Independent Spirit Award Nominations

The Independent Spirit Awards are always so bizarre to me. Their definition of "independent" is consistently baffling, and some of their choices are always questionable. Such as nominating Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs but not star Glen Close, who is a shoo-in for an Oscar nod for her performance. The failure of Martha Marcy May Marlene to gain a nomination for Best Feature is also surprising, given that it seems like it would be right up the IFP's alley, but Harvey Weinstein managed to get a nod for The Artist, which hardly seems independent. I'm thrilled, however, to see some love for A Better Life's Demian Bichir, and I hope it translates into some buzz for him.

THE ARTIST.

Here is the complete list for your perusal:

Best Feature (Award given to the Producer)
50/50
Beginners
Drive
Take Shelter
The Artist
The Descendants

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Mike Mills, Beginners
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

Best First Feature (Award given to the director and producer)
Another Earth
In The Family
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natural Selection

John Cassavetes Award
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)
Bellflower
Circumstance
Hello Lonseome
Pariah
The Dynamiter

Best Screenplay
Beginners
The Descendants
Footnote
The Artist
Win Win

Best First Screenplay
Another Earth
Terri
Cedar Rapids
50/50
Margin Call

Best Female Lead
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Rachael Harris, Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye, Pariah
Lauren Ambrose, Think of Me

Best Male Lead
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter
Woody Harrelson, Rampart
Ryan Golsing, Drive
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Demian Bichir, A Better Life

Best Supporting Female
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston, 50/50
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana, Gun Hill Road
Shailenne Woodley, The Descendants

Best Supporting Male
Albert Brooks, Driver
John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Corey Stahl, Midnight in Paris
John C. Reilly, Cedar Rapids

Best Cinematography
Bellflower
Midnight in Paris
The Artist
The Off-Hours
The Dynamiter

Best Documentary (Award given to the director)
An African Election
Bill Cunningham New York
The Interrupters
We Were Here
The Redemption of General Butt Naked

Best Foreign Film (Award given to the director)
A Separation
Melancholia
Shame
The Kid With a Bike
Tyrannosaur

Robert Altman Award
(Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Margin Call

Piaget Producers Award
Chad Burris, Mosquito y Mari
Sophia Lynn, Take Shelter
Josh Bond, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Someone to Watch Award
Simon Arthur, Silver Tongues
Mark Jackson, Without
Nicholas Ozeki, Mamitas

Truer Than Fiction Award
Where Soldiers Come From
Hell and Back Again
Bombay Beach

Source: Indiewire