Celine Song’s indie hit PAST LIVES won Best Feature at the 2023 Gotham Awards, the first major awards event of the season. Other winners include Lily Gladstone as Best Lead Performance in THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY, Charles Melton as Best Supporting Performance for MAY, DECEMBER, and A.V. Rockwell AS Best Director for A THOUSAND AND ONE.
The Best Feature winner at the Gotham Awards has gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars in two out of the past three years, with NOMADLAND and EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE.
Historically, the Gotham Awards have tended to favor “indie” pictures, over mainstream studio titles. This year, likely Oscar contenders KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, NAPOLEON, and OPPENHEIMER were passed over in all of Gotham’s main categories.
It will be interesting to see whether PAST LIVES can compete with the latest creations from these renowned directors to make a run at Best Picture at the Oscars.
As New York Times Award Columnist Kyle Buchanan commented, “It doesn’t hurt” for Celine Song (BEST LIVES director) and Lily Gladstone (THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY and KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON) to be seen taking home a top prize at a major industry awards show.