Who Comes Out Ahead at the Gotham Awards (UPDATED)

The Gotham Awards’ 2015 tributes include “Carol” director Todd Haynes, producers Steve Golin and actors Helen Mirren and Robert Redford. This year’s nominees, led by “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” with five nominations, include lauded indie features “Heaven Knows What,” “Room,” “Spotlight” and “Tangerine,” which scored the Audience Award as well as the breakthrough actor award for transgender actress Mya Taylor. 

“Spotlight” picked up best feature as well as the ensemble acting award and best screenplay. This gives the film a nice push as it builds momentum through awards season. Open Road and the filmmakers are stressing the real Boston Globe reporters and editors who inspired the movie. “To get one actor to do one ego-subjugating performance is rare, but to get a whole bunch of actors together to do it is a miracle,” said Mark Ruffalo. “It’s the people we were playing who were selfless… No man is an island and these people proved it.” 

The jury selected UK breakout Bel Powley for Best Actress for “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” over Oscar favorite Brie Larson (“Room”). Best Actor winer Paul Dano gains ground in his bid for a supporting actor nod for “Love & Mercy.” 

The doc winner, genocide-exposer Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Look of Silence,” a follow-up to Oscar-nominated “The Act of Killing,” is going to continue to get attention going forward in a crowded field of contenders. 

Here are the nominees for the 25th IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards, with updated winners marked in bold. 

Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast 
“Spotlight,” for Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci and Brian D’Arcy James

Audience Award
“Tangerine”

“Carol”

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl”

“Heaven Knows What”

“Tangerine”

“Approaching the Elephant”

“Cartel Land”

“Heart of a Dog”

“Listen to Me Marlon”

Desiree Akhavan for “Appropriate Behavior”

Marielle Heller for “The Diary of a Teenage Girl”

John Magary for “The Mend”

Josh Mond for “James White”

“Carol,” Phyllis Nagy 

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” Marielle Heller 

“Love & Mercy,” Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner

“While We’re Young,” Noah Baumbach

Christopher Abbott in “James White”

Kevin Corrigan in “Results”

Peter Sarsgaard in “Experimenter”

Michael Shannon in “99 Homes”

Cate Blanchett in “Carol”

Blythe Danner in “I’ll See You in My Dreams”

Brie Larson in “Room”

Lily Tomlin in “Grandma”

Kristen Wiig in “Welcome to Me”

Rory Culkin in “Gabriel”

Arielle Holmes in “Heaven Knows What”

Lola Kirke in “Mistress America”

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez in “Tangerine”

“Jane the Virgin,” Jennie Snyder Urman, Creator (The CW)

“Transparent,” Jill Soloway, Creator (Amazon)

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Creators (Netflix)  

“UnREAL,” Marti Noxon, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, Creators (Lifetime)

“Bee and PuppyCat,” Natasha Alllegri, Creator (Cartoon Hangover)

“The Impossibilities,” Anna Kerrigan, Creator (seriesofimpossibilities.com)

“Qraftish, Christal,” Creator (Blackgirldangerous.com)

“You’re So Talented,” Sam Bailey, Creator (Open TV)