The 2013 Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) Gotham Awards were awarded last night and while 12 Years a Slave topped the list of nominees it was Inside Llewyn Davis and Fruitvale Station topping the list of winners, the latter taking home two awards while Inside Llewyn Davis took home Best Feature.
Best Actor went to Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club while Brie Larson won Best Actress for her work in Short Term 12. Finally, The Act of Killing won for Best Documentary.
Obviously McConaughey is going to be a player at the Oscars, and it will be interesting to see what comes of Larson who is great in Short Term 12, a film I hope more and more people see as the year goes on and once it hits DVD and Blu-ray on January 14.
Fruitvale Station was the undisputed Breakthrough winner as director Ryan Coogler won the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award and star Michael B. Jordan won for Breakthrough Actor. While I don’t think Coogler is going to be able to sneak into the Best Director category at the Oscars, Jordan just might be able to squirm his way into Best Actor and I would love to see it.
I’ve included the complete list of nominees below, with winners marked in bold red text.
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)
- Robin Weigert (Concussion)
Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant
For the third consecutive year, IFP is proud present the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film.
- Afia Nathaniel (Dukhthar)
- Gita Pullapilly (Beneath the Harvest Sky)
- Deb Shoval (AWOL)
