This morning, Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced the nominees for the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards. The leading nomination getters where Sony Pictures Classics’ The Last Station and Lionsgate’s Precious, both of which earned five nominations including Best Feature along with Amreeka, 500 Days of Summer and Sin Nombre. Precious also enjoyed nominations in Best Director (Lee Daniels), Best Actress (Gabourey Sidibe), Best Supporting Actress (Mo’Nique) and Best First Screenplay.
The leading studios where Fox Searchlight and Sony Classics, each of which took home 7 nominations, Searchlight even earning one for the critically loathed Gentlemen Broncos with Jemaine Clement earning a Best Supporting Male nod.
I’m very happy to see Christian McKay for Me and Orson Welles enjoying some love and hope it can translate to an Oscar nomination and I wonder if Samantha Morton’s nomination for The Messenger will also lead to an Oscar nom as I currently have predicted.
The Coen brothers’ A Serious Man was awarded the Robert Altman Award, which is given to one film’s director, casting director and its ensemble cast and even Oren Peli’s surprise supernatural thriller, Paranormal Activity saw some love for Best First Feature.
In case you were wondering where The Hurt Locker is, it was eligible last year and saw nominations for Best Male Lead (Jeremy Renner) and Best Supporting Male (Anthony Mackie). So it wasn’t snubbed.
Last year The Wrestler took the top prize with Milk and Vicky Cristina Barcelona also earning a couple of awards.
The complete list of nominees is listed below. The winners will be unveiled at a late-night celebration on Friday, March 5, 2010, at LA Live’s panoramic event deck in downtown Los Angeles. The show will air live and uncut on Friday, March 5, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. PST/11:00 p.m. EST on IFC (Independent Film Channel).
Best Feature
- Amreeka
- (500) Days of Summer
- The Last Station
- Precious
- Sin Nombre
Best Director
- Michael Hoffman, The Last Station
- Lee Daniels, Precious
- Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
- Cary Fukunaga, Sin Nombre
- James Gray, Two Lovers
Best Actor
- Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
- Colin Firth, A Single Man
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
- Souleymane Sy Savane, Goodbye Solo
- Adam Scott, The Vicious Kind
Best Actress
- Maria Bello, Downloading Nancy
- Nisreen Faour, Amreeka
- Helen Mirren, The Last Station
- Gwyneth Paltrow, Two Lovers
- Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Best Supporting Actor
- Jemaine Clement, Gentlemen Broncos
- Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
- Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
- Ray McKinnon, That Evening Sun
- Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Best Supporting Actress
- Dina Korzun, Cold Souls
- Mo’Nique, Precious
- Samantha Morton, The Messenger
- Natalie Press, Fifty Dead Men Walking
- Mia Wasikowska, That Evening Sun
Best Screenplay
- Adventureland
- (500) Days of Summer
- The Last Station
- The Messenger
- The Vicious Kind
Best First Feature
- Crazy Heart
- Easier With Practice
- The Messenger
- Paranormal Activity
- A Single Man
Best First Screenplay
- Amreeka
- Cold Souls
- Crazy Heart
- Precious
- A Single Man
Best Foreign Film
- An Education
- Everlasting Moments
- The Maid
- Mother
- A Prophet
Best Documentary
- Anvil! The Story of Anvil
- Food, Inc.
- More Than a Game
- October Country
- Which Way Home
Best Cinematography
- The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
- Cold Souls
- A Serious Man
- Sin Nombre
- Treeless Mountain
John Cassavetes Award
Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director, and producer.
- Big Fan
- Humpday
- New Year Parade
- Treeless Mountain
- Zero Bridge
Acura Someone to Watch Award
The 16th annual Acura 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 funded by Acura.
- Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Easier With Practice
- Asiel Norton, Redland
- Tariq Tapa, Zero Bridge
True than Fiction Award
The 15th 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.
- Natalia Almada, El General
- Jessica Oreck, Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
- Bill Ross, Turner Ross, 45365
Piaget Producers Award
The 13th 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.
- Karin Chien, The Exploding Girl, Santa Mesa
- Larry Fessenden, I Sell the Dead, The House of the Devil
- Dia Sokol, Beeswax, Nights & Weekends
Robert Altman Award
Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast
- A Serious Man
