6 Ways The Gotham Award Nominations Reshape The Oscars Race

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The Gotham Award nominations have been announced, giving us an early look at potential nominees for the 98th Academy Awards (Oscars). These awards focus on independent films and TV shows, and are often a good indicator of which indie films might be successful at the Oscars.

With record-breaking success, One Battle After Another is now a strong contender for an Oscar. But several independent films are gaining momentum thanks to their nominations for multiple Gotham Awards, potentially boosting their chances of reaching the Dolby Theater in March. Meanwhile, some films appear to be losing ground. Here’s a look at the key highlights from the Gotham Award nominations.

One Battle After Another Cements Itself As An Oscar Frontrunner

The film One Battle After Another is now a strong contender for the Academy Awards after achieving record success at the Gotham Awards. It received six nominations – a new record for the Gotham Awards – including nods for Best Picture and Best Director.

The Gotham Awards often give an early idea of how the Oscars will go, and the strong showing for Paul Thomas Anderson’s film suggests Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie is currently a frontrunner in many categories. This is also good news for Anderson himself, who is likely to be nominated for several awards.

Being nominated for top awards like Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay suggests Paul Anderson is finally getting the recognition he deserves, and that his film, One Battle After Another, has a real chance of winning. His odds of being a serious contender at the Oscars are looking better and better.

As a film buff, I was really pleased to see One Battle After Another snag three acting nominations – it definitely suggests the movie could be a real player when it comes to the acting awards. Chase Infiniti, Benicio Del Toro, and Teyana Taylor all getting nominated is fantastic news for them. It was a bit of a surprise though, and honestly a little disappointing, to see Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn left out – it really hurts their odds of getting Oscar attention now.

Chase Infiniti was nominated for Breakout Performance, not a leading role, which implies the Gotham Awards didn’t view her as a frontrunner or considered her performance more of a supporting one. This could indicate that One Battle After Another may struggle to receive acting nominations at the Oscars.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Is A Real Dark Horse Contender

I was really excited to see Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You get some recognition! While it didn’t quite match One Battle After Another in total nominations, it’s a wonderfully messy and genuinely anxiety-inducing look at what it’s like to be a woman today. It snagged four nominations – Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Lead Performance – and things really started looking up when it got some love from the Gotham Awards. It felt like people were finally paying attention!

This is great news for the A24 drama, and especially for Rose Byrne. While she gives what many consider a career-best performance, landing a nomination will be challenging due to strong competition. Fortunately, enthusiasm for Byrne’s work in the film remains high since she received the Silver Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Though many believe Byrne will definitely be nominated for Best Actress, Mary Bronstein’s strong showing at the Gotham Awards is a promising sign. This is only Bronstein’s second film as a director, but her multiple nominations put her in a good position to compete with established directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, and Chloé Zhao.

Although she might not get nominated for Best Director given the tough competition, her nomination at the Gotham Awards indicates a good chance she’ll be recognized for Best Original Screenplay, and could even be a contender for Best Picture. This is great news for one of the year’s standout independent films.

It Was Just An Accident Picks Up Steam Towards Big Nominations

The film It Was Just An Accident has been steadily gaining recognition throughout the year, and its chances of winning a major award improved significantly after receiving nominations for the Gotham Awards. Already considered a leading contender for Best International Feature Film – boosted by its win of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival – the French submission is now even more likely to succeed.

The film’s strong performance at the Gotham Awards indicates it’s gaining traction with both critics and Academy voters, improving its chances of winning major awards. Director and writer Jafar Panahi is now a strong possibility for nominations in the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay categories, thanks to his Gotham Award nominations.

The biggest setback for It Was An Accident is that it didn’t receive a nomination for Best Feature, which significantly reduces its chances of repeating Parasite‘s 2019 success – winning both Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture. Despite this, the film’s critical acclaim and relevant themes still make Jafar Panahi a strong contender for nominations in several categories.

Ethan Hawke And Adam Sandler’s Actor Odds Just Went Up

This year’s Oscar races are expected to be very competitive in all acting categories – Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. However, Ethan Hawke’s performance in Blue Moon and Adam Sandler’s in Jay Kelly are likely to gain significant momentum following their nominations for the Gotham Awards.

The Gotham Awards have nominated four men for their lead acting prize. While Josh O’Connor and Lee Byung-hun are potential winners, Wagner Moura is gaining significant attention and is likely to be nominated for Best Actor.

Ethan Hawke’s nomination for Blue Moon is fitting, given his career. He’s a well-respected actor in Hollywood with two previous Oscar nominations, but hasn’t yet won. Recent recognition from the Gotham Awards indicates a growing desire within the industry to acknowledge his impressive body of work.

Adam Sandler, a well-known name in Hollywood, deserves award recognition, and his subtle performance in Jay Kelly could finally earn it for him. Although George Clooney is also being considered, Sandler has a strong advantage: many believe he’s been overlooked for too long, and that could lead to a win for Jay Kelly.

Sentimental Value And The Smashing Machine Suffers Set-Backs

Both Sentimental Value and The Smashing Machine were considered potential award winners, with Sentimental Value benefiting from a talented cast and a strong source story, and The Smashing Machine gaining some positive buzz despite mixed reviews. However, the recent Gotham Awards results have hurt the chances of both films.

Although the film Sentimental Value received only two award nominations – for its supporting actors – this is good news for Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Stellan Skarsgård, who are both likely to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Actor. However, it’s a significant setback for Renate Reinsve, who was otherwise considered a top contender for Best Actress.

Many critics praise Renate Reinsve’s acting as a highlight of the film, but she’s up against strong competition from Rose Byrne, Amanda Seyfried, Tessa Thompson, and particularly Jesse Buckley, who is currently the favorite to win an award for her role in Hamnet. The fact that Reinsve wasn’t nominated suggests Buckley is gaining momentum.

This is particularly disappointing for The Smashing Machine, which was hoping Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt’s acting would generate awards buzz. Unfortunately, neither actor received a nomination from the Gotham Awards, and the film was completely shut out. To remain a contender for the Oscars, The Smashing Machine really needs to earn some more nominations.

Marty Supreme and Is This Thing On? Are Still Big Question Marks

The Gotham Awards usually highlight smaller, independent films that might be Oscar contenders, especially those in genres like fantasy or thriller. So, it’s not surprising that films like Wicked: For Good and Sinners weren’t major winners. However, two other films – Marty Supreme and Is This Thing On? – could shake up the Oscar race, and they weren’t considered by the Gotham Awards.

I’ve been hearing amazing things about both of these movies – everyone’s really loving them, and they both seem like exactly the kind of character-driven, realistic stories the Gotham Awards usually celebrate. It’s a bit of a bummer, though, because apparently the awards committee hadn’t seen either film before the nomination deadline, so neither one got any recognition this year. It feels a little unfair, honestly!

As a movie fan, it really highlights how tough it is to call the Oscar race this early on. Everyone’s betting Timothée Chalamet and Will Arnett are locks for nominations, and honestly, I think Chalamet is the one to beat for Best Actor, even though he didn’t get a nod at the Gotham Awards. It just shows you, early awards don’t always tell the whole story!

These two new films have the potential to change the direction of the awards season, possibly challenging the frontrunner, One Battle After Another. If they receive positive reviews and resonate with audiences, they could diminish the chances of Paul Thomas Anderson’s film winning big. With the 98th Academy Awards already looking competitive, it’s unclear how these movies will ultimately impact the race.

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2025-10-28 22:35