6 Best Gotham Award Best Feature Winners

By Vlad Zakh · March 29, 2026

The Gotham Awards are a good bellwether for American independent film, and these winners show why. Nomadland follows a woman on the road after losing everything, Moonlight tracks a young Black man across three chapters of his life, and Boyhood was filmed over twelve real years with the same cast. Winter’s Bone, Half Nelson and You Can Count on Me round out the six.

Nomadland (2020)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A woman embraces a nomadic life on the road after losing everything in the Great Recession.

Directed by Chloé Zhao · 1h 48m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Moonlight (2016)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 98% Metacritic 99

A quiet, three-part coming-of-age story told with real restraint.

Directed by Barry Jenkins · 1h 52m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars237 wins & 315 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Hulu, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Boyhood (2014)

TMDB ★ 7.9

One boy's childhood, filmed with the same cast over twelve real years.

Directed by Richard Linklater · 2h 45m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Winter's Bone (2010)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A teenage girl searches for her missing father across the harsh Ozark backwoods to save her family's home.

Directed by Debra Granik · 1h 41m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Half Nelson (2006)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A drug-addicted middle school teacher forms an unlikely bond with a student who discovers his secret.

Directed by Ryan Fleck · 1h 47m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

You Can Count on Me (2000)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A single mother's stable life is disrupted when her irresponsible, wandering brother returns home.

Directed by Kenneth Lonergan · 1h 51m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Gotham Award Best Feature Winners

Nomadland (2020)

Moonlight (2016)

Boyhood (2014)

Winter's Bone (2010)

Half Nelson (2006)

You Can Count on Me (2000)

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