In the first insight into how the nominations for Best Picture might look at the Oscars in February, the Gotham Independent Film Awards has announced its picks for 2014. As expected, Richard Linklater's Boyhood were do battle with Alejandro G. Inarritu's Birdman, though there were also nominations for Love is Strange, Under the Skin and Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel.

BoyhoodEllar Coltrane [L] scored an acting nomination for his performance in Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood'

Linklater's remarkable drama was 12 years in the making and Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette and Ellar Coltrane also picked up acting nods. Birdman has been generating considerable Oscar buzz for several months and Michael Keaton - the current favourite to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards - picked up a nomination for lead actor at the Gothams.

More: read our full review of 'Boyhood'

Avant-garde movie fans will be pleased to see the inclusion of Jonathan Glazer's sci-fi feature Under The Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson as a hitchhiker-eating alien. Johansson also scored a nomination for best actress, joining Julianne Moore (Still Alice).

Michael KeatonMichael Keaton, as expected, is up for best actor at the Gotham Independent Film Awards

And now comes the line you was all waiting for: the Gothams are an appropriate barometer for the Oscars as far as nominations go, though none of the last four winners of Best Feature have gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Last year, Inside Llewyn Davis usurped 12 Years a Slave to the prize, with Moonrise Kingdom, Tree of Life and Winters Bone winning before that. 

More: 'Boyhood' has 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is almost the perfect movie.

This year's Gotham Independent Film Awards will take place at Cipriani Wall Street in downtown Manhattan on December 1. Tilda Swinton, Bennett Miller (despite his Foxcatcher not being nominated) and Ted Sarandos will be honoured with career tributes. 

Watch the 'Boyhood' trailer: