Awards season is in full swing, and on the whole, I don’t really care. However, there are awards besides the biggies. While you don’t have to be the Oscars to be highly, cripplingly politicized, the smaller, lesser-known organizations giving out accolades can generally be trusted to reward quality better than the Academy. Take, for instance, the Gotham Independent Film Awards. They’re part of the Independent Filmmaker Project, the oldest collective of indie filmmakers in America, and their picks for recognition speak to their sincerity. All of the films nominated are good to great, with a few, such as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Master, among the best of the year. The awards will be given out November 26th. See all the categories listed below.
Best Feature
Bernie
The Loneliest Planet
The Master
Middle of Nowhere
Moonrise Kingdom
Best Documentary
Detropia
How to Survive a Plague
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
Room 237
The Waiting Room
Best Ensemble Performance
Bernie
Moonrise Kingdom
Safety Not Guaranteed
Silver Linings Playbook
Your Sister’s Sister
Breakthrough Director
Zal Batmanglij for Sound of My Voice
Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky for Francine
Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin for Now, Forager
Antonio Méndez Esparza for Aquí y Allá (Here and There)
Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild
Breakthrough Actor
Mike Birbiglia in Sleepwalk with Me
Emayatzy Corinealdi in Middle of Nowhere
Thure Lindhardt in Keep the Lights On
Melanie Lynskey in Hello, I Must Be Going
Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You
Kid-Thing
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty
Red Flag
Sun Don’t Shine
Tiger Tail in Blue
