Gotham Awards 2026: Full List of Films and Stars Revealed

New York will host a familiar indie ritual this November: the Gotham Awards are back, and the nominations read like a who's who of daring cinema. Big names. Bold films. A revived audience prize after a six-year silence. Expect surprise winners. Expect conversations that won't quiet down by morning.

At the center of the buzz: Mahershala Ali, Gillian Anderson, Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield and Julianne Moore — each named in major acting categories — and a host of festival favorites that crossed the line from buzz to bona fide contender. Several films appear across multiple categories, with The Invite, Clarissa, All of a Sudden, Tender Loving Care and La Gradiva among the most-nominated titles this year.

The ceremony is set for Monday, November 30, 2026, in New York City. But until then, critics and cinephiles will be parsing the full slate: 42 feature films and 25 performances compete across 11 categories, from lead and supporting acting to directing and screenplay honors.

Leading actor nominations read like an actor-driven season statement: Mahershala Ali for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (Amazon MGM); Gillian Anderson for Teenage *** and Death at Camp Miasma (MUBI); Jun Do-yun for Possible Love (Netflix); John Early for Maddie’s Secret (Magnolia Pictures); John Malkovich for Wild Horse Nine (Searchlight Pictures); Ian McKellen for The Christophers (NEON); Julianne Moore for The Debut (A24); Sophie Okonedo for Clarissa (NEON); Andrew Scott for Elsinore (Focus Features); and John Turturro for The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (Sony Pictures Classics).

Supporting acting nods highlight an eclectic mix: Tom Courtenay for Queen at Sea (Greenwich Entertainment); Azmy Creed-Miles for Sense and Sensibility (Focus Features); Penélope Cruz for The Invite (A24); Adam Driver for Paper Tiger (NEON); Andrew Garfield for Artificial (NEON); Skylar Guisondo for Primetime (A24); Sandra Hüller for Fatherland (MUBI); Kate O'Flynn for Tender Loving Care (Bleecker Street); Tao Okamoto for All of a Sudden (NEON); and Channing Tatum for Josephine (Sumerian Pictures).

Best Feature contenders combine household indie names with audacious newcomers: Clarissa, Club Kid, The Debut, Dreams in Nightmares, The Invite, Josephine, Mouse, Paper Tiger, Primetime, Teenage *** and Death at Camp Miasma, and Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.

The Gotham Awards also shine a light on emerging performers. Breakout acting nominees include Adia for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (Amazon MGM); India Amarteifio for Clarissa (NEON); Guitarricadelafuente for La Bola Negra (Netflix); Koulas Kinyar for La Gradiva (1-2 Special); and Mason Reeves for Josephine (Sumerian Pictures).

International cinema is well represented. The Best International Film nominees are All of a Sudden, Ben'Imana, Blue Heron, Everytime, Fatherland, Filipiñana, La Gradiva, Minotaur, Possible Love and Tender Loving Care — a group that maps a wide geography of stories and stylistic approaches.

In documentary, films vying for the top spot include Closure, A Fox Under a Pink Moon, NAZA, Once Upon a Time in Harlem and You Can See Everything. These titles underscore the ongoing appetite for nonfiction that probes identity, place and memory.

Directing recognition goes to auteurs with strong festival pedigrees: Ryusuke Hamaguchi for All of a Sudden (NEON); Sandra Wollner for Everytime (1-2 Special); Andrey Zvyagintsev for Minotaur (MUBI); Jan Schomburg for Teenage *** and Death at Camp Miasma (MUBI); and Mike Leigh for Tender Loving Care (Bleecker Street).

New director nominations point to filmmakers to watch: Sophie Rhumvaar for Blue Heron (Janus Films); Jordan Firstman for Club Kid (A24); Elisha Harris for Is God Is (Amazon MGM); Marine Atlan for La Gradiva (1-2 Special); Joel Alfonso Vargas for Mad Bills to Pay (Oscilloscope Laboratories); and John Early for Maddie’s Secret (Magnolia Pictures).

Screenplay honors split into original and adapted fields. Original screenplay nominees are Everytime by Sandra Wollner (1-2 Special); La Gradiva by Marine Atlan and Ann Bruyère (1-2 Special); Possible Love by Lee Chang-dong and Oh Jung-mi (Netflix); Tender Loving Care by Mike Leigh (Bleecker Street); and Wild Horse Nine by Martin McDonagh (Searchlight Pictures). Adapted screenplay contenders include All of a Sudden by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (NEON); Clarissa by Choco Asiri (NEON); The Invite by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (A24); Minotaur by Simon Liashchenko and Andrey Zvyagintsev (MUBI); and Primetime by Azhon Singh (A24).

Perhaps the most talked-about change this year is the return of the Gotham Audience Choice prize, resurrected after a six-year hiatus. The selection offers a mix of crowd-pleasers and genre curiosities: Backrooms, La Bola Negra, The Drama, The Invite, Michael, Obsession, Project Hail Mary and You Can See Everything.

If there is a single through-line to this nominations list, it is risk. Films that push formal boundaries sit beside star vehicles and quiet chamber pieces. Studios both indie and global — NEON, A24, MUBI, Netflix, Amazon MGM, Searchlight — are present. The result is a ballot that both celebrates established talents and invites discovery.

Watch the scene between now and late November. Between festival whispers and awards-season momentum, these titles will shape conversations that ripple into next year. Which ones will cross from nominee to essential? We’ll find out when Gotham hands out its trophies in the city that still believes in the thrill of the unexpected.