The first big awards nominations of the season have arrived- the Gotham Independent Film Awards, which honor American indies and are essentially the precursor to the Independent Spirit Awards. But they usually include some eventual Oscar nominees in their ranks as well, especially in the Feature and Acting categories. I think we're looking at Spotlight and possibly Carol to be the ones that go on to make it to heavier recognition, while Diary of a Teenage Girl will probably be limited to the Indie Spirits, but it's nice to see that nodded here. The biggest acting contenders here are Brie Larson and Cate Blanchett.
Best Feature
- "Carol"
- "The Diary of a Teenage Girl"
- "Heaven Knows What"
- "Spotlight"
- "Tangerine"
Best Documentary
- "Approaching the Elephant"
- "Cartel Land"
- "Heart of a Dog"
- "Listen to Me Marlon"
- "The Look of Silence"
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director
- Desiree Akhavan for "Appropriate Behavior"
- Jonas Carpigano for "Mediterranea"
- Marielle Heller for "The Diary of a Teenage Girl"
- John Magary for "The Mend"
- Josh Mond for "James White"
Best Screenplay
- "Carol," Phyllis Nagy
- "The Diary of a Teenage Girl," Marielle Heller
- "Love & Mercy," Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner
- "Spotlight," Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer
- "While We’re Young," Noah Baumbach
Best Actor
- Christopher Abbott in "James White"
- Kevin Corrigan in "Results"
- Paul Dano in "Love & Mercy"
- Peter Sarsgaard in "Experimenter"
- Michael Shannon in "99 Homes"
Best Actress
- Cate Blanchett in "Carol"
- Blythe Danner in "I’ll See You in My Dreams"
- Brie Larson in "Room"
- Bel Powley in "The Diary of a Teenage Girl"
- Lily Tomlin in "Grandma"
- Kristen Wiig in "Welcome to Me "
Breakthrough Actor
- Rory Culkin in "Gabriel"
- Arielle Holmes in "Heaven Knows What"
- Lola Kirke in "Mistress America"
- Kitana Kiki Rodriguez in "Tangerine"
- Mya Taylor in "Tangerine"
