Director Mike Mills’ Beginners was the big winner last night as the awards season officially kicked off with the 21st annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. The drama shared the Best Feature award with Terrence Malick’s The Tree Of Life and was the surprise winner of the Best Ensemble Performance prize, beating out higher profile nominees The Descendants, Take Shelter and Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Highlighting independent films and voted on by juries of various industry types, the Gotham Awards tend to have a bit more eclectic prizes than the usual statues given out at other award shows. The producers of Scenes Of A Crime, the winner of the Best Film Not Seen In A Theater Near You award, will have their film screened for one week at the Cinema Village in New York City.
Complete list of winners are as follows –
Best Feature / Tie
Beginners – Directed by Mike Mills
The Tree Of Life – Directed by Terrence Malick
Best Documentary
Better This World – Directed by Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega
Breakthrough Director Award
Dee Rees – Writer and director of Pariah
Breakthrough Actor
Felecity Jones – Like Crazy
Best Ensemble Performance Award
Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox,Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos in Beginners
Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Award
Scenes Of A Crime – Directed by Blue Hadaegh & Grover Babcock
Gotham Independent Film Audience Award
Girlfriend – Justin Lerner, Director
