‘Frozen River’, a border smuggling crime movie won Best Picture and Breakthrough Acting awards at Tuesday’s Gotham Independent Film ceremony, including sharing top billing for the Spirit Awards nominations for independent filmmakers.
 
Melissa Leo, 48, riveted movie critics with her performance as a desperate single mother drawn into the world of immigrant smuggling near a Mohawk reservation between New York state and Quebec , who named her as breakthrough actor of the year for her role in ‘Frozen’.
 
‘Frozen River’ also received six Spirit Award independent movie nominations together with family drama ‘Rachel Getting Married’ starring Anne Hathaway, and Deep South small-town drama ‘Ballast’.
 
One of the best-known honours for independent movies, the Spirit Awards are handed out 21st February, on the eve of the annual Oscar ceremony.
 
Spirit Award organizers announced ‘Synecdoche, New York’ had won this year’s prestigious Robert Altman Award, given to the best director, casting director and ensemble cast, while sharing the Best Ensemble award from Gotham with Woody Allen’s ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’.
 
Other Spirits Awards leading contenders included ‘Milk’, a San Francisco based biopic starring Sean Penn as gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk, ‘The Wrestler’ starring Mickey Rourke, and ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’.
 
Michelle Williams’ down-on-her-luck drama ‘Wendy and Lucy’ was another Best Picture nominee for the awards honouring independent films.
 
Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Williams (Wendy and Lucy), Leo ( Frozen River ), Summer Bishil (Towelhead) and Tarra Riggs (Ballast) have been nominated for the Lead Actress awards.  While, Rourke (The Wrestler), Javier Bardem (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Sean Penn (Milk) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) have been nominated for Lead Actor.