The Gotham Independent Film Awards are pretty much the first major award show of the major award show season, and while they’re too indie-focused to be much of a marker for how the big-time awards early next year will go (we’re specifically talking about the Oscars) they do give the film community a chance to highlight the artistry of the medium without the distractions of some of the flashier and trashier award shows (again, the Oscars). Also, the Gotham Awards are special to The A.V. Club in particular because they give us a chance to feign ignorance about what the awards are actually for: This the one that’s all about outstanding achievement in bat-themed vigilantism, right? Ha ha, as hilarious as it is every year.
Anyway, going into tonight’s event, Paul Schrader’s First Reformed and Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite were, well, the favorites, having secured the most nominations. Unfortunately for Lanthimos fans, his film was totally shut out, while First Reformed got Best Screenplay for Schrader and Best Actor for Ethan Hawke. Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade was another solid winner, getting Burnham the Breakthrough Director award and star Elsie Fisher getting the Breakthrough Actor prize. Overall Best Actress went to a comparatively mainstream pick, with Toni Collette winning for Hereditary, and Best Feature went to Chloe Zhao’s The Rider.
The full list of awards is below, although—let us double-check one more time—none of them are about Batman.
Best Feature
The Rider
Audience Award
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Best Documentary
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade
Best Screenplay
First Reformed, Paul Schrader
Best Actor
Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Best Actress
Toni Collette, Hereditary
Breakthrough Actor
Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade
Breakthrough Series—Long For
Killing Eve
Breakthrough Series—Short Form
195 Lewis