Gotham Independent Film Awards nominees announced

The movie awards season officially began on Thursday, when the Independent Filmmaker Project announced the nominees for the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards.

Four films scored two nominations each -- "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Bernie," "Middle of Nowhere" and "Moonrise Kingdom."

Other films that scored nominations include "The Master" and "Silver Linings Playbook," both of which have garnered early awards buzz.

Here's the list of nominees:

Best Feature: "Bernie," "The Loneliest Planet," "The Master," "Middle of Nowhere," "Moonrise Kingdom."

Best Documentary: "Detropia," "How to Survive a Plague," "Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present," "Room 237," "The Waiting Room."

Best Ensemble Performance: "Bernie," "Moonrise Kingdom," "Safety Not Guaranceed," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Your Sister's Sister."

Breakthrough Director: Zal Batmanglij, "Sound of My Voice"; Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky, "Francine"; JasonCourtland and Julia Halperin, "Now, Forager"; Antonio Mendez Esparza, "Aqui y Alla"; and Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

Breakthrough Actor: Mike Birbiglia, "Sleepwalk with Me"; Emayatzy Corninealdi, "Middle of Nowhere"; Thure Lindhardt, "Keep the Lights on"; Melanie Lynskey, "Hello I Must Be Going"; and Quvenzhane Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You: "Kid-Thing," "An Oversimplification of Her Beauty," "Red Flag," "Sun Don't Shine" and "Tiger Tail in Blue."

The independent film community will also be able to vote for the third annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Award. To be eligible, a U.S. film must have won an audience award at one of the top 50 U.S. and Canadian film festivals from November 2011 through October 2012. Voting begins Thursday and nominees will be announced on Nov. 5.

In addition to the competitive awards, actors Marion Cotillard and Matt Damon, director David O. Russell, and Participant Media founder Jeff Skoll will each be presented with a career tribute.

The 22nd Gotham Independent Film Awards will be handed out on Nov. 26 in New York.

For more on the nominees, visit the awards' website.