The Last Station
Precious, The Last Station and (500) Days of Summer lead the Best Film nominations for the 25th Independent Spirit Awards.
Amreeka and Sin Nombre also made the list, which was announced in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning (01Dec09).
The Last Station, which chronicles the final days of Russian author Leo Tolstoy, and the acclaimed Precious scored the most nominations with five each.
Early Oscar favourite The Hurt Locker missed out on a nomination because it was selected last year (08). The Hurt Locker has already laid out it's Oscar stall by dominating the Gotham Awards at the weekend.
Maria Bello (Downloading Nancy), Nisreen Faour (Amreeka), Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Gywneth Paltrow (Two Lovers) and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) will fight for the Best Female Lead prize.
Precious is another movie that it an early Oscar favourite for Best Picture and it was given a massive boost when it was announced that the film will be honoured with the Stanley Kramer Award at the 2010 Producers Guild of America prizegiving.
While the Best Male Lead honour will be contested by Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Joseph Gordon-Levitt, ((500) Days of Summer) Souleymane Sy Savane (Goodbye Solo) and Adam Scott (The Vicious Kind).
Meanwhile, Ethan & Joel Coen (A Serious Man), Lee Daniels (Precious) and Michael Hoffman (The Last Station) lead the Best Director nominations list.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Food, Inc., More Than a Game, October Country and Which Way Home will battle for the Best Documentary honours, while A Prophet, An Education, Everlasting Moments, Mother and The Maid will compete for Best Foreign Film.
And many of thoese who landed nominations at last year's awards went on to find major success on the awards ceremony.
The Wrestler picked up Best Feature while Mickey Rourke picked up Best Actor and he went on to pick up an Oscar nomination for his performance.
Melissa Leo followed up her Independent Spirit Award win with a Best Actress Oscar nomination while Penelope Cruz won the Academy Award for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
But there is some British interest at the awards as Samantha Morton, Helen Mirren and Colin Firth all bagged nominations for their work.
To be eligible for an Independent Spirit nod, all films must have been made for less than $20 million (GBP12.5 million). Films must have either screened at a major film festival including Sundance, Toronto or Film Independent’s own Los Angeles Film Festival or had a one-week engagement at a commercial theatre.
The awards will be handed out in Los Angeles on 5 March (10).
Full list of nominations:
Best Feature (Award given to the Producer)
500 Days of Summer, Producers Jessica Tuchinsky, Mark Waters, Mason Novick, Steven J. Wolfe
Amreeka, Producers Christina Piovesan, Paul Barkin
Precious, Producers Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness
Sin Nombre, Producer Amy Kaufman
The Last Station, Producers Chris Curling, Jens Meurer, Boonie Arnold
Best Director
The Coen Brothers for A Serious Man
Lee Daniels for Precious
Cary Fukunaga for Sin Nombre
James Grey for Two Lovers
Michael Hoffman for The Last Station
Best First Feature (Award given to the director and producer)
A Single Man
Crazy Heart
Easier With Practice
The Messenger
Paranormal Activity
John Cassavetes Award
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)
Big Fan
Humpday
The New Year Parade
Treeless Mountain
Zero Bridge
Best Screenplay
Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman for The Messenger
Michael Hoffman for The Last Station
Lee Toland Krieger for The Vicious Kind
Greg Mottola for Adventureland
Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber for 500 Days of Summer
Best First Screenplay
Sophie Barthes for Cold Souls
Scott Cooper for Crazy Heart
Cherien Dabis for Amreeka
Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious
Tom Ford, David Scearce for A Single Man
Best Female Lead
Maria Bello for Downloading Nancy
Helen Mirren for The Last Station
Gwentyth Paltrow for Two Lovers
Gabby Sidibe for Precious
Nisreen Faour for Amreeka
Best Male Lead
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
Colin Firth for A Single Man
Joseph Gordon Levitt for 500 Days Of Summer
Souleymane Sy Savane for Goodbye Solo
Adam Scott for The Vicious Kind
Best Supporting Female
Dina Korzun for Cold Souls
Mo'Nique for Precious
Samantha Morton for The Messenger
Natalie Press for Fifty Dead Men Walking
Mia Wasikowska for That Evening Sun
Best Supporting Male
Jemaine Clements for Gentleman Broncos
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger
Cristian McKay for Me And Orson Welles
Ramon McKinnon for That Evening Sun
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station
Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins for A Serious Man
Adriano Goldman for Sin Nombre
Anne Misawa for Treeless Mountain
Andrij Parekh for Cold Souls
Peter Zeitlinger for Bad Lieutenant
Best Documentary (Award given to the director)
Anvil!
Food Inc
More Than a Game
October Country
Which Way Home
Best Foreign Film (Award given to the director)
A Prophet
An Education
Everlasting Moments
Mother
The Maid
Robert Altman Award
(Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
A Serious Man
Producers Award
Karen Chien (The Exploding Girl, Santa Mesa)
Larry Fessenden (I Sell The Dead, The House Of The Devil)
Dia Sokol (Beeswax, Nights & Weekends)
Someone to Watch Award
Kyle Patrick Alvarez for Easier With Practice
Asiel Norton for Redland
Tariq Tapa for Zero Bridge
Truer Than Fiction Award
Natalia Almada for El General
Bill Ross, Turner Ross for Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
Jessica Oreck for 45365