Five Films Lead the 2026 Gotham Awards Nominations

The 2026 Gotham Film Awards race opened with an unusually even field: five movies earned four nominations apiece. All of a Sudden, Clarissa, La Gradiva, The Invite and Tender Loving Care share the lead heading into the Nov. 30 ceremony in New York.

A wide-open independent film field

The Gotham Film & Media Institute’s official list covers 42 feature films and 25 performances across 11 competitive categories. The official slate also includes screenplay, documentary and international feature races. The best feature lineup includes Clarissa, Club Kid, The Debut, Dreams in Nightmares, The Invite, Josephine, Mouse, Primetime, Tender Loving Care and Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.

Several other titles remain close behind the five leaders. Everytime, Josephine, Minotaur, Possible Love, Primetime, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother each collected three nominations, according to Deadline’s count of the field.

The acting categories bring together established names and emerging performers. Mahershala Ali is nominated for lead performance in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, alongside Gillian Anderson, Jeon Do-yeon, John Early, John Malkovich, Ian McKellen, Julianne Moore, Sophie Okonedo, Andrew Scott and John Turturro. Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield appear elsewhere in the performance races.

The audience award returns

This edition also restores the Gotham Audience Award after a six-year absence. The organization said eligible titles were selected from films submitted for awards consideration, with opening-weekend per-theater results and audience activity among the measures used to identify contenders.

The 36th annual ceremony will take place at Cipriani Wall Street and stream on YouTube. The Gothams traditionally provide an early snapshot of awards-season momentum, but this year’s five-way tie makes the opening picture less predictable than a single-film sweep would have. Winners will determine whether the broad nomination spread holds or gives way to a clear front-runner.