The nominees for this year’s 18th ANNUAL GOTHAM INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS were announced earlier this morning, in a rare case of David winning out over Goliath (or at least much bigger Davids), LANCE HAMMER’s self-distributed debut, BALLAST, received the most nods.

Frankly, I’m surprised. Ballast is not the kind of film I imagine playing well with audiences; there’s no soundtrack, mumbled dialogue, and a plot that is hard to follow and depressing once you figure it out.

Gotham’s picks usually skew more viewer-friendly — like last year’s Breakthrough Actor winner, ELLEN PAGE for JUNO.

And then there’s the fact that WOODY ALLEN’s VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA is mentioned twice. I loved this movie, but I would love to see a comparison of Allen’s budget versus Hammer’s.

Does anyone know what qualifies a film as an independent release for the folks at Gotham?

The full list of nominees after the jump.

Best Feature
Ballast
Frozen River
Synecdoche, New York
The Visitor
The Wrestler

Best Documentary
Chris & Don: A Love Story
Encounters at the End of the World
Man on Wire
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Trouble the Water

Best Ensemble Performance
Ballast
Rachel Getting Married
Synecdoche, New York
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The Visitor

Breakthrough Director
Antonio Campos for Afterschool
Dennis Dortch for A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy
Lance Hammer for Ballast
Barry Jenkins for Medicine for Melancholy
Alex Rivera for Sleep Dealer

Breakthrough Actor
Pedro Castaneda in August Evening
Rosemarie DeWitt in Rachel Getting Married
Rebecca Hall in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Alejandro Polanco in Chop Shop
Micheal J. Smith, Sr. in Ballast

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You
Afterschool
Meadowlark
The New Year Parade
Sita Sings the Blues
Wellness