Paul Thomas Anderson’s highly anticipated action epic, “One Battle After Another”, has emerged as the frontrunner for the upcoming Gotham Awards 2024, securing an impressive six nominations. This marks a historic moment, as it is the most nominations ever received in the history of the Gothams. Among its nominations are coveted categories such as Best Feature and acting nods for acclaimed actors Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor, and breakout star Chase Infiniti.
This year’s nominations signify a turning point for the Gotham Awards, following the organization's decision to eliminate budget caps for awards consideration. In previous years, only films with budgets under $35 million were eligible for nominations. Notable past winners of the Best Feature category include award-winning films such as “Spotlight” (2015), “Moonlight” (2016), and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022), all of which went on to win the Best Picture Oscar. This year, however, the focus has shifted back to smaller independent films, with “One Battle After Another” standing out due to its budget exceeding $130 million.
In addition to “One Battle After Another”, the nominations for Best Feature have expanded to include ten films. Other contenders in this category are “Bugonia”, “East of Wall”, “Familiar Touch”, “Hamnet”, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”, “Lurker”, “Sorry, Baby”, “The Testament of Ann Lee”, and “Train Dreams”. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on December 1 in New York City.
The Best Director category boasts a lineup of significant contenders, including Mary Bronstein for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”, Jafar Panahi for “It Was Just an Accident”, Kelly Reichardt for “The Mastermind”, Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle After Another”, and Oliver Laxe for “Sirât”. The lead acting category, now in its fourth year as a gender-neutral segment, features frontrunner Jessie Buckley for “Hamnet”, alongside other talented nominees including Lee Byung-hun (“No Other Choice”), Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”), Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”), Jennifer Lawrence (“Die My Love”), Amanda Seyfried (“The Testament of Ann Lee”), and Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”).
The Breakthrough Performers category highlights emerging talent, featuring nominations for A$AP Rocky (“Highest 2 Lowest”), Sebiye Behtiyar (“Preparation for the Next Life”), Chase Infiniti (“One Battle After Another”), Abou Sangaré (“Souleymane’s Story”), and Tonatiuh (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”). However, the nominations did not come without controversy; notably absent was “Sentimental Value”, Norway’s submission for the Oscar in the international feature category, which failed to secure a nomination for Best Feature or for its leading actress, Renate Reinsve.
Films that did not meet submission deadlines, such as “Marty Supreme” and “Is This Thing On?”, were also left out of the nominations. The nominees were carefully selected by committees comprising film critics, journalists, programmers, and curators. Final winners will be determined by separate juries of industry professionals, including filmmakers, producers, editors, and actors.
Jeffrey Sharp, the executive director of the Gotham Film & Media Institute, expressed his admiration for this year’s nominees, highlighting the creativity and diversity of storytelling they represent. “This year’s nominees celebrate an extraordinary year of cinematic achievement — one defined by bold, original storytelling, festival breakouts, and filmmakers whose independent vision extends across studios and streamers,” Sharp stated. “These nominees, and our Gotham Tributes, reflect the year’s most accomplished filmmakers and performers and embody the community that has defined The Gothams for 35 years.”
For a complete list of the nominations, including categories such as Best International Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Outstanding Lead Performance, and Outstanding Supporting Performance, please refer to the official Gotham Awards announcements.
