The newly rebranded Gotham Film and Media Institute announced the winners of the 30th Annual Gotham Awards on Monday night and it was a bit of a bumpy zoom ride. While some presenters were on hand at the award show’s traditional locale, Cipriani’s New York, the nominees were entirely live on zoom. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it was, for lack of a better word, unique. Despite the technical confusion, “Nomadland” was the big winner taking Best Feature and the Audience Award.
READ MORE: “Nomadland” wins top prizes from National Society of Film Critics
For those making their Best Picture picks, it should be noted that the Gothams aren’t necessary an Oscar bellwether, but they aren’t inconsequential either. “The Hurt Locker,” “Birdman,” “Spotlight” and “Moonlight” won both honors.
On the television side, there were no surprises as “I May Destroy You” won Breakthrough Series (Under 40 Minutes) while “Watchmen” took Breakthrough Series (Over 40 Minutes).
Best Actress went to Nicole Beharie for “Miss Juneteenth.” Best Actor went to Riz Ahmed for “Sound of Metal.”
In a surprise, both Rahda Blank (“The Forty-Year-Old Version”) and Dan Sallitt (“Fourteen”) won the Best Screenplay honor. There was also a tie for Best Documentary with “Time” and “A Thousand Cuts” both winning. In something of a shock, “Identifying Features” won Best international Film.
Some of the tributes throughout the night included Jeffrey Wright, Viola Davis, Ryan Murphy, the cast of “One Night in Miami,” Steve McQueen, and Chadwick Boseman.
A list of this year’s nominees and winners are as follows:
BEST FEATURE
The Assistant
First Cow
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland – ***WINNER***
Relic
BEST DOCUMENTARY
76 Days
City Hall
Our Time Machine
A Thousand Cuts – ***WINNER*** (TIE)
Time – ***WINNER*** (TIE)
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Bacurau
Beanpole
Cuties (Mignonnes)
Identifying Features – ***WINNER***
Martin Eden
Wolfwalkers
BEST ACTOR
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal – ***WINNER***
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Jude Law in The Nest
John Magaro, First Cow
Jesse Plemons, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
BEST ACTRESS
Nicole Beharie, Miss Juneteenth – ***WINNER***
Jessie Buckley, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari
Carrie Coon, The Nest
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR
Jasmine Batchelor, The Surrogate
Kingsley Ben-Adir, One Night in Miami… – ***WINNER***
Sidney Flanigan, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Orion Lee, First Cow
Kelly O’Sullivan, Saint Frances
BEST SCREENPLAY
Bad Education, Mike Makowsky
First Cow, Jon Raymond, Kelly Reichardt
The Forty-Year-Old Version, Radha Blank – ***WINNER*** (TIE)
Fourteen, Dan Sallitt – ***WINNER*** (TIE)
The Vast of Night, James Montague, Craig Sanger
BINGHAM RAY BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR AWARD
Radha Blank, The Forty-Year-Old Version
Channing Godfrey Peoples, Miss Juneteenth
Alex Thompson, Saint Frances
Carlo Mirabella-Davis, Swallow
Andrew Patterson, The Vast of Night – ***WINNER***
BREAKTHROUGH SERIES (OVER 40 MINUTES)
The Great
Immigration Nation
P-Valley
Unorthodox
Watchmen – ***WINNER***
BREAKTHROUGH SERIES (UNDER 40 MINUTES)
Betty
Dave
I May Destroy You – ***WINNER***
Taste the Nation
Work in Progress
AUDIENCE AWARD
76 Days
The Assistant
Bacurau
Beanpole
City Hall
Cuties
First Cow
The 40-Year-Old Version
Identifying Features
Martin Eden
Miss Juneteenth
Never Rarely, Sometimes Always
Nomadland – ***WINNER***
Our Time Machine
Relic
Saint Francis
Swallow
A Thousand Cuts
Time
The Vast of Night
Wolfwalkers