Reporting from NEW YORK — Sexual coming-of-age story “Diary of a Teenage Girl†and lesbian love story “Carol†were among the big winners when the Gotham Awards nominations were announced Thursday, while journalism drama “Spotlight†shone brightly too.
“Diary,†Marielle Heller’s tale of a teenager discovering her sexuality in 1970s San Francisco, scored four nominations at the independent-film staple, including best feature, screenplay and actress for Bel Powley, while “Carol,†Todd Haynes’ look at an affair in 1950s New York, notched three noms, including best feature, screenplay and actress for Cate Blanchett.
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“Spotlight,†Tom McCarthy’s film about the Boston Globe’s investigation of the Catholic Church sex scandals of the early 2000s, landed best feature and screenplay nominations, also scooping up a special jury award for its ensemble cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Michael Keaton.
Rounding out the best feature short list were “Tangerine,†Sean Baker’s trans romantic drama set in Los Angeles, and “Heaven Knows What,†Josh and Benny Safdie’s look at a homeless drug addict in New York.
Interestingly, Lenny Abrahamson’s “Room,†which had been considered an indie darling on this year’s Oscar circuit, was not nominated for best feature, though Brie Larson scored a slot for best actress. Larson has been a favorite at the Gothams, which nominated her for her breakout role in “Short Term 12†two years ago.
The Gothams, which take place Nov. 30 in New York, are among the first major award shows on a circuit that runs through the Oscars three months later.
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(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) The show is a kind of East Coast version of the Spirit Awards, with its criteria varying greatly from the Oscars. But with the Oscars opting for grittier and more modestly budgeted films in recent years, the Gothams have become a surprisingly accurate barometer of several categories at the big show. A Gothams best feature nominee has gone on to win best picture at the Oscars three of the past six years; in two of those years, the Gotham and Oscar top prizewinners matched (“The Hurt Locker†and last year’s “Birdmanâ€).
The show also has prefigured a lead acting Oscars winner in each of the two years since it began handing out awards to those performers.
This year, lead actor nominations went to a group of performances in (comparatively) low-budget films, including Michael Shannon in “99 Homes,†Paul Dano in “Love & Mercy,†Christopher Abbott in “James White,†Kevin Corrigan in “Results†and Peter Sarsgaard in “Experimenter.â€
Rounding out the lead actress list were Blythe Danner in “I’ll See You in My Dreams,†Kristen Wiig in “Welcome to Me†and Lily Tomlin in “Grandma.â€
The remainder of the screenplay noms are the Oren Moverman-penned “Love & Mercy†and Noah Baumbach’s “While We’re Young.â€
A mix of film festival programmers and movie journalists comprised the Gotham Awards’ nominating committees; the writers included Entertainment Weekly’s Mark Harris, Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir, New York Magazine’s Bilge Ebiri and the Washington Post’s Ann Hornaday. The committees also announced shortlists for breakthrough actor and director, the latter of which helped “Diary†land its fourth Gothams nom.
Thursday’s nominations provided a boost to the prospects of several films, particularly “Spotlight†and “Carol,†both of which have been tipped as potential best picture nominees at the Oscars. “The Martian†and “Inside Out†are among the few big-budget Hollywood movies expected to compete heavily at that show.
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