New York, November 30, 2009 – The movie awards season got its official start on Monday with the IFP’s Gotham Independent Film Awards.  Big stars like Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe and Ryan Reynolds gathered at Cipriani Wall Street to celebrate indie movies like Big Fan, A Serious Man and The Hurt Locker. 

The evening’s funniest shtick was from presenters Rosie Perez and Anthony Mackie, who opened with a shout out to the host, comic Kumail Nanjiani: “That guy - I don't know how to pronounce his name - but you're a funny motherf---er,” said Perez, stunning the audience into silence.  “We can curse right?” she asked innocently, and then rambled on hilariously on everything from having once married a Breakthrough Director winner, but being embarrassed because they are now divorced, congratulating the Yankees on their winning season, and toasting a mortified Willem Dafoe on his large member in the movie Antichrist.

Not all of the nominees were unknowns – Chris Rock, the Coen brothers, James Toback and David Strathairn were all up for awards.  Receiving Gothams special tributes were director Kathryn Bigelow, actors Natalie Portman and Stanley Tucci, and producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.