Nominations for the 28th Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced today and were led by Moonrise Kingdom and Silver Linings Playbook with five nominations each followed closely by fellow Best Feature nominees Beasts of the Southern Wild and Keep the Lights On as well as Ava DuVernay‘s Middle of Nowhere, each with four nominations.
Richard Linklater‘s Bernie was the fifth Best Feature nominee while Middle of Nowhere found its four nominations largely in the acting categories with Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo and Lorraine Toussant all being nominated and the fourth for the John Cassavetes Award, which goes to the “best” film made for under $500,000.
Looking over the list of nominees I can’t help but shrug at the screenplay nomination for Ruby Sparks (a film I loathed), but it’s nice to see some First Time Feature love for Colin Trevorrow‘s Safety Not Guaranteed and Stephen Chbosky‘s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, both being films that should be nominated well ahead of Bernie for Best Feature.
I also love everything about the Best Supporting Male nominations with noms going to Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike), David Oyelowo (Middle of Nowhere), Michael Pena (End of Watch), Sam Rockwell (Seven Psychopaths) and Bruce Willis (Moonrise Kingdom). I endorse each and every one of those nominations. In fact, McConaughey was nominated twice, also earning a nomination in lead for his role in Killer Joe.
Winners will be announced on Saturday, February 23 in Santa Monica. The full list of nominees is directly below.
BEST FEATURE
- Beasts of the Southern Wild – Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn
- Bernie – Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Ginger Sledge, Matt Williams
- Keep the Lights On – Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs
- Moonrise Kingdom – Producers: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin
- Silver Linings Playbook – Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
BEST DIRECTOR
- Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom)
- Julia Loktev (The Loneliest Planet)
- David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
- Ira Sachs (Keep the Lights On)
- Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
BEST SCREENPLAY
- Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola (Moonrise Kingdom)
- Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks)
- Martin McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths)
- David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
- Ira Sachs (Keep the Lights On)
BEST FIRST FEATURE
- Fill the Void – Director: Rama Burshtein, Producer: Assaf Amir
- Gimme the Loot – Director: Adam Leon, Producers: Dominic Buchanan, Natalie Difford, Jamund Washington
- Safety Not Guaranteed – Director: Colin Trevorrow, Producers: Derek Connolly, Stephanie Langhoff, Peter Saraf, Colin Trevorrow, Marc Turtletaub
- Sound of My Voice – Director: Zal Batmanglij, Producers: Brit Marling, Hans Ritter, Shelley Surpin
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Director: Stephen Chbosky, Producers: Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
- Rama Burshtein (Fill the Void)
- Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed)
- Christopher Ford (Robot & Frank)
- Rashida Jones & Will McCormack (Celeste and Jesse Forever)
- Jonathan Lisecki (Gayby)
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the Writer, Director, and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
- Breakfast with Curtis – Writer/Director/Producer: Laura Colella,
- Middle of Nowhere – Writer/Director/Producer: Ava DuVernay, Producers: Howard Barish, Paul Garnes
- Mosquita y Mari – Writer/Director: Aurora Guerrero, Producer: Chad Burris
- Starlet – Writer/Director: Sean Baker, Producers: Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, Kevin Chinoy, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach, Francesca Silvestri
- The Color Wheel – Writer/Director/Producer: Alex Ross Perry, Writer: Carlen Altman
BEST FEMALE LEAD
- Linda Cardellini (Return)
- Emayatzy Corinealdi (Middle of Nowhere)
- Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
- Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Smashed)
BEST MALE LEAD
- Jack Black (Bernie)
- Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)
- John Hawkes (The Sessions)
- Thure Lindhardt (Keep the Lights On)
- Matthew McConaughey (Killer Joe)
- Wendell Pierce (Four)
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
- Rosemarie DeWitt (Your Sister’s Sister)
- Ann Dowd (Compliance)
- Helen Hunt (The Sessions)
- Brit Marling (Sound of My Voice)
- Lorraine Toussaint (Middle of Nowhere)
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
- Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike)
- David Oyelowo (Middle of Nowhere)
- Michael Péna (End of Watch)
- Sam Rockwell (Seven Psychopaths)
- Bruce Willis (Moonrise Kingdom)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Yoni Brook (Valley of Saints)
- Lol Crawley (Here)
- Ben Richardson (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
- Roman Vasyanov (End of Watch)
- Robert Yeoman (Moonrise Kingdom)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- How to Survive a Plague – Director: David France, Producers: David France, Howard Gertler
- Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present – Director: Matthew Akers, Producers: Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre
- The Central Park Five – DirectorS/Producers: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
- The Invisible War – Director: Kirby Dick, Producers: Tanner King Barklow, Amy Ziering
- The Waiting Room – Director/Producer: Peter Nicks, Producers: Linda Davis, William B. Hirsch
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
- Amour (France) Director: Michael Haneke
- Once Upon A Time in Anatolia (Turkey) Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Rust And Bone (France/Belgium) Director: Jacques Audiard
- Sister (Switzerland) – Director: Ursula Meier
- War Witch (Democratic Republic of Congo) – Director: Kim Nguyen
16th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
The 16th annual Piaget Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
- Nobody Walks – Producer: Alicia Van Couvering
- Prince Avalanche – Producer: Derrick Tseng
- Stones in the Sun – Producer: Mynette Louie
19th ANNUAL SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
The 19th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
- Pincus – Director: David Fenster
- Gimme the Loot – Director: Adam Leon
- Electrick Children – Director: Rebecca Thomas
STELLA ARTOIS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
The 18th annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging Director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
- Leviathan РDirector: Lucien Castaing-Taylor and V̩r̩na Paravel
- The Waiting Room – Director: Peter Nicks
- Only the Young – Director: Jason Tippet & Elizabeth Mims
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
Given to one film’s Director, casting Director, and its ensemble cast
- Starlet – Director: Sean Baker
Casting Director: Julia Kim
Ensemble Cast: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Karren Karagulian, Stella Maeve, James Ransone
