The Gotham Award nominations have been announced and the big winner so far is Lance Hammer’s stark Memphis drama “Ballast.” We haven’t had a chance to write our review, but “Ballast” is rather amazing; one of the year’s best and we’re glad to see it topped the number of nominations. We’re also happy to see Micheal J. Smith, Sr. grabbed a nomination for his work in the film; his quiet, but penetrating performance is saturated with a deep-seated internal pathos and it’s hard to take your eyes off of him. It’s a revelatory acting turn.
“Ballast” scored four nomination including Best Feature, Best Ensemble Performance, Breakthrough Director and Breakthrough Actor. Rounding out Best Feature nominations were Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler,”Charlie Kaufman’s “Synecdoche, New York,”Tom McCarthy’s “The Visitor” and big Sundance winner, “Frozen River” by director Courtney Hunt. NYFF flick, “Afterschool,” by 25-year-old director Antonio Campos earned two nominations including Breakthrough Director and Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You. Tied for two nominations each was Jonathan Demme’s “Rachel Getting Married,” which scored nods for Best Feature and Best Ensemble Performance.
Best Feature
“Ballast” – director: Lance Hammer
“Frozen River” – director: Courtney Hunt
“Synecdoche, New York” – director, Charlie Kaufman
“The Visitor” – director: Tom McCarthy
“The Wrestler” – director: Darren Aronofsky
Best Documentary
“Chris & Don: A Love Story” – directors; Guido Santi & Tina Mascara
“Encounters at the End of the World” – director: Werner Herzog
“Man on Wire” – director: James Marsh
“Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired” – director: Marina Zenovich
“Trouble the Water”- director: Tia Lessin & Carl Deal
Best Ensemble Performance
“Ballast”
“Rachel Getting Married”
“Synecdoche, New York”
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
“The Visitor”
Breakthrough Director
Antonio Campos for “Afterschool”
Dennis Dortch for “A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy”
Lance Hammer for “Ballast”
Barry Jenkins for “Medicine for Melancholy”
Alex Rivera for “Sleep Dealer”
Breakthrough Actor
Pedro Castaneda in “August Evening”
Rosemarie DeWitt in “Rachel Getting Married”
Rebecca Hall in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Melissa Leo in “Frozen River”
Alejandro Polanco in “Chop Shop”
Micheal J. Smith, Sr. in “Ballast”
Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You
“Afterschool” – Antonio Campos, director
“Meadowlark”- Taylor Greeson, director
The New Year Parade – Tom Quinn, director
“Sita Sings the Blues” – Nina Paley, director
“Wellness” – Jake Mahaffy, director