Awards season is officially officially underway. On Monday night in New York, the 22nd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards -- which, as noted by the awards website, are "selected by distinguished juries" -- honored "Moonrise Kingdom," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Your Sister's Sister," Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon and David O. Russell. Comedian and "Sleepwalk with Me" writer-director-star Mike Birbiglia was emcee at the event, and, as THR reported, used his monologue to recite Russell's expletive-laden rant at Lily Tomlin on the set of "I Heart Huckabees."
Cotillard and Damon received honorary awards to celebrate their respective careers (and, likely, their 2012 releases "Rust and Bone" and "Promised Land"); Russell was the recipient of a career tribute at the event, though his current feature, "Silver Linings Playbook," failed to take home trophy. The big winner of the evening, as it turns out, was "Moonrise Kingdom," which defeated "The Master," "Bernie," "Middle of Nowhere" and "The Loneliest Planet" to win Best Feature.
In a twist from traditional awards shows, "Moonrise Kingdom" director Wes Anderson wasn't even nominated in the Best Director category; that award went to Behn Zeitlin for "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild" breakout find, Quvenzhané Wallis, wasn't so lucky. The young actress -- who was just 5 years old when the film shot -- lost in the Best Actor category to Emayatzy Corinealdi from "Middle of Nowhere."
Meanwhile, "Your Sister's Sister," a charming indie starring Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt won the Best Ensemble Performance trophy. That film beat out a murderer's row of competition, including "Silver Linings Playbook," "Moonrise Kingdom," "Bernie" and "Safety Not Guaranteed" for the honor.
Last year, "The Tree of Life" and "Beginners" tied for Best Feature; "Tree of Life" went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
For a full list of winners and more details from the night, head over to THR.
[via THR]
