Six films that debuted at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in Park City picked up nominations for the 36th Gotham Awards, the Gotham Film & Media Institute announced Oct. 27.
Olivia Wilde's "The Invite" leads the Sundance group with four nominations: Best Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay for Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, Outstanding Supporting Performance for Penélope Cruz and the Gotham Audience Award. The Audience Award returns after a six-year hiatus, according to the Gotham Film & Media Institute's announcement.
"The Invite," a chamber dramedy starring Wilde, Seth Rogen, Cruz and Edward Norton as two couples at a San Francisco dinner party, became one of the biggest acquisitions of the January festival. A24 picked it up after what the Associated Press reported was a 72-hour bidding war, with a deal reportedly in the range of $12 million.
"Josephine," Beth de Araújo's drama that won both the U.S. Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2026 festival, earned three nominations. Those are Best Feature, Outstanding Supporting Performance for Channing Tatum and Breakthrough Performer for Mason Reeves.
The remaining Park City premieres each picked up one nomination. "Filipiñana" landed Best International Feature. Documentaries "Closure" and "Once Upon a Time in Harlem" both earned Best Documentary Feature nods. John Turturro received an Outstanding Lead Performance nomination for "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York," a film that drew a standing ovation at its Park City screening, the AP reported.
A seventh Sundance Institute-supported film rounded out the list. "Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)" earned a Breakthrough Director nomination for Joel Alfonso Vargas. That film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the NEXT Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast, according to Sundance Institute.
In all, the seven Sundance-backed films received 12 nominations across nine Gotham categories. Across the full slate, 42 feature films and 25 performances received nominations in 11 categories.
Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of the Gotham Film & Media Institute, said in a statement that the nominations "reflect that abundance and celebrate the creative community that has been at the heart of The Gothams for more than three decades."
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival ran Jan. 22 through Feb. 1 in Park City and Salt Lake City. It was the festival's final year in Utah before its move to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on Monday, Nov. 30.
