THE GOTHAMS Announce 36th Edition Nominations Across 11 Categories

The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced the nominations for the 36th edition of The Gothams, singling out 42 feature films and 25 performances in 11 award categories, with All of a Sudden, Clarissa, La Gradiva, The Invite, and Tender Loving Care leading the way with four nominations each. The nominations were first announced on social media.

In announcing this year's nominations, Jeffrey Sharp, Executive Director of The Gotham Film & Media Institute, said: 'It's a pleasure to announce this year's nominees. It has been a remarkable year for film, with audiences turning out in theaters for bold, distinctive work from first-time filmmakers and established artists alike. This year's nominations, alongside our Tributes and the return of the Audience Award, reflect that abundance and celebrate the creative community that has been at the heart of The Gothams for more than three decades.'

Nominees are selected by committees of film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. Separate juries of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors, and other film industry professionals will determine the final recipients of The Gothams.

Returning after a six-year hiatus, the Gotham Audience Award celebrates films that transcend the screen to become defining cultural moments, capturing audiences' attention through their impact, reach, and resonance. Gotham members will vote to determine the winner, and the award will be presented to the film's credited director(s) and producer(s). This year's nominees were curated from films submitted to The Gothams for consideration, measured by opening-weekend per-theater average against the highest-rated and most-watched films of 2026, as reported in box office tracking and on Letterboxd.

The Gothams Tributes, which will also be presented at the ceremony, are the organization's highest honors celebrating outstanding achievement in film. The Tributes recognize the industry's most accomplished creators and performers whose work has made an indelible impact on both the art form and popular culture.

Best Feature

Clarissa — Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri, directors; Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri, Theresa Park, Nicholas Weinstock, producers (NEON)

Club Kid — Jordan Firstman, director; Michael Bloom, Alex Coco, Galen Core, Ryan Heller, producers (A24)

The Debut — Jesse Eisenberg, director; Jesse Eisenberg, Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, producers (A24)

Dreams in Nightmares — Shatara Michelle Ford, director; Naima Abed, Shatara Michelle Ford, Pin-Chun Liu, producers (Lunette Films)

The Invite — Olivia Wilde, director; Ben Browning, Megan Ellison, David Permut, producers (A24)

Josephine — Beth de Araújo, director; Beth de Araújo, Josh Beirne-Golden, Gemma Chan, David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Jordan Rapaport, Mark H. Rapaport, Robina Riccitiello, Marina Stabile, Channing Tatum, Crystine Zhang, producers (Sumerian Pictures)

Mouse — Kelly O'Sullivan, Alex Thompson, directors; Bonnie Comley, Pierce Cravens, Steven A. Jones, Ian Keiser, Chelsea Krant, Stewart F. Lane, Abigail Rose Solomon, Alex Thompson, Alex Wilson, producers (Independent Film Company)

Paper Tiger — James Gray, director; Andrea Bucko, Leonardo Maria del Vecchio, Gary Farkas, James Gray, Anthony Katagas, Andrea Leone, Raffaella Leone, Marco Perego, Carlo Salem, Rodrigo Teixeira, producers (NEON)

Primetime — Lance Oppenheim, director; Ari Aster, Fred Berger, William Iannaccone, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Lars Knudsen, Brighton McCloskey, Robert Pattinson, producers (A24)

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma — Jane Schoenbrun, director; Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, producers (MUBI)

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother — Bassam Tariq, director; Babak Anvari, Bassam Tariq, Lucan Toh, producers (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best International Feature

All of A Sudden — Ryusuke Hamaguchi, director; Julien Deris, David Gauquié, Kosuke Oshida, Yuji Sadai, producers (NEON)

Ben'Imana — Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, director; Samantha Biffot, Pierre-Adrien Ceccaldi, Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, Marie Epiphanie Uwayezu, producers (Alexander)

Blue Heron — Sophy Romvari, director; Ryan Bobkin, Sara Wylie, Sophy Romvari, Gábor Osváth, producers (Janus Films)

Everytime — Sandra Wollner, director; David Bohun, Lixi Frank, Viktoria Stolpe, producers (1-2 Special)

Fatherland — Pawel Pawlikowski, director; Edward Berger, Lorenzo Gangarossa, Mario Gianani, Lorenzo Mieli, Ewa Puszczynska, Dimitri Rassam, Jeanne Tremsal, producers (MUBI)

Filipiñana — Rafael Manuel, director; Bianca Balbuena, Jeremy Chua, Omar El Kadi, Bradley Liew, Rafael Manuel, Alex Polunin, Nadia Turincev, producers (Kino Lorber)

La Gradiva — Marine Atlan, director; Inès Daïen Dasi, producer (1-2 Special)

Minotaur — Andrey Zvyagintsev, director; Charles Gillibert, Nathanaël Karmitz, Marco Perego, Andrey Zvyagintsev, producers (MUBI)

Possible Love — Lee Chang-dong, director; Lee Joon-dong, Lee Chang-dong, David Levine, Chadwick Prichard, producers (Netflix)

Tender Loving Care — Mike Leigh, director; Georgina Lowe, producer (Bleecker Street)

Best Documentary Feature

Closure — Michal Marczak, director; Monika Braid, Rémi Grellety, Karolina Marczak, Michal Marczak, Katarzyna Szczerba, producers (1-2 Special)

A Fox Under a Pink Moon — Soraya Akhlaghi, Mehrdad Oskouei, directors; Siavash Jamali, Mehrdad Oskouei, producers (Kino Lorber)

NAZA — Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, directors; Harry Davies, Lindsay Poulton, James Wilson, producers (NEON)

Once Upon a Time in Harlem — David Greaves, director; Anne de Mare, Liani Greaves, producers (NEON)

You Can See Everything — Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, directors; Maggie Ambrose, Tatiana Bears, Jack Davis, Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, producers (A24)

Best Director

Ryusuke Hamaguchi, All of a Sudden (NEON)

Sandra Wollner, Everytime (1-2 Special)

Andrey Zvyagintsev, Minotaur (MUBI)

Jane Schoenbrun, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (MUBI)

Mike Leigh, Tender Loving Care (Bleecker Street)

Breakthrough Director

Sophy Romvari, Blue Heron (Janus Films)

Jordan Firstman, Club Kid (A24)

Aleshea Harris, Is God Is (Amazon MGM Studios)

Marine Atlan, La Gradiva (1-2 Special)

Joel Alfonso Vargas, Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

John Early, Maddie's Secret (Magnolia Pictures)

Best Original Screenplay

Everytime, Sandra Wollner (1-2 Special)

La Gradiva, Marine Atlan, Anne Brouillet (1-2 Special)

Possible Love, Lee Chang-dong, Oh Jung-mi (Netflix)

Tender Loving Care, Mike Leigh (Bleecker Street)

Wild Horse Nine, Martin McDonagh (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Adapted Screenplay

All of a Sudden, Ryusuke Hamaguchi (NEON)

Clarissa, Chuko Esiri (NEON)

The Invite, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack (A24)

Minotaur, Simon Lyashenko, Andrey Zvyagintsev (MUBI)

Primetime, Ajon Singh (A24)

Outstanding Lead Performance

Mahershala Ali, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (Amazon MGM Studios)

Gillian Anderson, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (MUBI)

Jeon Do-yeon, Possible Love (Netflix)

John Early, Maddie's Secret (Magnolia Pictures)

John Malkovich, Wild Horse Nine (Searchlight Pictures)

Ian McKellen, The Christophers (NEON)

Julianne Moore, The Debut (A24)

Sophie Okonedo, Clarissa (NEON)

Andrew Scott, Elsinore (Focus Features)

John Turturro, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (Sony Pictures Classics)

Outstanding Supporting Performance

Tom Courtenay, Queen at Sea (Greenwich Entertainment)

Esmé Creed-Miles, Sense and Sensibility (Focus Features)

Penélope Cruz, The Invite (A24)

Adam Driver, Paper Tiger (NEON)

Andrew Garfield, Artificial (NEON)

Skyler Gisondo, Primetime (A24)

Sandra Hüller, Fatherland (MUBI)

Kate O'Flynn, Tender Loving Care (Bleecker Street)

Tao Okamoto, All of a Sudden (NEON)

Channing Tatum, Josephine (Sumerian Pictures)

Breakthrough Performer

Adia, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (Amazon MGM Studios)

India Amarteifio, Clarissa (NEON)

Guitarricadelafuente, La Bola Negra (Netflix)

Colas Quignard, La Gradiva (1-2 Special)

Mason Reeves, Josephine (Sumerian Pictures)

Gotham Audience Award

Backrooms — Kane Parsons, director; Kori Adelson, Michael Clear, Dan Cohen, Chris Ferguson, Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, Roberto Patino, Osgood Perkins, Jenno Topping, James Wan, producers (A24)

La Bola Negra — Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo, directors; Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo, producers (Netflix)

The Drama — Kristoffer Borgli, director; Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone, producers (A24)

The Invite — Olivia Wilde, director; Ben Browning, Megan Ellison, David Permut, producers (A24)

Michael — Antoine Fuqua, director; John Branca, John McClain, Graham King, producers (Lionsgate)

Obsession — Curry Barker, director; James Harris, Haley Nicole Johnson, Christian Mercuri, Roman Viaris, producers (Focus Features)

Project Hail Mary — Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, directors; Ryan Gosling, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Rachel O'Connor, Amy Pascal, Aditya Sood, Andy Weir, producers (Amazon MGM Studios)

You Can See Everything — Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, directors; Maggie Ambrose, Tatiana Bears, Jack Davis, Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, producers (A24)

Nominating Committees

Nominating Committee for Best Feature and Best International Feature: Robert Daniels, Associate Editor, RogerEbert.com; Justin Chang, Film Critic, The New Yorker; Kate Erbland, Editorial Director, IndieWire; David Fear, Senior Editor and Film Critic, Rolling Stone; Tomris Laffly, Programmer, Film Critic, Variety, RogerEbert.com

Nominating Committee for Best Documentary Feature: Eric Hynes, Director of Film Curation and Programming, Jacob Burns Film Center; Eric Kohn, Artistic Director, Southampton Playhouse; Karen McMullen, Senior Programmer, Features and Shorts, DOC NYC; Allason Leitz, Director, Art House NY and Third Industry; Sky Sitney, Co-Founder and Festival Director, DC/DOX

Nominating Committee for Best Director and Breakthrough Director: David Ehrlich, Chief Film Critic, IndieWire; Guy Lodge, Chief Film Critic, Variety; Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer and Critic, Associated Press; Beatrice Loayza, Freelance, NYT, Film Comment, Variety, ArtReview; Brittany Luse, Host of It's Been A Minute, NPR

Nominating Committee for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay: Imani Davis, Film Programmer, American Cinematheque; Tim Grierson, Senior U.S. Critic, Screen International; Jon Frosch, Reviews Editor and Film Critic, The Hollywood Reporter; Illyse Singer, Cinema Director, The Roxy Cinema New York; Esther Zuckerman, Film and Culture Reporter, Wall Street Journal

Nominating Committee for Outstanding Lead Performance, Outstanding Supporting Performance, and Breakthrough Performer: Monica Castillo, Film Critic, The A.V. Club; Douglas Greenwood, Entertainment Editor, i-D; Contributor to GQ, Elle, Fantastic Man, and New York Magazine; Katey Rich, Awards Editor, The Ankler; Brian Tallerico, President of the Chicago Film Critics Association; Managing Editor, RogerEbert.com; Jourdain Searles, Film Critic, Freelance

The Platinum Sponsor of the Gotham Film Awards is IMDb, the Official Automotive Sponsor is Genesis, the Official Water Sponsor is FIJI Water, the Official Hotel Sponsor is Tempo by Hilton, and the Official Airline is Delta Air Lines.

Winners of the 36th Annual Gotham Film Awards will be honored at the awards ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street on Monday, November 30th, 2026.

About The Gotham Film & Media Institute

The Gotham celebrates and nurtures independent film and media creators, providing career-building resources, access to industry influencers, and pathways to wider recognition. The organization, under the leadership of Executive Director and award-winning producer Jeffrey Sharp, fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Gotham Week, Gotham Labs, Filmmaker Magazine, The Gothams, Gotham EDU, Owning It, and Expanding Communities.

About The Gothams

As the earliest honors of their respective seasons, The Gotham Film Awards and The Gotham Television Awards recognize both emerging and established creators and performances. By celebrating bold, original storytelling that shapes the cultural landscape—whether in independent works that push artistic boundaries or commercial entertainment that connects with the broadest audiences—these awards further the mission of The Gotham Film & Media Institute's year-round programming.