The 2021 Gotham Independent Film Awards nominees were announced recently and kicked off awards season on an unpredictable note. The Gotham Awards are not necessarily the most reliable precursor when it comes to predicting the Oscars, but due to the fact that they are the first awards body to release their list of nominees each year, they are worth discussing and paying attention to. It is worth noting that the Gotham’s only honor independent films, so many films that will be competing at the major awards, were not eligible here.
Two directorial debut’s from acclaimed actresses lead the pack in terms of nominations this year: Rebecca Hall’s Passing and Maggie Gylenhaal’s The Lost Daughter. The former premiered at Sundance to middling reviews, with many critics complimenting the performances and stunning B&W cinematography, but criticizing the film’s unclear thesis and messy storytelling. Passing was recut after its initial premiere and has since screened at the New York Film Festival to a much warmer response. While I’m skeptical that the film will break into the Best Picture race, the abundance of nominations makes this a strong candidate to look out for at the Independent Spirit Awards, and potentially in certain categories at the Oscars (Best Supporting Actress for Ruth Negga and Best Adapted Screenplay). The Lost Daughter has had a similar trajectory, as it premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a divisive reaction, but relieved a much warmer reception at NYFF, launching it into the awards conversation. Both films are coincidentally produced by Netflix, so it’s difficult to predict which of the two will take home the top prize. The Lost Daughter seems to have slightly more Oscar buzz and features a more high profile cast, so I’d hedge my bets on it taking home the gold.
Every year there’s one film that the Gotham’s nominate that was not even on my radar. This year that film is Test Pattern, which earned three nominations, including Best Feature. The Best Feature category was rounded out by the two most beloved indies from this past summer; David Lowrey’s The Green Knight and Michael Sarnoski’s Pig.
Other films in contention include, Sean Baker’s Red Rocket, Mike Mills’ C’Mon C’Mon and Sian Heder’s CODA.
We have listed the nominees for the film categories down below, as well as our predictions:
BEST FEATURE
- The Green Knight
- The Lost Daughter
- Passing
- Pig
- Test Pattern
WILL WIN: The Lost Daughter
COULD WIN: Passing
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
- Ascension
- Faya Dayi
- Flee
- President
- Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
WILL WIN: Flee
COULD WIN: Summer of Soul
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
- Andreas Fontana
- Drive My Car
- The Souvenir Part II
- Titane
- What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?
- The Worst Person in the World
WILL WIN: Titane
COULD WIN: The Worst Person in the World
BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR
- Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter)
- Edison Oda (Nine Days)
- Rebecca Hall (Passing)
- Emma Seligman (Shiva Baby)
- Shatara Michelle Ford (Test Pattern)
WILL WIN: Maggie Gyllenhaal
COULD WIN: Rebecca Hall
BEST SCREENPLAY
- The Card Counter
- El Planeta
- The Green Knight
- The Lost Daughter
- Passing
- Red Rocket
WILL WIN: The Lost Daughter
COULD WIN: Red Rocket
BEST NEWCOMER
- Emilia Jones (CODA)
- Natalie Morales (Language Lessons)
- Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby)
- Suzanna Son (Red Rocket)
- Amalia Ulman (El Planeta)
WILL WIN: Emilia Jones
COULD WIN: Rachel Sennott
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
- Reed Birney (Mass)
- Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)
- Coleman Domingo (Zola)
- Gaby Hoffman (C’Mon C’Mon)
- Troy Kotsur (CODA)
- Marlee Marlin (CODA)
- Ruth Negga (Passing)
WILL WIN: Emilia Jones
COULD WIN: Rachel Sennott
LEAD PERFORMANCE
- Olivia Coleman (The Lost Daughter)
- Franklin Faison (The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain)
- Michael Greyeyes (Wild Indian)
- Brittany S. Hall (Test Pattern)
- Oscar Isaac (The Card Counter)
- Joaquin Phoenix (C’Mon C’Mon)
- Simon Rex (Red Rocket)
- Lili Taylor (Paper Spiders)
- Tessa Thompson (Passing)
WILL WIN: Olivia Coleman
COULD WIN: Joaquin Phoenix
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