12 Years A Slave has earned three nods in the 23rd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, while Blue Caprice, Concussion, Fruitvale Station, Inside Llewyn Davis and Upstream Color earned two apiece.

For the first year awards for the best actor and actress will be handed out on Dec 2 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York.

To be eligible, submissions must be independent American feature-length films from US-based or US-born directors and producers made with “a point of view and with an economy of means.”

Gotham Award Tributes will be given to Forest Whitaker, director Richard Linklater and NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment’s Katherine Oliver.

“The Gotham Awards celebrate and showcase the very best of the vibrant, entertaining, challenging, and innovative films presented by our community, and help new audiences discover this vital work,” said Joana Vicente, executive director at IFP and the Made in NY Media Center.

“We congratulate this year’s master film artists, talented newcomers, and other nominees representing the rich and diverse spectrum of today’s independent filmmaking.”

The 2013 Gotham Independent Film Award nominations are:

Best Feature

  • 12 Years A Slave
  • Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
  • Before Midnight
  • Inside Llewyn Davis
  • Upstream Color

Best Documentary

  • The Act Of Killing
  • The Crash Reel
  • First Cousin Once Removed
  • Let The Fire Burn
  • Our Nixon

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award

  • Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station
  • Adam Leon, Gimme The Loot
  • Alexandre Moors, Blue Caprice
  • Stacie Passon, Concussion
  • Amy Seimetz, Sun Don’t Shine

Best Actor

  • Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave
  • Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
  • Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
  • Robert Redford, All Is Lost
  • Isaiah Washington, Blue Caprice

Best Actress

  • Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
  • Scarlett Johansson, Don Jon
  • Brie Larson, Short Term 12
  • Amy Seimetz, Upstream Color
  • Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now

Breakthrough Actor

  • Dane DeHaan, Kill Your Darlings
  • Kathryn Hahn, Afternoon Delight
  • Michael B Jordan, Fruitvale Station
  • Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years A Slave (pictured)
  • Robin Weigert, Concussion

Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant

  • Afia Nathaniel, director, Dukhthar
  • Gita Pullapilly, director, Beneath The Harvest Sky
  • Deb Shoval, director, AWOL

The winner of this grant in 2012 was Stacie Passon for Concussion.

Gotham Independent Film Audience Award

The 4th Annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Award will be voted on by the independent film community. To be eligible, a US film must have won an audience award at one of the top 50 US or Canadian film festivals from December 2012 through October 2013.