Beginners and Tree of Life top Gotham Awards

Tree of Life - Gotham Awards

Tree of Life posterNot to be confused with any awards ceremonies held in Batman’s hometown, the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards were held today in New York. The awards are hosted by the Independent Feature Project, a nonprofit organisation founded in 1979 that supports independent filmmaking.

The 21st Annual Gotham Awards saw Mike Mills’ Beginners and Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life controversially tie for first place in Best Picture, with the former also taking out the award for Best Ensemble Performance for the cast, which include Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Mélanie Laurent.

The Descendants, from Sideways director Alexander Payne and starring George Clooney, was nominated for three awards but won none. It is hotly tipped for an acting nomination at the larger awards for Clooney.

UK actress Felicity Jones took out Best Breakthrough Actor/Actress for Like Crazy, Dee Rees grabbed Breakthrough Director for Pariah. Best Documentary went to Better This World, and Scenes of a Crime was named Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You.

A full list of winners and nominees is below.

Best Feature

Beginners (Winner)
The Tree of Life (Winner)

The Descendants
Meek’s Cutoff
Take Shelter

Best Ensemble Performance

Beginners (Winner)

The Descendants
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Take Shelter

Best Breakthrough Actor/Actress

Felicity Jones – Like Crazy (Winner)

Elizabeth Olsen – Martha Marcy May Marlene
Harmony Santana – Gun Hill Road
Shailene Woodley – The Descendants
Jacob Wysocki – Terri

Best Breakthrough Director

Dee Rees – Pariah (Winner)

Mike Cahill – Another Earth
Sean Durkin – Martha Marcy May Marlene
Vera Farmiga – Higher Ground
Evan Glodell – Bellflower

Best Documentary

Better This World (Winner)

Bill Cunningham New York
Hell and Back Again
The Interrupters
The Woodmans

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You

Scenes of a Crime (Winner)

Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
Green
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
Without