Photo: BFTV
New York, NY, October 21, 2021—Actor FRANKIE FAISON (Coming to America; The Wire; Banshee), received a Gotham Awards nomination this morning for his work in the award-winning, critically-acclaimed Gravitas release, THE KILLING OF KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN.
His nomination comes in the Outstanding Lead Performance category, which he shares with nine other actors: Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter (Netflix); Michael Greyeyes in Wild Indian (Vertical Entertainment); Brittany S. Hall in Test Pattern (Kino Lorber); Oscar Isaac in The Card Counter (Focus Features); Taylour Paige in Zola (A24); Joaquin Phoenix in C’mon C’mon (A24); Simon Rex in Red Rocket (A24); Lili Taylor in Paper Spiders (Entertainment Squad); and Tessa Thompson in Passing (Netflix).
Reached on location in Atlanta, where he’s filming Till, Faison said, “I am so thrilled and honored to receive the Gotham Awards nomination for Outstanding Lead Performance for our film The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain. David Midell and Enrico Natale have done an amazing job bringing this tragic story to the forefront. It’s been a labor of love and we owe a tremendous thank you to the tireless efforts and support of Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary at Revelations Entertainment, who have worked so hard to shine a spotlight on this story.
“Our hopes and goals are that the world gets to see this film and we can somehow attain justice for the unlawful Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain Snr. I would like to thank everyone who has put their all into this film. It’s been an absolute honor.” Faison also posted a video comment for fans here.
Based on a true story, the film was directed by David Midell (NightLights), produced by Midell and Enrico Natale of Redbird Entertainment, and executive produced by Lori McCreary, Morgan Freeman and Gary Lucchesi of Revelations Entertainment, along with Sharad Chib, Chris Paladino and Milan Chakraborty.
Chicago-bred Director David Midell said, “Congratulations to our incredible lead actor Frankie Faison on his Outstanding Lead Performance nomination at The Gotham awards! Frankie‘s passion and commitment to the role, and honoring the memory of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., shines through in every frame of the film. We are very excited to continue this journey with Frankie, our film, and most importantly, the Chamberlain family.”
Executive Producers Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary added, “Frankie Faison will break your heart in this compelling and sensitive performance. He’s simply extraordinary!”
THE KILLING OF KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN tells the heart-breaking true story of the events that led to the death of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., an elderly African American veteran with bipolar disorder who was killed by the police during a welfare check after his medical alert device was accidentally activated. Through a series of unfortunate circumstances and aggressive policing tactics, the life of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. ended at the hands of those who were sworn to “protect and serve.”
Faison’s nomination comes at an important time in the national conversation about systemic racism and is a searing example of law enforcement’s sometimes callous and cruel treatment of people of color, echoing recent high-profile incidents involving George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, among countless others. The film has won numerous awards since its Festival debut in 2019, and led to an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for David Midell in the “Someone to Watch” category.
The film’s HBO Max debut date, Friday, November 19, 2021, is the 10-year anniversary of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.’s death.
The Gotham Awards air live Monday, November 29, 2021 on Facebook. Watch here.
