The Artist
The Artist and Take Shelter lead the Independent Spirit Award nominations with five nods a piece - both being recognised in the Best Picture category.
The Artist is the latest movie from Michel Hazanavicius and is set in the silent era of Hollywood.
Hazanavicius also picked up a Best Director and BEst Screenplay nod for his work while Jean Dujardin was recognised in the Best Actor category for his central performance.
Similarly Jeff Nicholls picked up a Best Director nomination for his work on Take Shelter while Michael Shannon picked up a Best Actor nod and Jessica Chastain a Best Supporting Actress nomination.
And while The Descendants picked up nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay there was no Best Actor nod for George Clooney - despite being an early Oscar favourite.
Drive was another movie that featured heavily as Ryan Gosling picked up a Best Actor nod for his gripping central performance.
And Michelle Williams leads the Best Actress category for her performance as Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn.
But she could face some tough competition from Elizabeth Olsen who has also been recognised in that category for Martha Marcy May Marlene
Full List of Nominees
- Best Feature
"50/50"
"Beginners"
"Drive"
"Take Shelter"
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
- 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, Jim Rash - "The Descendants"
- Best First Feature
Mike Cahill - "Another Earth"
Patrick Wang - "In the Family"
J.C. Chandor - "Margin Call"
Sean Durkin - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Robbie Pickering - "Natural Selection"
- Best First Screenplay
Mike Cahill, Brit Marling - "Another Earth"
J.C. Chandor - "Margin Call"
Patrick deWitt - "Terri"
Phil Johnston - "Cedar Rapids"
Will Reiser - "50/50"
- John Cassavetes Award - Given to the best feature made for under $500,000
"Bellflower"
"Circumstance"
"Hello Lonesome"
"Pariah"
"The Dynamiter"
- 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
"An African Election"
"Bill Cunningham New York"
"The Interrupters"
"The Redemption of General Butt Naked"
"We Were Here"
- Best International Film
"A Separation" (Iran)
"Melancholia" (Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany)
"Shame" (UK)
"The Kid With a Bike" (Belgium/France/Italy)
"Tyrannosaur" (UK)