The Gotham Awards aren't the biggest prizes handed out during the movie awards season, but they can be the most meaningful for the people who get them. Focusing on independent films, sometimes with a New York-centric slant, the Gothams typically pick some films that are too small even for the Indie Spirits, while occasionally tossing in more major releases that will pop up at the Oscars anyway. This year's nominees have just been announced, and true to form, there's a mix of pricier big indies and tiny films in there-- the Best Feature category includes both the Fox Searchlight releases The Descendants and The Tree of Life and Kelly Reichardt's tiny Meek's Cutoff.
The Breakthrough categories get even more low-profile, with nods for Bellflower's Evan Glodell and Pariah's Dee Rees in the Breakthrough Director category, and Terri's Jacob Wysocki and Gun Hill Road's Harmony Santana in Breakthrough Actor. The point being that even if you haven't heard of these people yet, you will soon.
Check out the full list of nominees below (via IndieWire). The Gotham Independent Awards will be handed out on November 28, in New York of course.
, BEST FEATURE
?Beginners. Mike Mills, director; Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Miranda de Pencier, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, producers (Focus Features)
The Descendants. Alexander Payne, director; Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Meek’s Cutoff. Kelly Reichardt, director; Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani, Elizabeth Cuthrell, David Urrutia, producers (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Take Shelter. Jeff Nichols, director; Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)
The Tree of Life. Terrence Malick, director; Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Grant Hill, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
?BEST DOCUMENTARY
?Better This World. Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega, directors; Katie Galloway, Kelly Duane de la Vega, Mike Nicholson, producers (Loteria Films, Picturebox, Motto Pictures and Passion Pictures; ITVS in association with American Documentary | POV)
Bill Cunningham New York. Richard Press, director; Philip Gefter, producer (Zeitgeist Films)
Hell and Back Again. Danfung Dennis, director; Mike Lerner, Martin Herring, producers (Docurama Films)
The Interrupters. Steve James, director; Alex Kotlowitz, Steve James, producers (The Cinema Guild)
?The Woodmans. C. Scott Willis, director; Neil Barrett, Jeff Werner, C. Scott Willis, producers (Lorber Films; Kino Lorber, Inc.)
?BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
?Beginners. Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos (Focus Features)
The Descendants. George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Margin Call. Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Aasif Mandvi (Roadside Attractions)
Martha Marcy May Marlene. Elizabeth Olsen, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, Maria Dizzia, Julia Garner, John Hawkes, Louisa Krause, Sarah Paulson (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Take Shelter. Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Kathy Baker, Ray McKinnon, Lisagay Hamilton, Robert Longstreet (Sony Pictures Classics)
?BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR
?Mike Cahill for Another Earth (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Sean Durkin for Martha Marcy May Marlene (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Vera Farmiga for Higher Ground (Sony Pictures Classics)
Evan Glodell for Bellflower (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Dee Rees for Pariah (Focus Features)
?BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR
?Felicity Jones in Like Crazy (Paramount Vantage)
Elizabeth Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Harmony Santana in Gun Hill Road (Motion Film Group)
Shailene Woodley in The Descendants (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Jacob Wysocki in Terri (ATO Pictures)
BEST FILM NOT PLAYING AT A THEATER NEAR YOU
?Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same. Madeleine Olnek, director; Laura Terruso, Madeleine Olnek, producers
Green. Sophia Takal, director; Lawrence Michael Levine, producer
The Redemption of General Butt Naked. Eric Strauss, Daniele Anastasion, directors and producers
Scenes of a Crime. Blue Hadaegh & Grover Babcock, directors and producers
