Receiving three nominations each were Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker
(Best Feature, Breakthrough Actor and Best Ensemble Performance) and
Robert Siegel’s Big Fan (Best Feature, Breakthrough Actor and Breakthrough Director)
Everything Strange and New, The Maid and A Serious Man each received two nominations
The nominees for the 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards are listed below.
Best Feature
- Amreeka – Cherien Dabis, director (National Geographic Entertainment)
- Big Fan – Robert Siegel, director (First Independent Pictures)
- The Hurt Locker – Kathryn Bigelow, director (Summit Entertainment)
- The Maid - Sebastian Silva, director (Elephant Eye Films)
- A Serious Man – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, directors (Focus Features)
Best Documentary
- Food, Inc. – Robert Kenner, director (Magnolia Pictures)
- Good Hair – Jeff Stilson, director (Liddell Entertainment and Roadside Attractions in association with HBO Films)
- My Neighbor My Killer – Anne Aghion, director/producer (Gacaca Productions)
- Paradise – Michael Almereyda, director (Post Factory Films)
- Tyson – James Toback, director (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best Ensemble Performance
- Adventureland – Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Ryan Reynolds (Miramax Films)
- Cold Souls – Paul Giamatti, Dina Korzun, Emily Watson, Katheryn Winnick, David Strathairn (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
- The Hurt Locker - Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly (Summit Entertainment)
- A Serious Man – Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed (Focus Features)
- Sugar – Algenis Perez Soto, Rayniel Rufino, Michael Gaston, Andre Holland, Ann Whitney, Richard Bull, Ellary Porterfield, Jaime Tirelli (Sony Pictures Classics)
Breakthrough Director
- Cruz Angeles for Don’t Let Me Drown
- Frazer Bradshaw for Everything Strange and New
- Noah Buschel for The Missing Person (Strand Releasing)
- Derick Martini for Lymelife (Screen Media Films)
- Robert Siegel for Big Fan (First Independent Pictures)
Breakthrough Actor
- Ben Foster in The Messenger (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
- Patton Oswalt in Big Fan (First Independent Pictures)
- Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)
- Catalina Saavedra in The Maid (Elephant Eye Films)
- Soulémane Sy Savané in Goodbye Solo (Roadside Attractions)
Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You
- Everything Strange and New – Frazer Bradshaw, director; Laura Techera Francia, A.D. Liano, producers
- Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench - Damien Chazelle, director; Jasmine McGlade, producer
- October Country – Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher, directors/producers
- You Won’t Miss Me - Ry Russo-Young, director/producer
- Zero Bridge – Tariq Tapa, director; Tariq Tapa, Josée Lajoie, Hilal Ahmed Langoo, producers
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers announced today the nominees for the 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. A total of 23 films were nominated across six competitive categories for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Best Ensemble Performance and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You.
IFP’s 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 30 at Cipriani Wall Street. In addition to the competitive awards, director Kathryn Bigelow, actors Natalie Portman and Stanley Tucci, and producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, will each be presented with a career tribute.









31 Responses for "Gotham Independent Film Awards Nominees"
Very pleased for The Hurt Locker and A Serious Man. And Ben Foster got in for The Messenger – wonder if this will lead to bigger things.
No Precious. Maybe the budget really was too big? Or they just didn’t love it?
Now I definitely need to see The Maid.
I really want to see The Maid!
This makes my local theaters’ selections look really terrible, although those I’ve seen definitely deserve the credit. Love Adventureland for the Ensemble prize.
saw the maid – didnt really go gaga over it. it was okay.
surprised at no love for precious .. wonder why
Yeah, I wonder if Precious wasn’t eligible since it has just played at the NY film festival and has yet to open in NY.
Precious budget was 22-24 million. What is the cut off for gotham
Really, I thought it was like a tenth of that amount, at the NYFF the director talked about they had to run from the police at one point cause they couldn’t afford a permit to film in that area.
There’s no way the budget was that high for Precious. Below 10 million for sure. They didn’t love it. This is quite interesting.
If google it’s budget you will get diffrent sites saying 24 million
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precious_(film)?wasRedirected=true
There wasa Variety article where Lee Daniels actually said it was $3 million.
Anyway, I don’t think it’s that interesting that Precious wasn’t nominated. It’s not that big of a deal, guys.
I don’t think this means much about the ultimate destiny for Precious either, Jilda.
But I gotta say, winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance is not an automatic invitation to a Best Picture Oscar.
it is a big deal, Jida. It’s THE INDEPENDENT MOVIE OF 2009.
I completely agree, Ryan. In fact, there hasn’t ever been a film to win the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and be nominated for Best Picture.
That’s why the Audience Award at TIFF was it’s biggest boost it’s had the entire time. That was the award that made it more of an actual contender for the nomination.
Keep in mind that it also was the first movie in history to win the top prize at sundace and tiff. Add that with all the rave reviews and major Oscar buzz and you have yourself a lock for the Oscar.
“…the Audience Award at TIFF was it’s biggest boost it’s had the entire time. That was the award that made it more of an actual contender…”
I agree, and we know Gotham likes to be contrary and extra-quirky. These are all respected films in the top tier. 5 slots is 5 slots. I’m happy to see something unexpected. The Spirit Awards are a better indicator of Oscar. (Juno, Little Miss Sunshine) Gotham went for Into the Wild, remember? And we know how that worked out.
Idk the budget for Precious but if it’s 24 mil like some above reported that is clearly not eligible for the Spirit Awards which will KILL Precious’s Oscar chances.
24 mil for Precious sounds a little high. I think should be well represented at the Spirit Awards though Into the Wild a 16 mil. flick didn’t receive a single nominated by the Spirit Awards.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002372.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
Precious’ budget was only $3 according to Lee Daniels in that article. So it will be eligible for the Spirit Awards.
But I do not understand how not being nominated at the Spirit Awards can kill any film’s chances. Especially if it misses out on nominations because it’s ineligible.
I have a bad feeling that Precious will join The Color Purple and Dreamgirls in not having any notable oscar success, i is a helpless feeling, seeing about one or two movies that represent you and are excellent films every year and being slighted when the awards come around, it is saddening because i can count on two fingers the black ppl who were nominated for best director and wasnt color purple the only pred. black movie to be nominated for best pic? disgusting
Sounder and A Soldier’s Story were also nominated for Best Picture. And I just think Dreamgirls’ biggest killer was it lack of real buzz combined with just too much hype and the fact that the film didn’t have any real bite to it.
Precious stays with the audience and it emotionally grips you from start to finish…and it has done well so far. We need to stop comparing film with primarily black casts to each other when that’s really all they have in common. Do I think Precious will win? No. But a nomination looks very likely and it has already crossed racial and social class lines so it can definitely continue to do that throughout the season.
The reason there haven’t been many black director nominees and picture nominess is not because of a bias against them but because of the lack of quality ones being made. Maybe Hollywood has been waiting for a Precious to be made to embrace it?
Very weird that Precious wasn’t given anything here!?
But at this early point I still expect the Oscars to make history by giving best director to either Bigelow or Daniels.
Nice to see “Sugar” get some recognition. It’s such a quiet but moving film.
I can´t believe….The Maid is a chilean movie…its amazing…..Viva La Nana!!!!!!!!!! Catalina Saavedra: Oscar for Best Actress
hummmm, maybe, just maybe, The Hurt Locker was actually better than Precious
OMG, K-Stew is in Best Ensemble for Adventureland! So pleased! Also happy to see Renner, K-Big and HL going strong.
“Big Fan” is probably my favorite film of 2009…..I think both Oswalt and Kevin Corrigan deserve (but will not get) Oscar noms….
Where’s An Education and Carey Mulligan? And Ben Foster, breakthrough actor??? Hmm.
An Education is a British film, therefore ineligible.
But don’t ask me how The Maid got in.
dreamgirls, no movie that year that got released ultra late in the award season got a best pic nom.so a few films could be seen as getting the short end of it.
Patton Oswalt! He’s so good in Big Fan. Hope this is a sign of things to come.
You know, Richard Kind was amazing in A Serious Man – his late scene by the pool was stunning. But I think Jessica McManus, whoever she is, should be in that ensemble nom.
the maid was directed by Sebastian Silva who is from NY. so it was elligible.
The maid is awesome…it teaches how great things come out from simple ideas.
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