together tonight,’ Zhao began, before thanking the cast and crew.

‘Thank you for fighting through so many magic hour hustles,’ she added, while also thanking, ‘the nomadic community for teaching us so much.’

‘Lastly I want to thank the audience,’ the director said, of the award voted on by the fans.

The inaugural Gotham Ensemble Tribute Award was presented to Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, with Sorkin speaking about the casting process.

‘They supported each other and like to pass as much as they liked to shoot,’ he said of the cast, which included Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong, Mark Rylance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Alex Sharp, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Caitlin Fitzgerald, Alice Kremelberg, and Ben Shenkman.

‘I’m so proud to be associated with this group, and I hope you’ll join me in congratulating this group,’ Sorkin said.

The cast then spoke about how poignant the story is, since the Trial of the Chicago 7 happened 51 years ago next month, as they connect the events of the trial to events of today.

‘The echoes have been unmistakable, but if nothing else, they remind us of the work to be done to bridge the divide,’ said Eddie Redmayne.

Jeremy Strong also thanked the real Chicago 7 for ‘standing up in the face of injustice.’

The Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award was presented by writer-director Stephen Gaghan, which was won by Andrew Patterson for The Vast of Night, which was accepted by Sharp on his behalf.

Lupita Nyong’o presented the Director Tribute to Steve McQueen, who she worked with on 12 Years a Slave.

‘I found in Steve a director in tune with his perceptions,’ Nyong’o said, adding he’s more interested in going beyond what’s written on the page.

She recalled a conversation she had with him about the things her character Patsey did in her small amount of free time, which she held quite dear.

She added his new film Small Axe, a collection of five films currently available on Amazon Prime, which ‘serves as a timely reminder of what has changed since, and more importantly, what has not.’

‘Only Steve can conjure such an alchemy for raw emotions,’ Nyong’o said, adding he ‘lifts up’ actors of color and gives them characters crafted with ‘care and attention.’

‘It is my distinct honor to present Steve with the Director’s Tribute,’ adding she is a filmmaker, ‘at the peak of his craft.’

McQueen thanked Gotham for the award, adding he’s ‘quite chu
ffed’ to receive this award.

He added that all of his films have been ‘passion projects,’ but Small Axe is ‘deeply personal’ to him and he wanted to showcase the narratives of ‘Black Britain.’

He thanked his incredible cast and crew for all of their hard work, including his co-writers Alastair Siddons and Courttia Newland.

Euphoria star Hunter Schaffer presented the award for Breakthrough Series (under 40 minutes), which was won by I May Destroy You, which was accepted by executive producer Roberto Croni.

‘I want to thank everyone who worked on the show for helping me birth this project,’ creator/star Michaela Coel said in a statement through Croni.

‘The only disappointing moment of the production was the end of it. Thank you,’ the statement concluded.

The award for Breakthrough Series (over 40 minutes) went to Watchmen, which was accepted by director/executive producer Nicole Kassell.

‘Thank you to the IFP and it’s incredibly surreal to be in this room with so many filmmakers I admire and shape the filmmaker I have become,’ she said.

‘I am indebted to Damon Lindelof for trusting me with his baby,’ adding it,’took a force to put this on screen.’

She admitted that she had never heard of the Tulsa massacre before reading Damon Lindelof’s pilot script, and now she wants to find the stories she’s never heard of before. 

Anthony Mackie presented the award for Best Actress, which was won by Nicole Beharie for Miss Juneteenth, who was quite shocked to win.

‘I honestly cannot believe this. I was not expecting this by any stretch of the imagination. This is an amazing group of people and I’m honored to be in it,’ she began.

‘This is for the women, the mothers, I want to thank IFP and the Gotham Awards for honoring me tonight… I honestly can’t believe this, this is crazy,’ she added.

The Best Actor award was presented by Rebecca Hall, which was won by Riz Ahmed for The Sound of Metal.

‘Wow that is a tremendous honor and a huge surprise,’ Ahmed began, adding that one thing he learned this year was, ‘you don’t get anywhere on your own.’

‘Creativity is no solo sport, so I want to thank all the honorees for their work,’ while also thanking fellow nominee Chadwick Boseman for how he conducted himself.

‘It feels like a very wobbly time, but if we can all wobble together, maybe we can dance,’ Ahmed said.

Echo Boomers star Michael Shannon takes the stage to present the final award of the night, Best Feature, with all five nominees directed by women.

Shannon presented the Best Feature award to Nomadland, which was accepted by writer-director Chloe Zhao. 

‘My fellow nominees, so honored to be sharing this category with all of you. IFP, you have supported me since the beginning of my career, so thank you so much. I on behalf of my whole team would like to thank all of the film festivals in the past year in all they accomplished. Thank you for getting us through last year. I want to say that we love you New York City. Be safe, be strong and thank you, have a good night,’ she said.