Gotham Awards: Hurt Locker Receives Best Film Push

If this year’s Gotham Awards winner is any indication, A Serious Man might be in serious trouble with its Oscar chances as Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker appears to be the “preferred” independent film of the year. The Coen Bros. film lost out in the Best Feature and Best Ensemble categories, but I’m really curious in seeing how this all plays out in the next couple of weeks with the New York based film critics’ year end kudos. The biggest surprise of the the 19th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards was the Breakthrough Actor award going to Catalina Saavedra’s performance in The Maid over Ben Foster’s perf in The Messenger and Jeremy Renner’s memorable take in The Hurt Locker.  

Best Feature
Amreeka – Cherien Dabis
Big Fan – Robert Siegel
*The Hurt Locker – Kathryn Bigelow
The Maid – Sebastian Silva
A Serious Man – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Best Documentary 
* Food, Inc. – Robert Kenner
Good Hair – Jeff Stilson
My Neighbor My Killer – Anne Aghion
Paradise – Michael Almereyda
Tyson – James Toback 

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You
Everything Strange and New Frazer Bradshaw, director; Laura Techera Francia, A.D. Liano, producers
Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench Damien Chazelle, director; Jasmine McGlade, producer
October Country Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher, directors/producers
* You Won’t Miss Me Ry Russo-Young, director/producer
Zero Bridge Tariq Tapa, director; Tariq Tapa, Josee Lajoie, Hilal Ahmed Langoo, producers

Best Ensemble Performance
Adventureland Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Ryan Reynolds (Miramax Films)
Cold Souls Paul Giamatti, Dina Korzun, Emily Watson, Katheryn Winnick, David Strathairn (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
* The Hurt Locker Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly (Summit Entertainment)
A Serious Man Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed (Focus Features)
Sugar Algenis Perez Soto, Rayniel Rufino, Michael Gaston, Andre Holland, Ann Whitney, Richard Bull, Ellary Porterfield, Jaime Tirelli (Sony Pictures Classics)

Breakthrough Actor
Ben Foster in The Messenger
Patton Oswalt in Big Fan 
Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker 
* Catalina Saavedra in The Maid 
Soulemane Sy Savane in Goodbye Solo

Breakthrough Director
Cruz Angeles for Don’t Let Me Drown
Frazer Bradshaw for Everything Strange and New
Noah Buschel for The Missing Person (Strand Releasing)
Derick Martini for Lymelife (Screen Media Films)
* Robert Siegel for Big Fan (First Independent Pictures)