Low key rodeo drama The Rider took the main prize at the Gotham awards as much hyped contenders such as Roma and The Favourite failed to make a major impact, in the first significant indicator of this year’s awards season.

The Gotham awards are given to independent films, and previous best feature winners – including Moonlight in 2016 and Call Me By Your Name in 2017 – have gone on to become major Oscar players. The Rider, directed by Chloé Zhao and starring real-life former rodeo rider Brady Jandreau, has been widely admired but was not expected to defeat The Favourite, the 18th-century-set comedy with Olivia Colman. Roma, the critically lauded Mexican film from Alfonso Cuarón was not nominated.

In another unexpected development, Toni Collette won best actress for horror film Hereditary over strong favourite Glenn Close, whose performance in literary drama The Wife is expected to garner her an Oscar nomination. Colman, who won the best actress award at the Venice film festival for The Favourite, was not nominated, but she did pick up the jury’s best ensemble award with co-stars Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone.

However, Hereditary was outdone by an even more unlikely contender: First Reformed, the bleak drama of spiritual crisis written and directed by Paul Schrader. Ethan Hawke won best actor in his role of tormented minister Ernst Toller, while Schrader won the best screenplay award, again defeating nominations leader The Favourite.

Acclaimed teen movie Eighth Grade also picked up two awards, both in “breakthrough” categories, for its lead actor Elsie Fisher and its writer-director Bo Burnham.

Full list of winners

Best feature The Rider

Best actor Ethan Hawke, First Reformed

Best actress Toni Collette, Hereditary

Breakthrough actor Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade

Breakthrough director Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade

Breakthrough series – long form Killing Eve

Breakthrough series – short form 195 Lewis

Best screenplay First Reformed

Best documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening

Jury award for ensemble performance The Favourite

Audience award Won’t You Be My Neighbor?