The twentieth Gotham Independent Film Awards, presented in New York yesterday, marked the beginning of ‘Awards Season’. Sponsored by the Independent Filmmaker Project, the oldest and largest organisation of independent film makers in the United States, they celebrate the very best independent cinema has to offer.
Films both familiar and obscure were amongst the nominees, but it was Wes Anderson‘s brilliant Moonrise Kingdom that took out Best Feature. Other big winners included How to Survive a Plague, which won for Best Documentary, and Benh Zeitlin, who won Breakthrough Director for the sensational Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Our own Melanie Lynskey (Hello, I Must Be Going) was up for Breakthrough Actor, but missed out to Emayatzy Corinealdi (Middle of Nowhere) for her portrayal in Middle of Nowhere of a woman on a journey of self-discover after her husband is sent to prison. That must be some performance to beat out Melanie and Quvenzhane Wallis, who was incredible in Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Film honours were given to actors Marion Cotillard and Matt Damon, director David O. Russell and producer Jeff Skoll. And the Audience Award, voted for online, went to the documentary Artifact, directed by actor and 30 seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto about making the album ‘This is War’ and their battle with EMI.
Here’s all the nominees and winners:
Best Feature
Bernie – Director: Richard Linklater
The Loneliest Planet – Director: Julia Loktev
The Master – Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Middle of Nowhere – Director: Ava DuVernay
Moonrise Kingdom – Director: Wes Anderson – WINNER
Best Documentary
Detropia – Directors: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
How to Survive a Plague – Director: David France – WINNER
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present – Director: Matthew Akers
Room 237 – Director: Rodney Ascher
The Waiting Room – Director: Peter Nicks
Best Ensemble Performance
Bernie: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey
Moonrise Kingdom: Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban
Safety Not Guaranteed: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni, Jenica Bergere, Kristen Bell, Jeff Garlin, Mary Lynn Rajskub
Silver Linings Playbook: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher
Your Sister’s Sister: Emily Blunt, Rosemarie Dewitt, Mark Duplass – WINNER
Breakthrough Director
Zal Batmanglij – Sound of My Voice
Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky – Francine
Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin – Now, Forager
Antonio Méndez Esparza – Aquí y Allá (Here and There)
Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild – WINNER
Breakthrough Actor
Mike Birbiglia – Sleepwalk With Me
Emayatzy Corinealdi – Middle of Nowhere – WINNER
Thure Lindhardt – Keep the Lights On
Melanie Lynskey – Hello, I Must Be Going
Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You
Kid-Thing – Director: David Zellner
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty – Director: Terence Nance – WINNER
Red Flag – Director: Alex Karpovsky
Sun Don’t Shine – Director: Amy Seimetz
Tiger Tail in Blue – Director: Frank V. Ross
Gotham Independent Film Audience Award
Artifact – Director: Jared Leto – WINNER
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All these films should be on our ‘Must See’ list, if we haven’t seen them already.
