As one of the first stops in the long march to the Oscars, Frankie Faison wins Outstanding Lead Performance for his role in The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain at the 31st annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, held at the Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, Monday, November 29.
“This film that I’m given this award for, is much bigger to me than any award can ever be, because it was made with passion and commitment and honesty and gives a message our society needs to hear now,” Frankie Faison – known for his role as Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell in the HBO series The Wire, as Barney Matthews in the Hannibal Lecter franchise, Pops in Marvel’s Luke Cage and the landlord in Coming To America – said in his acceptance speech. “I want to thank the entire Chamberlain family, Kenneth Jr., sitting at our table, he is the son of Kenneth Chamberlain and he has been a tireless leader, trying to get some kind of accountability for his family for this horrible thing that happened top his father.”
Frankie Faison went on to thank David Midell, the film’s director and writer, Enrico Natale – the film’s producer and Actor who played Officer Rossi, his manager and of course his wife Samantha Jupiter Faison (pictured with Frankie in photo gallery below). See full acceptance speech in video below!
“Huge congratulations to our incredible lead actor Frankie Faison for his win at The Gotham Awards last night,” David Midell shared with Black Westchester. “His performance in The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain – The Movie has been moving audiences for months, and continues to be recognized as one of the most outstanding performances of the year!!”
For Outstanding Lead Performance the nominees were; Olivia Colman in The Lost Daughter, Frankie Faison in The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, Michael Greyeyes in Wild Indian, Brittany S. Hall in Test Pattern, Oscar Isaac in The Card Counter, Taylour Paige in Zola, Joaquin Phoenix in C’mon C’mon, Simon Rex in Red Rocket, Lili Taylor in Paper Spiders and Tessa Thompson in Passing. Frankie Faison shares outstanding lead performance with Olivia Colman for her role in Netflix’s The Lost Daughter, that was the evenings big winner with four awards.
“WOW WOW WOW!!!! A HUGE congratulations to our lead actor Frankie Faison for winning The Gotham Awards for Outstanding Lead Performance along with Olivia Colman,” Enrico Natale shared with Black Westchester. “We hope this win shines a light on Kenneth Chamberlain Sr’s tragic story!”
Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. was fatally shot on November 19, 2011 at approximately 5:22 a.m, by members of the White Plains Police Department. After his LifeAid medical alert necklace was inadvertently triggered, White Plains police came to his home in the Winbrook Public Housing at 135 S. Lexington Avenue in White Plains and demanded that he open his front door. Despite his objections and statements that he did not need help, the police broke down Chamberlain’s door. Police tased him, and then shot him with a bean bag round fired from a shotgun. According to police, Chamberlain allegedly continued to charge at officers with the knife when Officer Anthony Carelli (whose name was withheld for over four months after the incident) shot him twice in the chest with live ammunition. Chamberlain was a 68-year-old, black, retired Marine, and a 20-year veteran of the Westchester County Department of Corrections. He wore the medical alert pendant due to a chronic heart problem. The shooting was the topic of the 2019 film The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain.
The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain – The Movie after opening in limited theaters and video-on-demand, September 17th, premiered on HBO Max, Friday, November 19th on the ten-year anniversary of the summary execution of Chamberlain. His son Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., has been fighting for accountability in the murder of his father.
“I am extremely happy that Frankie Faison won the 2021 Gotham Award for Outstanding Lead Performance, in the movie the Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain, he truly deserves it,” Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., shared the morning after the award show. “By winning this award and using his platform he has allowed me to keep my continue my fight to get accountability in the killing of my father and the world will know what happened to Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.”
To this point no one has been held accountable in the senseless death. To this point the city of White Plains has never admitted any wrongdoing, nor apologized to the family. In a move of symbolism without substance, Mayor Tom Roach and the City of White Plains sent a proclamation to Kenneth Jr., to be presented to him at a vigil commemorating the 10-year anniversary of loss of his father at the hands of the White Plains Police Department.
The film and its success continue to show the world what happened to Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., and makes it harder for officials to sweep the situation under the rug and make the case go away. The Gotham Award is just the first step on the road to the Oscars. new Morgan Freeman-produced film brings sheds light on what really happened as the struggle for accountability for Kenneth Chamberlain Sr., continues!
