Prognosticators will spend the night trying to figure out how this affects (or doesn’t) the Oscar nominations come January, but it’s safe to say that "Spotlight" is still very much in the race.
Tom McCarthy‘s true-story journalism tale walked away at the Gotham Awards with the night’s big prizes, taking Best Feature and Best Screenplay, along with an honorary award for the ensemble performance for the cast. How this translates into Academy nods remains to be seen, but with the race still very much wide open, this is a strong boost for the film as it heads into a very competitive December. But perhaps the biggest surprise of all is Bel Powley beating both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in the Best Actress category for her turn in "The Diary Of A Teenage Girl."
Check out the full list of winners below.
Best Feature
"Carol"
"The Diary of a Teenage Girl"
"Heaven Knows What"
"Spotlight"
"Tangerine"
Best Actor
Christopher Abbott, "James White"
Kevin Corrigan, "Results"
Paul Dano, "Love & Mercy"
Peter Sarsgaard, "Experimenter"
Michael Shannon, "99 Homes"
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, "Carol"
Blythe Danner, "I’ll See You in My Dreams"
Brie Larson, "Room"
Bel Powley, "The Diary of a Teenage Girl"
Lily Tomlin, "Grandma"
Kristen Wiig, "Welcome to Me"
Breakthrough Actor
Rory Culkin, "Gabriel"
Arielle Holmes, "Heaven Knows What"
Lola Kirke, "Mistress America"
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, "Tangerine"
Mya Taylor, "Tangerine"
Breakthrough Director
Desiree Akhavan, "Appropriate Behavior"
Jonas Carpigano, "Mediterranea"
Marielle Heller, "The Diary of a Teenage Girl"
John Magary, "The Mend"
Josh Mond, "James White"
Best Screenplay
"Carol, Phyllis Nagy
"The Diary of a Teenage Girl," Marielle Heller
"Love & Mercy," Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner
"Spotlight," Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer
"While We’re Young," Noah Baumbach
Best Documentary
"Approaching the Elephant"
"Cartel Land"
"Heart of a Dog"
"Listen to Me Marlon"
"The Look of Silence"
Audience Award
"Tangerine"
The First Gotham Appreciation Award
Ellen Cotter of Angelika Film Center Theaters
Breakthrough Series – Long Form
"Mr. Robot"
Breakthrough Series – Short Form
"Shugs & Fats"