2011 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

This morning, Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced the nominations for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Taken from the official press release, the nominees are:

2011 SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not listed)

• 127 Hours
  Producers: Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, John Smithson
• Black Swan
  Producers: Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver
• Greenberg
  Producers: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Rudin
• The Kids Are All Right
  Producers: Gary Gilbert, Philippe Hellmann, Jordan Horowitz, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray, Daniela Taplin Lundberg
• Winter’s Bone
  Producers: Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Anne Rosellini

BEST DIRECTOR

• Darren Aronofsky
  Black Swan
• Danny Boyle
  127 Hours
• Lisa Cholodenko
  The Kids Are All Right
• Debra Granik
  Winter’s Bone
• John Cameron Mitchell
  Rabbit Hole

BEST SCREENPLAY

• Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko
  The Kids Are All Right
• Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini
  Winter’s Bone
• Nicole Holofcener
  Please Give
• David Lindsay-Abaire
  Rabbit Hole
• Todd Solondz
  Life During Wartime

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

• Everything Strange and New
  Director: Frazer Bradshaw
  Producers: A.D. Liano, Laura Techera Francia
• Get Low
  Director: Aaron Schneider
  Producers: David Gundlach, Dean Zanuck
• Night Catches Us
  Director: Tanya Hamilton
  Producers: Sean Costello, Jason Orans, Ronald Simons
• The Last Exorcism
  Director: Daniel Stamm
  Producers: Marc Abraham, Tom Bliss, Eric Newman, Eli Roth
• Tiny Furniture
  Director: Lena Dunham
  Producers: Kyle Martin, Alicia Van Couvering

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

• Diane Bell
  Obselidia
• Lena Dunham
  Tiny Furniture
• Nik Fackler
  Lovely, Still
• Bob Glaudini
  Jack Goes Boating
• Dana Adam Shapiro, Evan M. Wiener
  Monogamy

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 listed

• Daddy Longlegs
  Writer/Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
  Producers: Casey Neistat, Tom Scott
• Lbs.
  Director: Matthew Bonifacio
  Writer/Producers: Matthew Bonifacio, Carmine Famiglietti
• Lovers of Hate
  Writer/Director: Bryan Poyser
  Producer: Megan Gilbride
• Obselidia
  Writer/Director: Diane Bell
  Producers: Chris Byrne, Mathew Medlin
• The Exploding Girl
  Writer/Director: Bradley Rust Gray
  Producers: Karin Chien, Ben Howe, So Yong Kim

BEST FEMALE LEAD

• Annette Bening
  The Kids Are All Right

• Greta Gerwig
  Greenberg

• Nicole Kidman
  Rabbit Hole

• Jennifer Lawrence
  Winter’s Bone

• Natalie Portman
  Black Swan

• Michelle Williams
  Blue Valentine

BEST MALE LEAD

• Ronald Bronstein
  Daddy Longlegs
• Aaron Eckhart
  Rabbit Hole
• James Franco
  127 Hours
• John C. Reilly
  Cyrus
• Ben Stiller
  Greenberg

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

• Ashley Bell
  The Last Exorcism
• Dale Dickey
  Winter’s Bone
• Allison Janney
  Life During Wartime
• Daphne Rubin-Vega
  Jack Goes Boating
• Naomi Watts
  Mother and Child

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

• John Hawkes
  Winter’s Bone
• Samuel L. Jackson
  Mother and Child
• Bill Murray
  Get Low
• John Ortiz
  Jack Goes Boating
• Mark Ruffalo
  The Kids Are All Right

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Adam Kimmel
  Never Let Me Go
• Matthew Libatique
  Black Swan
• Jody Lee Lipes
  Tiny Furniture
• Michael McDonough
  Winter’s Bone
• Harris Savides
  Greenberg

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director)

• Exit Through the Gift Shop
  Director: Banksy
• Marwencol
  Director: Jeff Malmberg
• Restrepo
  Directors: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger
• Sweetgrass
  Directors: Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor
• Thunder Soul
  Director: Mark Landsman

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)

• Kisses
  (Ireland)
  Director: Lance Daly
• Mademoiselle Chambon
  (France)
  Director: Stéphane Brizé
• Of Gods and Men
  (Morocco)
  Director: Xavier Beauvois
• The King’s Speech
  (United Kingdom)
  Director: Tom Hooper
• Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
  (Thailand)
  Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 17th 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.

• Hossein Keshavarz
  Dog Sweat
• Laurel Nakadate
  The Wolf Knife
• Mike Ott
  Littlerock

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 14th 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.

• In-Ah Lee
  Au Revoir Taipei
• Adele Romanski
  The Myth of the American Sleepover
• Anish Savjani
  Meek’s Cutoff

AVEENO® TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 16th annual AVEENO® 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 funded by AVEENO®.

• Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor
  Sweetgrass
• Jeff Malmberg
  Marwencol
• Lynn True, Nelson Walker
  Summer Pasture

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

• Please Give
  Director: Nicole Holofcener
  Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
  Ensemble Cast: Ann Guilbert, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele