‘The Lost Daughter’ wins big at 31st Gotham Awards

NEW YORK » Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Elena Ferrante adaptation “The Lost Daughter” won four Gotham Awards including best feature film at the 31st Gotham Awards, the annual New York independent film celebration that serves as a boozy kickoff to Oscar season.

Gyllenhaal won breakthrough director and best screenplay for her directorial debut, and star Olivia Colman shared the award for outstanding lead performance with Frankie Faison, “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain,” a drama based on the 2011 police shooting in White Plains, N.Y. “The Lost Daughter,” a Netflix release, opens in theaters Dec. 17.

As one of the first stops in the long march to the Oscars, Monday evening’s Gothams was the first real attempt since the pandemic began to summon all the season’s usual glitz and pomp. Stars including Kristen Stewart, Tessa Thompson and Dakota Johnson walked the red carpet. Inside the crowded banquet hall, attendees were required to provide proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test.

This year, even with the recent discovery of the omicron variant spooking a film industry still trying to rebound from the pandemic, the Gothams got back to normal — even while tweaking traditions.

For the first time, the Gothams were presented without gendered acting categories.