AND THE 2013 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEES ARE. . .

THE 28th ANNUAL FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

– $125,000 in grants to be awarded to filmmakers –

LOS ANGELES (November 27, 2012) – Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Film Independent at LACMA Film Series, announced nominations for the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards this morning. Film Independent co-presidents Sean Mc Manus and Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at the W Hollywood, with actors Anna Kendrick, Zoe Saldana, and Common presenting the nominations. Nominees for Best Feature include Beasts of the Southern Wild, Bernie, Keep the Lights On, Moonrise Kingdom, and Silver Linings Playbook.

Starlet was selected to receive the annual Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.

Leading the way with five nominations each is Silver Linings Playbook and Moonrise Kingdom, while  Beasts of the Southern Wild, Keep the Lights On and Middle of Nowhere each picked up four.

“The nominations this year represent an astonishingly strong group of artists both in front of and behind the camera,” said Film Independent Co-president Josh Welsh. “At Film Independent, we nurture artist-driven filmmaking all year long and I can’t imagine a more fitting or worthy group of films to celebrate here today.”

Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 23, 2013. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, and the premiere broadcast will air later that evening at 10:00 pm ET/PT on IFC. Winners of the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants will be highlighted during the awards ceremony and announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch on Saturday, January 12, 2013 at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 299 submissions this year and applied the following guidelines in determining the nominations: uniqueness of vision, original and provocative subject matter, economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost & individual compensation), and percentage of financing from independent sources. The Spirit Awards Nominating Committee is comprised of writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, actors, critics, casting directors, festival programmers, and other working film professionals.

As the first event to exclusively honor independent film, the Film Independent Spirit Awards has made a name for itself as the premier awards show for the independent film community.

ABOUT THE FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

Now in its 28th year, the Film Independent Spirit Awards is an annual celebration honoring artist-driven films made with an economy of means by filmmakers who embody independence and originality. The Spirit Awards recognizes the achievements of American independent filmmakers and promotes the finest independent films of the year to a wider audience.

Awards are given in the following categories: Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, Best Director, Best Screenplay, John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for a budget under $500,000), Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Male, Best Supporting Female, Best Cinematography, Best International Film, Best Documentary, and the Robert Altman Award. The Filmmaker Grants include the Piaget Producers Award, Someone to Watch Award, Stella Artois Truer Than Fiction Award and Jameson FIND Your Audience Award.

AND THE 2013 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE. . . . . . .

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not awarded)
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 (Award given to the director and producer)
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 (Award given to the director and producer)
How to Survive a Plague DIRECTOR: David France PRODUCERS: David France, Howard Gertler
Marina Abramoviæ: 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 (Award given to the director)
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 DIRECTOR: Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna 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 BakerCasting Director: Julia Kim
Ensemble Cast: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Karren Karagulian, Stella Maeve, James Ransone