The first official forecast for Oscars glory has arrived, courtesy of the 31st annual Gotham Awards nominations. The Lost Daughter and Passing lead the pack with five nominations each, including best feature, cementing Netflix’s temporary place atop the awards food chain. The Gothams also nominated The Green Knight, Pig, and Test Pattern in its top category.
Two performers-turned-first-time directors helmed this year’s most nominated movies—The Lost Daughter’s Maggie Gyllenhaal and Passing’s Rebecca Hall. Each earned writing and directing nominations, in addition to nods for their lead and supporting performers. The Lost Daughter’s Olivia Colman and Passing’s Tessa Thompson are nominated as leads, while Jessie Buckley and Ruth Negga were recognized for their supporting roles.
Voted on by committees of film critics and curators, the Gotham Awards announced in August that they would combine their best-actor and best-actress prizes into a singular gender-neutral acting category. This year’s lead performance category honors 10 nominees, including Oscar Isaac (The Card Counter), Taylour Paige (Zola), Joaquin Phoenix (C’mon C’mon), and Simon Rex (Red Rocket). Notably missing from the category are The Green Knight’s Dev Patel and Pig’s Nicolas Cage, following both films’ recognition in best feature.
Apple’s CODA earned three acting nominations. Lead Emilia Jones is recognized in the breakthrough performer category, while Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur show up in supporting. Other supporting nominees include Reed Birney (Mass), Colman Domingo (Zola), and Gaby Hoffmann (C’mon C’mon).
Given that films must be budgeted under $35 million to be nominated at the Gothams, expected awards heavyweights such as Jane Campion’s Power of the Dog and Pablo Larraín’s Spencer were ineligible. However, Campion will receive a Director Tribute at the awards ceremony, while Spencer’s Kristen Stewart has been tapped to receive the year’s Performer Tribute.
Over on the TV side of things, several new series received their first taste of awards recognition. HBO’S The White Lotus, Netflix’s Squid Game, and FX on Hulu’s Reservation Dogs were all nominated as Breakthrough Series. Performers from those shows were also honored, including Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game) and Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs). Emmys favorites to make the list include Hacks and Jean Smart, The Queen’s Gambit’s Anya Taylor-Joy, and The Underground Railroad.
The Gothams may not be as much of an Oscars prognosticator as the Critics’ Choice or guild awards, but their role in the season is hardly insignificant. Last year’s best feature winner, Nomadland, went on to take top prizes at the Oscars. In recent years, future Oscar winners Moonlight, Spotlight and Birdman also all began their best picture journeys with Gotham wins.
A full list of nominations can be found here. The 31st Gotham Awards will take place on Monday, November 29.
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