'Winter's Bone' Leads The 2010 Gotham Awards With 3 Nominations Including Best Picture

The first salvo in the 2010 awards season has rung out via the 2010 Gotham Independent Film Awards and so far, Debra Granik's "Winter's Bone" has come out on top leading the pack with three nominations, including, Best Feature, Best Ensemble Performance and Breakthrough Actor for the film's star Jennifer Lawrence.

The Gotham Awards haven't really been a major augur in the Academy Awards, but last year's big winner "The Hurt Locker" (which won Best Picture and Best Ensemble Cast), obviously went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

This bodes well for the very deserving indie picture. Internally some Playlist members have speculated to one another that the film is too small to make much of a mark during the Oscars, but this writer is pretty adamant that it has a shot at a Best Picture nomination. Lawrence, who has since scored a coveted gig in "X-Men: First Class" as the shape-shifter Mystique should hopefully have a shot at Best Actress as well. Call her slot the indie, "Precious" one if you will and let's hope there's room for both it and Lisa Cholodenko's "The Kids Are Alright."

Speaking of, tailing "Winter's Bone" with two nominations is Cholodenko's family drama (nominated for Best Feature and Best Ensemble Performance) and "Tiny Furniture" which scored nods for Best Ensemble Performance and Best Breakthrough Director for filmmaker Lena Dunham. Also nominated for Best Picture is Darren Aronofksy's "Black Swan," Derek Cianfrance's "Blue Valentine," and Matt Reeves' recent horror remake, "Let Me In." Full list of nominations below the jump.

The nominees for the 20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards are:

Best Feature
"Black Swan"
Darren Aronofsky, director; Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
"Blue Valentine"
Derek Cianfrance, director; Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell, Alex Orlovsky, producers (The Weinstein Company)
"The Kids Are All Right"
Lisa Cholodenko, director; Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray, Jordan Horowitz, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Philippe Hellmann, producers (Focus Features)
"Let Me In"
Matt Reeves, director; Simon Oakes, Alex Brunner, Guy East, Tobin Armbrust, Donna Gigliotti, John Nording, Carl Molinder, producers (Overture Films)
"Winter’s Bone"
Debra Granik, director; Anne Rosellini, Alix Madigan-Yorkin, producers (Roadside Attractions)

Best Documentary
"12th & Delaware"
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, directors/producers (HBO Documentary Films)
"Inside Job"
Charles Ferguson, director; Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)
"The Oath"
Laura Poitras, director/producer (Zeitgeist Films and American Documentary/POV)
"Public Speaking"
Martin Scorsese, director; Martin Scorsese, Graydon Carter, Margaret Bodde, Fran Lebowitz, producers (HBO Documentary Films)
"Sweetgrass"
Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Ilisa Barbash, directors; Ilisa Barbash, producer (Cinema Guild)

Best Ensemble Performance
"The Kids Are All Right"
Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson (Focus Features)
"Life During Wartime"
Shirley Henderson, Ciarán Hinds, Allison Janney, Michael Lerner, Chris Marquette, Rich Pecci, Charlotte Rampling, Paul Reubens, Ally Sheedy, Dylan Riley Snyder, Renée Taylor, Michael Kenneth Williams (IFC Films)
"Please Give"
Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Ann Guilbert, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele, Thomas Ian Nicholas (Sony Pictures Classics)
"Tiny Furniture"
Lena Dunham, Laurie Simmons, Grace Dunham, Rachel Howe, Merritt Wever, Amy Seimetz, Alex Karpovsky, David Call, Jemima Kirke, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Garland Hunter, Isen Hunter (IFC Films)
"Winter’s Bone"
Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, Kevin Breznahan
(Roadside Attractions)

Breakthrough Director
John Wells for "The Company Men" (The Weinstein Company)
Kevin Asch for "Holy Rollers" (First Independent Pictures)
Glenn Ficarra and John Requa for "I Love You Phillip Morris" (Roadside Attractions)
Tanya Hamilton for "Night Catches Us" (Magnolia Pictures)
Lena Dunham for "Tiny Furniture" (IFC Films)

Breakthrough Actor
Prince Adu in "Prince of Broadway" (Elephant Eye Films)
Ronald Bronstein in "Daddy Longlegs" (IFC Films)
Greta Gerwig in" Greenberg" (Focus Features)
Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter’s Bone" (Roadside Attractions)
John Ortiz in "Jack Goes Boating" (Overture Films)

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You
"Kati with an i"
Robert Greene, director; Douglas Tirola, Susan Bedusa, producers
"Littlerock"
Mike Ott, director; Frederick Thornton, Laura Ragsdale, Sierra Leoni, producers
"On Coal River"
Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood, directors; Jillian Elizabeth, Adams Wood, Francine Cavanaugh, producers
"Summer Pasture"
Lynn True and Nelson Walker, directors/producers; Tsering Perlo, co-director/co-producer
"The Wolf Knife"
Laurel Nakadate, director/producer