Gotham Awards Nominations: Willem Dafoe “Just Happy People Have Responded So Well” to “Florida Project”

At almost the same time as the Gotham Awards nominations were being released in the US on Thursday, a strange and wonderful thing happened: I actually ran into actor Willem Dafoe on the street in the Marais neighborhood of Paris. I’m here for three days, he’s here shooting Julian Schnabel‘s Vincent Van Gogh movie. I told him he was looking very Vincent Van Gogh with his hair died red and his own blue eyes blazing in the Paris sun. (It’s been very warm this week.)

Said Dafoe: “I’m glad to hear it. I’m feeling very Vincent Van Gogh!”

As we wrote exclusively, Oscar Isaac and Rupert Friend join him in the movie.

We talked about the Yankees– he’s a fan but has fallen out of the news since he came here. We also talked about how wonderful “The Florida Project” is– and that — my words– it would be getting a lot of awards attention. “I’m so glad people have found it and like it, so happy people have responded to it,” he said.

Lo and behold, the Gothams indeed responded to it and to a nice selection of independent films.

Gotham Award Tributes will also be given on November 27th to actors Nicole Kidman and Dustin Hoffman, director Sofia Coppola, producer Jason Blum, cinematographer Ed Lachman, and a Gotham Humanitarian Tribute to Al Gore. It’s going to be a great night.

Call Me by Your Name
Luca Guadagnino, director; Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Rodrigo Teixeira, Marco Morabito, James Ivory, Howard Rosenman, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)The Florida Project
Sean Baker, director; Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Francesca Silvestri, Shih-Ching Tsou, producers (A24)Get Out
Jordan Peele, director; Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm, Jr., Jordan Peele, producers (Universal Pictures)

Good Time
Josh and Benny Safdie, directors; Paris Kasidokostas-Latsis, Terry Dougas, Sebastian Bear-McClard, Oscar Boyson, producers (A24)I, Tonya
Craig Gillespie, director; Bryan Unkeless, Steven Rogers, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, producers (NEON)Best Documentary

Ex Libris – The New York Public Library
Frederick Wiseman, director and producer (Zipporah Films)Rat Film
Theo Anthony, director; Riel Roch-Decter, Sebastian Pardo, producers (MEMORY and Cinema Guild)Strong Island
Yance Ford, director; Yance Ford, Joslyn Barnes, producers (Netflix)

Whose Streets?
Sabaah Folayan, Damon Davis, directors; Sabaah Folayan, Damon Davis, Jennifer MacArthur, Flannery Miller, producers (Magnolia Pictures)

The Work
Jairus McLeary, director;  Alice Henty, Eon McLeary, Jairus McLeary, Miles McLeary, producers (The Orchard and First Look Media)

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award

Maggie Betts for Novitiate (Sony Pictures Classics)
Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird (A24)
Kogonada for Columbus (Superlative Films/Depth of Field)
Jordan Peele for Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Joshua Z Weinstein for Menashe (A24)Best Screenplay

The Big Sick, Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani (Amazon Studios)
Brad’s Status, Mike White (Amazon Studios)
Call Me by Your Name, James Ivory (Sony Pictures Classics)
Columbus, Kogonada (Superlative Films/Depth of Field)
Get Out, Jordan Peele (Universal Pictures)
Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig (A24)Best Actor*

Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project (A24)
James Franco in The Disaster Artist (A24)
Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out (Universal Pictures)
Robert Pattinson in Good Time (A24)
Adam Sandler in The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (Netflix)
Harry Dean Stanton in Lucky (Magnolia Pictures)Best Actress*

Melanie Lynskey in I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (Netflix)
Haley Lu Richardson in Columbus (Superlative Films/Depth of Field)
Margot Robbie in I, Tonya (NEON)
Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird (A24)
Lois Smith in Marjorie Prime (FilmRise)Breakthrough Actor

Mary J. Blige in Mudbound (Netflix)
Timothée Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name (Sony Pictures Classics)
Harris Dickinson in Beach Rats (NEON)
Kelvin Harrison, Jr. in It Comes at Night (A24)
Brooklynn Prince in The Florida Project (A24)* The 2017 Best Actor/Best Actress nominating committee also voted to award a special Gotham Jury Award for ensemble performance to Mudbound, The award will go to actors Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Rob Morgan, and Jonathan Banks.Breakthrough Series – Long Form

Atlanta, Donald Glover, creator; Donald Glover, Dianne McGunigle, Paul Simms, executive producers (FX Networks)Better Things, Pamela Adlon, Louis C.K., creators; Dave Becky, M. Blair Breard, Louis C.K., Pamela Adlon, executive producers (FX Networks)

Dear White People, Justin Simien, creator; Yvette Bowser, Justin Simien, Stephanie Allain, Julia Lebedev, executive producers (Netflix)

Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creator; Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Harry Williams, Jack Williams, executive producers (Amazon)

Search Party, Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, Michael Showalter, creators; Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, Michael Showalter, Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns,  executive producers (TBS)

Breakthrough Series – Short Form

555, Kate Berlant, Andrew DeYoung and John Early, creators (Vimeo)
Inconceivable, Joel Ashton McCarthy, creator (YouTube)
Junior, Zoe Cassavetes, creator (Blackpills and VICE)
Let Me Die a Nun, Sarah Salovaara, creator (Vimeo)
The Strange Eyes of Dr. Myes, Nancy Andrews, creator (YouTube)