Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another was named best feature at Monday night’s 35th annual Gotham Film Awards in New York, converting the only one of its field-leading six nominations on a night when studio films rubbed shoulders with true independents.
This was the first Gothams ceremony with 10 best feature nominees after the number of slots was doubled. Two years ago the Gothams removed the $35m budget cap and the evening’s winners ranged from One Battle After Another and Sinners at Warner Brothers by way of It Was Just An Accident at Neon to documentary winner Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air In Moscow, which currently has no US distribution.
Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident won all three of the categories it was nominated in – best director, original screenplay, and international feature. Accepting the best director award, Iranian auteur Panahi told the audience at Cipriani that as a student he worked on a short film “with a big crew” and burned the dailies when he decided it was not good enough.
“Although no-one knew me back then,” Pahani said, “I did not want my signature to be on that film […] If I had not done that back then, I would not be standing here tonight.” Referring to It Was Just An Accident, his Cannes Palme d’Or winner and France’s Oscar submission, he added: “And I am also happy that I did not destroy my last film.”
Earlier on Monday it emerged that Panahi had been sentenced in absentia by Iranian authorities to one year in prison and a two-year travel ban. He currently lives in France and is due to attend Marrakech Film Festival later this week.
A strong night for UK cinema saw Akinola Davies Jr. win breakthrough director for My Father’s Shadow and Sopé Dìrísù claim the outstanding lead performance award as the UK Oscar submission at Mubi converted both its nominations. Harry Lighton collected adapted screenplay honours for Pillion at A24 and explained how he made his way from London to New York after a big night at Sunday’s Bifas.
Wunmi Mosaku was named best supporting actor for Sinners, which also took the Ensemble Tribute award, and Abou Sangaré won breakthrough performer honours for Souleymane’s Story. My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air In Moscow was named best documentary.
Guillermo del Toro accepted the Gotham Vanguard Award for Frankenstein and said “Fuck AI” at the end of his remarks.
In other special awards, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere writer-director Scott Cooper and star Jeremy Allen White collected the Cultural Icon Tribute; Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson collected the inaugural Gotham Music Tribute for Song Sung Blue, when Jackman predicted that Hudson would win the Oscar; Jay Kelly director Noach Baumbach accepted the Gotham Director Tribute from Emily Mortimer and Adam Sandler; Nia DaCosta and Nina Hoss presented Tessa Thompson with the Spotlight Tribute for Hedda; and Julia Roberts and Luca Guadagnino collected the Visionary Award from Paul Rudd for After The Hunt.
Searchlight Pictures’ Is This Thing On? was not completed by the deadline, and A24 did not submit Marty Supreme as Josh Safdie completed the film prior to its secret screening at New York Film Festival in late September and the company did not want to share links with nominating committees at the time. Screen posted its review of Marty Supreme earlier on Monday.
Winners appear below in bold.
35th Annual Gotham Film Awards nominees
Best Feature
Bugonia (Focus Features)
East Of Wall (Sony Pictures Classics)
Familiar Touch (Music Box Films)
Hamnet (Focus Features)
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
Lurker (Mubi)
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros)
Sorry, Baby (A24)
The Testament Of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
Train Dreams (Netflix)
Outstanding Lead Performance
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet (Focus Features)
Lee Byung-hun, No Other Choice (Neon)
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
Sopé Dìrísù, My Father’s Shadow (Mubi)
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love (Mubi)
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent (Neon)
Josh O’Connor, The Mastermind (Mubi)
Amanda Seyfried, The Testament Of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
Tessa Thompson, Hedda (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Outstanding Supporting Performance
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros)
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein (Netflix)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value (Neon)
Indya Moore, Father Mother Sister Brother (Mubi)
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners (Warner Bros)
Adam Sandler, Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Andrew Scott, Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Alexander Skarsgård, Pillion (A24)
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value (Neon)
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros)
Best Original screenplay
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24) — Mary Bronstein
It Was Just An Accident (Neon) —Jafar Panahi
The Secret Agent (Neon) —Kleber Mendonça Filho
Sorry, Baby (A24) — Eva Victor
Sound Of Falling (Mubi) —Louise Peter, Mascha Schilinski
Best adapted screenplay
No Other Choice (Neon) —Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Jahye Lee, Don McKellar
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros) —Paul Thomas Anderson
Pillion (A24) — Harry Lighton
Preparation For The Next Life (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios) —Martyna Majok
Train Dreams (Netflix) —Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
Best Director
Mary Bronstein, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
Jafar Panahi, It Was Just An Accident (Neon)
Kelly Reichardt, The Mastermind (Mubi)
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros)
Oliver Laxe, Sirât (Neon)
Best International Feature
It Was Just An Accident (Neon)
No Other Choice (Neon)
Nouvelle Vague (Netflix)
Resurrection (Janus Films)
Sound Of Falling (Mubi)
Best Documentary Feature
2000 Meters To Andriivka (PBS)
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions (Rich Spirit)
My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air In Moscow (self-distributed)
The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk (Kino Lorber)
Breakthrough Director
Constance Tsang, Blue Sun Palace (Mubi)
Carson Lund, Eephus (Music Box Films)
Sarah Friedland, Familiar Touch (Music Box Films)
Akinola Davies Jr., My Father’s Shadow (Mubi)
Harris Dickinson, Urchin (1-2 Special)
Breakthrough Performer
A$AP Rocky, Highest 2 Lowest (A24)
Sebiye Behtiyar, Preparation For The Next Life (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Abou Sangaré, Souleymane’s Story (Kino Lorber)
Tonatiuh, Kiss Of The Spider Woman (Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate/LD Entertainment).
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