Check your calendars, its awards season time again.  Tonight in a drizzly NYC, the award season began in earnest with the 19th Annual Gotham Independent Awards, which honors the year’s best in the world of indie cinema.  And judging by tonight’s outcome, the filmmaker’s and actor’s behind “The Hurt Locker” better start backing up a truck to help them carry all the awards they are going to win this year.

At tonight’s ceremony which was held at Cipriani Wall Street, “Locker” won Best Feature and Best Ensemble performance (which was accepted by the film’s three stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty).  In addition, the film’s director Kathryn Bigelow was honored with a special tribute.  Given that the Oscars will be nominating 10 films for Best Picture this year, it seems a sure bet that “Locker” will garner one of those nods, and Bigelow is also an early favorite for a Best Director nomination (and if you’ve seen the film you will know that nomination would be very well deserved - and if you haven’t seen the film yet, now you have something to put on your ‘to do’ list).  And we will likely see one or more of tonight’s award-winning acting ensemble show up continually amid the acting category nominations as this year’s award season progresses.

Coming next week, the National Board of Review will announce its list of the best films of the year.  Click the link above for Variety’s coverage of tonight’s Gotham Awards and a list of the winners.