Awards season is underway, and the Gotham nominations are only a small blip for what could be on Oscar voters radar.
While any nomination (or win) from any industry group marks a chance at gaining momentum, it’s important to member the Oscar punditry golden rule: it’s not about what everyone wants to win, it’s about what will win. And critics are not Oscar voters. Each Gothams category is determined by a set of five distinct critics and journalists from various disciplines.
The slate of feature film nominees, where Sean Baker’s hilarious and moving dramedy “Anora” led the charge with four nods, is yet another compelling reason the Neon-distributed Palme d’Or winner has what it takes to go all the way in the race. On the other hand, I wouldn’t read too much into the complete shutout of films such as Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language crime musical “Emilia Pérez” or Edward Berger’s political religious thriller “Conclave” as any indication of trouble on the Oscar horizon (at least, in terms of nomination odds).
Nonetheless, some movies did get a considerable boost at the starting line after the Gothams announced this year’s nominations.
Luca Guadagnino’s sports drama “Challengers,” from Amazon MGM, emerged as a surprise entry in the best feature category, marking the film’s only nomination. The sexy tennis-throuple love story that stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist was one of the highlights from the first half of the year, and could be a dark horse entry in an awards season that I’m quickly dubbing, “the year without the frontrunners.” In that scenario, anything can pop up and make a play for major recognition.
Alongside “Challengers” is its Amazon MGM peer “Nickel Boys,” an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel directed by Oscar nominee RaMell Ross. Appearing strong with three nominations, including best feature, director and breakthrough performance, the coming-of-age drama has ardent admirers after receiving solid reviews at the Telluride and New York Film Festivals. This could suggest early signs of appeal among niche industry groups, leaving wiggle room in categories like directing (a branch that loves an auteur vision).
In the lead performance category, several Oscar hopefuls received love including best actor contenders Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”) and Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), as well as actress candidates Saoirse Ronan (“The Outrun”) and Mikey Madison (“Anora”), who will compete in a gender-neutral category. Sources with direct knowledge of the committee’s voting tells Variety that Tilda Swinton (“The Room Next Door”) and Julianne Nicholson (“Janet Planet”) were on the cusp for the final slots.
The same competitive landscape applies in the supporting performance category, where Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”), Danielle Deadwyler (“The Piano Lesson”), Clarence Maclin (“Sing Sing”) and Guy Pearce (“The Brutalist”) are all vying for the trophy, getting a good head-start to their campaigns.
Dark horse candidates also got notable bumps in momentum such as Natasha Lyonne, the only actor from Azazel Jacobs’ “His Three Daughters” to find a nom. In addition, Yura Borisov, a standout performer in “Anora,” and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, delivering her career-best performance in Mike Leigh’s character study “Hard Truths,” have some gas to get them through what will undoubtedly be a noisy phase one period over the next few weeks.
While international feature films are not eligible for the best feature category, the notable shutouts of “Emilia Pérez” and “Conclave” did not go unnoticed.
This marks the second year that the annual ceremony, which is hosted by the Gotham Film & Media Institute, removed a budget cap of $35 million for eligible films. Past winners of the Gothams top prize have included “Spotlight” (2015), “Moonlight” (2016) and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022), all of which went on to win best picture at the Oscars.
The next event on the awards calendar is the submission deadline for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, due Friday at 5:00 p.m. PT. Now, that’s a group that can change the entire trajectory of the Oscar race.
The Gotham Awards take place on Monday, Dec. 2.