Black, Blue & Bone: NYC Indie film awards

Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone” led the nominations for the 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, which were announced this afternoon. “Bone” took three nominations, including best feature, best ensemble performance (for Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, and Kevin Breznahan), and best breakthrough performance (Lawrence). In the best feature category, the film was joined by Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan,” Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine,” Lisa Cholodenko’s “The Kids Are All Right,” and, perhaps most surprisingly, Matt Reeves’ “Let Me In.”

“Bone” was joined by “The Kids Are All Right” and Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” as the awards’ only multiple nominees, each taking two. That made it so all three multiple nominated films were directed by women. Female-directed films also made up 2 of the 5 documentary nominees (“The Oath,” “12th and Delaware”), and figured very prominently in the ensemble performance category with the likes of “Kids” and female-heavy casts like “Please Give” and “Life During Wartime.”

Last year, another woman - Kathryn Bigelow - saw her eventual big Oscar winner “The Hurt Locker” be the Gothams’ big winner, taking awards for best feature and best ensemble performance. Oddly enough, “Winter’s Bone” is nominated in the exact same three categories as “Locker” was a year ago.

The awards - organized by IFP - already announced the recipients of their honorary awards, including filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, actors Hilary Swank and Robert Duvall, and Focus Features CEO James Schamus. The winners will be announced Monday, November 29th at Cipriani Wall Street, and are considered the first major ceremony of the awards season.

The nominees for the 20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards are:

Best Feature
Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky, director; Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Blue Valentine
Derek Cianfrance, director; Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell, Alex Orlovsky, producers (The Weinstein Company)

The Kids Are All Right
Lisa Cholodenko, director;  Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray, Jordan Horowitz, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Philippe Hellmann, producers (Focus Features)

Let Me In
Matt Reeves, director; Simon Oakes, Alex Brunner, Guy East, Tobin Armbrust,  Donna Gigliotti, John Nording, Carl Molinder, producers (Overture Films)

Winter’s Bone
Debra Granik, director; Anne Rosellini, Alix Madigan-Yorkin, producers (Roadside Attractions)