Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced nominations for the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Nominees for Best Feature include 50/50, Beginners, Drive, Take Shelter and The Artist.
Margin Call was selected to receive the annual Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.
“The Film Independent Spirit Awards recognize the finest artistic achievements across the broad spectrum of independent filmmaking – from emerging talent working on a shoestring budget to established auteurs,” said Film Independent senior director Sean Mc Manus. “The 2012 nominees tell their stories in such an authentic way and reflect the inclusive nature of the independent filmmaking community. We are delighted to support them and expand the audience for their work.”
“The Spirit Awards focuses primarily on American independents, so it was an honor to serve alongside an esteemed and dedicated group of indie film colleagues to determine many of the 2012 nominees,” said producer and chair of the American narrative feature nominating committee Gail Mutrux. “It was an invigorating process – experiencing first-hand the vast array of storytelling that defines independent film, and discovering many new talents whose films inspired us.”
Winners will be announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 25. The 27th annual 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 p.m. ET/PT on IFC.
The 2012 Independent Spirit Award Nominations are:
Best Feature
50/50
Producers: Evan Goldberg, Ben Karlin, Seth Rogen
Beginners
Producers: Miranda de Pencier, Lars Knudsen, Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Jay Van Hoy
Drive
Producers: Michel Litvak, John Palermo, Marc Platt, Gigi Pritzker, Adam Siegel
Take Shelter
Producers: Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin
The Artist
Producer: Thomas Langmann
The Descendants
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Mike Mills – Beginners
Jeff Nichols – Take Shelter
Alexander Payne – The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive
Best Screenplay
Joseph Cedar – Footnote
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Tom Mccarthy – Win Win
Mike Mills – Beginners
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash – The Descendants
Best First Feature
(Award given to the director and producer)
Another Earth
Director: Mike Cahill
Producers: Mike Cahill, Hunter Gray, Brit Marling and Nicholas Shumaker
In The Family
Director: Patrick Wang
Producers: Robert Tonino, Andrew Van Den Houten and Patrick Wang
Margin Call
Director: J.C. Chandor
Producers: Robert Ogden Barnum, Michael Benaroya, Neal Dodson, Joe Jenckes, Corey Moosa and Zachary Quinto
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Director: Sean Durkin
Producers: Antonio Campos, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach and Josh Mond
Natural Selection
Director: Robbie Pickering
Producers: Brion Hambel and Paul Jensen
Best First Screenplay
Mike Cahill and Brit Marling – Another Earth
J.C. Chandor – Margin Call
Patrick Dewitt – Terri
Phil Johnston – Cedar Rapids
Will Reiser – 50/50
John Cassavetes Award
(Award given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer)
Bellflower
Writer/Director: Evan Glodell
Producers: Evan Glodell, Vincent Grashaw
Circumstance
Writer/Director: Maryam Keshavarz
Producers: Karin Chien, Maryam Keshavarz and Melissa Lee
Hello Lonesome
Writer/Director/Producer: Adam Reid
Pariah
Writer/Director: Dee Rees
Producer: Nekisa Cooper
The Dynamiter
Writer: Brad Inglesby
Director: Matthew Gordon
Producers: Kevin Abrams, Matthew Gordon, Merilee Holt, Art Jones, Mike Jones, Nate Tuck and Amile Wilson
Best Female Lead
Lauren Ambrose – Think Of Me
Rachael Harris – Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye – Pariah
Elizabeth Olsen – Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn
Best Male Lead
Demián Bichir – A Better Life
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Ryan Gosling – Drive
Woody Harrelson – Rampart
Michael Shannon – Take Shelter
Best Supporting Female
Jessica Chastain – Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston – 50/50
Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana – Gun Hill Road
Shailene Woodley – The Descendants
Best Supporting Male
Albert Brooks – Drive
John Hawkes – Martha Marcy May Marlene
Christopher Plummer – Beginners
John C. Reilly – Cedar Rapids
Corey Stoll – Midnight In Paris
Best Cinematography
Joel Hodge – Bellflower
Benjamin Kasulke – The Off Hours
Darius Khondji – Midnight In Paris
Guillaume Schiffman – The Artist
Jeffrey Waldron – The Dynamiter
Best Documentary
(Award given to the director and producer)
An African Election
Director/Producer: Jarreth Merz
Bill Cunningham New York
Director: Richard Press
Producer: Philip Gefter
The Interrupters
Director/Producer: Steve James
Producer: Alex Kotlowitz
The Redemption Of General Butt Naked
Directors/Producers: Eric Strauss, Daniele Anastasion
We Were Here
Director/Producer: David Weissman
Best International Film
A Separation (Iran)
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Melancholia, (Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany)
Director: Lars Von Trier
Shame (UK)
Director: Steve Mcqueen
The Kid With A Bike (Belgium, France, Italy)
Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne
Tyrannosaur (UK)
Director: Paddy Considine
Robert Altman Award
(Award given to one film’s director, casting director and its ensemble cast)
Margin Call
Director: J.C. Chandor
Casting Directors: Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey
Ensemble Cast: Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Mary Mcdonnell, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey and Stanley Tucci
