Items adding an authentic touch ranged from giant fans and lights to police barricades, production lifts, and a towering model of the Statue of Liberty. A prop room served as the coat check for the evening. "Everything is being repurposed as something else," Wilson said.

The evening's program included a cocktail hour in a draped-off section of the cavernous space; following drinks, the curtain wall was raised to reveal the tables and stage for the dinner and awards portion of the night. Within the industrial dinner space, a large black-and-red banner printed with the Brooklyn Bridge—a graphic used on much of the event's printed materials—hung behind the stage, and a massive screen stood nearby. Projected logos of the event's sponsors, including The New York Times, Axium, and Steiner Studios, graced the walls. Abigail Kirsch, the in-house caterer for Stage 6, the event facility in another part of the complex (as well as the awards' caterer at Chelsea Piers), served appetizers and dinner to 800 guests.

Winners of the night included Into the Wild for best feature, Sicko for best documentary, and Frownland for "best film not playing at a theater near you." Additionally, six Gotham Tribute awards recognized individual contributions to the film community; recipients included Mayor Michael Bloomberg, actor Javier Bardem, and critic Roger Ebert. Actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, Uma Thurman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal were among those who came out.   —Mimi O'Connor