The Gotham Awards — the long-running event by IFP, which used tonight’s ceremony to formally unveil the organization’s name change to The Gotham Film & Media Institute — has long occupied pole position in the year’s film awards ceremonies, followed by, among others, the SAG Awards, the Spirit Awards and, of course, the Oscars. So too this very different year, when live events are precluded because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tonight’s event was streamed live from The Gothams’ usual location — Cipriani Wall Street — with The Gotham Executive Director Jeff Sharp presiding over ceremonies that saw some presenters walk the red carpet and speak from the room while most others beamed in from their homes. Replacing the live tables were virtual ones, as attendees could chat amongst themselves while the show ran split-screen alongside. As with everything this year, it was a bit of an experiment, and one due to be replicated by other organizations in the coming months. But The Gothams maintained its trademark unpredictability — there were several awards surprises — as well as several very moving moments, such as the tribute to Chadwick Boseman. The late actor’s award was accepted by his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, who said, “He harnessed the power of letting go and letting God’s love shine through.”

Other tributes went to Ryan Murphy, Steve McQueen, Viola Davis and the ensemble cast of The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland took home Best Feature as well as the Audience Award, while the Best Documentary category was split between two films: Garrett Bradley’s Time and Ramona S. Diaz’s A Thousand Cuts. Riz Ahmed won Best Actor for Sound of Metal and Nicole Beharie won Best Actress for Miss Juneteenth. The Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award went to Andrew  Patterson for The Vast of Night.

The complete list of winners and nominees follows.

Best Feature
The Assistant
First Cow
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland (WINNER)
Relic

Best Documentary
76 Days
City Hall
Our Time Machine
A Thousand Cuts (WINNER) – TIE
Time (WINNER) – TIE

Best International Feature
Bacurau
Beanpole
Cuties (Mignonnes)
Identifying Features (WINNER)
Martin Eden
Wolfwalkers

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Carlo Mirabella-Davis, Swallow
Rhada Blank, The Forty-Year-Old Version
Andrew Patterson, The Vast of Night (WINNER)
Channing Godfrey Peoples, Miss Juneteenth
Alex Thompson, Saint Frances

Best Screenplay
Bad Education, Mike Makowsky
First Cow, Jon Raymond and Kelly Reichardt
The Forty-Year-Old Version, Radha Blank (WINNER) – TIE
Fourteen, Dan Sallitt (WINNER) – TIE
The Vast of Night, James Montague and Craig Sanger

Best Actor
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Jude Law, The Nest
John Magaro, First Cow
Jesse Plemons, I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Best Actress
Nicole Beharie, Miss Juneteenth (WINNER)
Jessie Buckley, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari
Carrie Coon, The Nest
Frances McDormand, Nomadland

Breakthrough Actor
Sidney Flanigan, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Jasmine Batchelor, The Surrogate
Kelly O’Sullivan, Saint Frances
Orion Lee, First Cow
Kingsley Ben-Adir, One Night in Miami (WINNER)

Breakthrough Series – Long Form
The Great
Immigration Nation
P-Valley
Unorthodox
Watchmen (WINNER)

Breakthrough Series – Short Form
Betty
Dave
I May Destroy You (WINNER)
Taste the Nation
Work in Progress

Audience Award: Nomadland