The Gotham awards, the top U.S. East Coast independent film awards which focuses on low-budget and art-house films over the weekend honoured U.S. war drama, The Hurt Locker with it's Best Feature award.

The Gotham awards is one of the best indicator of top independent films of the year that would have the most shots of getting a nomination for Hollywood's film awards.

The Hurt Locker, a movie about a bomb squad that defuses bombs in Iraq, also won the award for best ensemble.

Other winners included Catalina Saavedra who received the Best Breakthrough actor for The Maid, Robert Siegel for Breakthrough Director for his debut movie, Big Fan and Ry Russo-Young for You Won't Miss Me, which took the Best Film Not Playing At A Theater New You award, which also comes with a US$5,000 cash prize.

Winners were chosen by a panel of judges including actors William H. Macy and Ellen Burstyn; cinematographer Matthew Libatique; producer Wendy Finerman; musician and composer Stewart Copeland and award-winning directors Julie Taymor, William Friedkin and Marc Forster.