And the Nominees for the 30th Film Independent Spirit Awards Are. . .

30th spirit awards logo - download

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, announced nominations for the 2015 Spirit Awards.  Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at the W Hollywood, with actors Rosario Dawson and Diego Luna presenting the nominations. Nominees for Best Feature included Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Boyhood, Love is Strange, Selma and Whiplash.

“As we celebrate 30 years of great independent film,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent, “this year’s nominees are an astonishingly strong group of films and filmmakers which demonstrate the uniqueness of vision we honor at this show.”

Inherent Vice was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts.

“Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice is a testament to the spirit of Altman’s tradition of artistic collaboration,” said Welsh. “The film features an exquisite ensemble of actors masterfully directed and cast.”

Film Independent also awarded a Special Distinction Award to Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher for its uniqueness of vision, honesty of direction and screenwriting, superb acting and achievement on every level of filmmaking. Due to Spirit Awards guidelines, Inherent Vice and Foxcatcher were not eligible for individual nominations.

Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 21, 2015. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. This year the show will broadcast live exclusively on IFC at 2:00 PM PT/ 5:00 PM ET.

Winners of the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants will be highlighted during the awards ceremony and announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants and Nominee Brunch on Saturday, January 10, 2015, at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 341 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 and individual compensation) and percentage of financing from independent sources. The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees are comprised of writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, actors, critics, casting directors, film festival programmers and other working film professionals.

Over the past 30 years the Film Independent Spirit Awards has made a name for itself as the premiere awards show for the independent film community. Artists who have received industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards include Joel and Ethan Coen, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Ashley Judd, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Edward Burns, Aaron Eckhart, Neil LaBute, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Hilary Swank, Marc Forster, Todd Field, Christopher Nolan, Zach Braff, Amy Adams, Lena Dunham and many more.

The Film Independent Spirit Awards are sponsored by Premier Sponsors Piaget, The Lincoln Motor Company, Bank of America, Heineken and IFC. T-Mobile is the Official Arrivals Show Sponsor and FIJI Water is the Official Water of the 2015 Spirit Awards. WireImage is the Official Photographer of Film Independent.

The Spirit Awards is the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs. To inquire about individual seating and tables at the Spirit Awards, please contact Jennifer Murby at jmurby@filmindependent.org or 310.432.1253.

For more information on submission guidelines, voting, media and publicist credentials, and the history of the Spirit Awards, please visit spiritawards.com.

 

AND THE 2015 FILM INDEPENDENT NOMINEES ARE . . .

 

BEST FEATURE

(Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)

            Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W.   Skotchdopole

            Boyhood

Producers: Richard Linklater, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, Cathleen     Sutherland

            Love is Strange

Producers: Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, Jay Van Hoy

            Selma

Producers: Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey

            Whiplash

Producers: Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster, Michael Litvak

 

BEST DIRECTOR

            Damien Chazelle – Whiplash

            Ava DuVernay – Selma

            Alejandro G. Iñárritu- Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

            Richard Linklater –  Boyhood

David Zellner – Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

 

BEST SCREENPLAY

            Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski –  Big Eyes

            J.C. Chandor –  A Most Violent Year

             Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler

            Jim Jarmusch – Only Lovers Left Alive

            Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias- Love is Strange

 

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)

            A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

         Dear White People

            Nightcrawler

           Obvious Child

            She’s Lost Control

 

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

            Desiree Akhavan –  Appropriate Behavior

            Sara Colangelo –  Little Accidents

           Justin Lader –  The One I Love

            Anja Marquardt – She’s Lost Control

           Justin Simien – Dear White People

 

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.

            Blue Ruin

Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier

Producers: Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani

             It Felt Like Love

Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman

Producers: Shrihari Sathe, Laura Wagner

            Land Ho!

Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens

Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy

            Man From Reno

Writer/Director: Dave Boyle

Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman

Producer: Ko Mori

            Test

Writer/Director/Producer: Chris Mason Johnson

Producer: Chris Martin

 

BEST FEMALE LEAD

            Marion Cotillard – The Immigrant

            Rinko Kikuchi – Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

           Julianne Moore – Still Alice

            Jenny Slate – Obvious Child

            Tilda Swinton – Only Lovers Left Alive                    

 

BEST MALE LEAD

            André Benjamin – Jimi: All Is By My Side

            Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler

            Michael Keaton – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

            John Lithgow – Love is Strange

            David Oyelowo – Selma

 

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

            Patricia Arquette – Boyhood

            Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year

            Carmen Ejogo – Selma

           Andrea Suarez Paz – Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

            Emma Stone – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

 

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

            Riz Ahmed – Nightcrawler

            Ethan Hawke – Boyhood

            Alfred Molina – Love is Strange

            Edward Norton – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

            J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

 

 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

             Darius Khondji – The Immigrant

            Emmanuel Lubezki – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

            Sean Porter – It Felt Like Love

            Lyle Vincent –  A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

            Bradford Young – Selma

 

BEST EDITING                  

            Sandra Adair – Boyhood

            Tom Cross – Whiplash

            John Gilroy – Nightcrawler

            Ron Patane – A Most Violent Year

            Adam Wingard – The Guest

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)

            20,000 Days on Earth

Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard

Producers: Dan Bowen, James Wilson

 

            CITIZENFOUR

Director/Producer: Laura Poitras

Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky

 

            Stray Dog

Director: Debra Granik

Producer: Anne Rosellini

 

            The Salt of the Earth

Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders

Producer: David Rosier

 

            Virunga

Director/Producer: Orlando von Einsiedel

Producer: Joanna Natasegara

 

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)

            Force Majeure (Sweden)  Director: Ruben Östlund

            Ida  (Poland)  Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

            Leviathan  (Russia)  Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev

            Mommy  (Canada)  Director: Xavier Dolan

            Norte, the End of History  (Philippines)  Director: Lav Diaz

             Under the Skin  (United Kingdom)  Director: Jonathan Glazer

 

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)

Inherent Vice

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis

Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon

 

SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD

            Foxcatcher

Director/Producer: Bennett Miller

Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik

Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman

Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum

 

18th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 18th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, 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.

            Chad Burris

            Elisabeth Holm

            Chris Ohlson

 

21st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 21st annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.

            A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

            H. – Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia

            The Retrieval – Director: Chris Eska

 

20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 20th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters 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 funded by LensCrafters.

            Approaching the Elephant – Director: Amanda Rose Wilder

            Evolution of a Criminal – Director: Darius Clark Monroe

            The Kill Team – Director: Dan Krauss

            The Last Season – Director: Sara Dosa