Newlyweds Scarlett Johansson & Romain Dauriac Get Cozy at Gotham Awards

New parents and surprise newlyweds Scarlett Johansson and French journalist Romain Dauriac took time out from baby duty for a date night on Monday at an event buzzing with a who’s who of award-season contenders.

The couple were seated together and schmoozed with the likes of Julianne Moore and Marisa Tomei at the star-studded 2014 Gotham Independent Film Awards by the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), which was sponsored by euphoria Calvin Klein at Cipriani Wall Street in N.Y.C.

“They sat next time to each other the whole night and he beamed when she presented,” a guest tells PEOPLE. “He also had his arm around her back. They both had rings on the ring finger. She was glowing and smiling a lot. They looked very happy.”

Johansson, 30, a nominee for best actress for Under the Skin, lost out to Moore, who won for Still Alice – not that there seemed to be any hard feelings.

“At one point, she was showing pictures with her husband to Julianne on her iPhone,” says the guest.

As the event got underway, the couple – who welcomed daughter Rose in September, and secretly got married in October – were kissing and chatting at their table, and Johansson, who sipped red wine throughout the evening, made a point of introducing Dauriac as her husband.

In between courses, as staff served filet mignon and grilled salmon, Johansson left Dauriac’s side to chat with well-wishers. Clad in a short, sequined black dress and spiked heels, she wore a big rock on her wedding finger along with what appeared to be a gold wedding band. She also sported a new hairdo – one guest commented that her short, cool, slicked-back blond tresses evoked a “biker chick.”

Once the lights dimmed for the main course, the actress headed back to her table, where she and Dauriac were seen leaning in close to hear each other in the packed room as they chatted privately. When it was her turn to present best documentary, the new mom took to the stage, leaned in close to the microphone, and in a deep, sultry voice announced to thunderous applause that the Edward Snowden tale Citizenfour had won.

The event was hosted by Uma Thurman, and the evening also saw her ex-husband Ethan Hawke score a best actor nomination for Boyhood. He lost out to Michael Keaton for Birdman, in a category presented by Tomei. Keaton’s humorous acceptance speech included an F-bomb and had the audience in stitches.

Jake Gyllenhaal, who shrank his physique for Nightcrawler and then bulked up to epic proportions to play a boxer in the upcoming Southpaw, presented Moore’s award for Still Alice. Dressed in a suit, Gyllenhaal looked back to his regular physique.

Steve Carell cracked jokes while accepting a special jury award from Meryl Streep all by himself, accusing (in a high-pitched, snotty voice) absent costar Channing Tatum of whining about wanting to see his child’s first steps, and Mark Ruffalo of being too busy being the Hulk to bother to attend.

Jon Hamm was also in the house, along with longtime love Jennifer Westfeldt. Hamm, whose Mad Men series concludes in 2015, presented the best feature award to Birdman.

Meanwhile, Gyllenhaal’s Nightcrawler collaborators Rene Russo and her husband Dan Gilroy – who directed the film – also attended, with Russo telling PEOPLE that Gyllenhaal’s two successive body transformations were “unbelievable” and that she hopes “he’s recognized for his performance” in Nightcrawler.

• With reporting by LIZ MCNEIL

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