SPIRIT AWARDS TO BE BROADCAST LIVE EXCLUSIVELY ON IFC, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016 2:00 pm PT / 5:00 pm ET!
"Carol", "Spotlight", "Beasts of No Nation", "James White", "Songs My Brothers Taught Me", "Tangerine", "Mediterranea" earn multiple nods!
"This year's nominees are a testament to the strength, vitality and diversity of independent, artist-driven filmmaking,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “It’s an astonishingly strong group of films and performances this year and we look forward to celebrating them all at the Spirit Awards."
"Spotlight" 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.
“Spotlight is a remarkable film that excels on every level, but the Nominating Committee thought it was especially deserving of the Robert Altman Award,” said Welsh. “The film is beautifully cast with every member of the ensemble working together to tell the story of the Boston Globe investigating allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church."
The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 362 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.
2016 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
Anomalisa
Producers: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman, Dino Stamatopoulos, Rosa Tran
Beasts of No Nation
Producers: Daniel Crown, Idris Elba, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Amy Kaufman, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker
Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley
Spotlight
Producers: Blye Pagon Faust, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Michael Sugar
Tangerine
Producers: Sean Baker, Karrie Cox, Marcus Cox, Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the director and producer)
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Director: Marielle Heller
Producers: Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, Madeline Samit
James White
Director: Josh Mond
Producers: Max Born, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Melody Roscher, Eric Schultz
Manos Sucias
Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka
Producers: Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes
Mediterranea
Director: Jonas Carpignano
Producers: Jason Michael Berman, Chris Columbus, Jon Coplon, Christoph Daniel, Andrew Kortschak, John Lesher, Ryan Lough, Justin Nappi, Alain Peyrollaz, Gwyn Sannia, Marc Schmidheiny, Victor Shapiro, Ryan Zacarias
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Director/Producer: Chloé Zhao
Producers: Mollye Asher, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Angela C. Lee, Forest Whitaker
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.
Advantageous
Writer/Director/Producer: Jennifer Phang
Writer/Producer: Jacqueline Kim
Producers: Robert Chang, Ken Jeong, Moon Molson, Theresa Navarro
Christmas, Again
Writer/Director/Producer: Charles Poekel
Heaven Knows What
Directors: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie
Writers: Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
Producers: Oscar Boyson, Sebastian Bear McClard
Krisha
Writer/Director/Producer: Trey Edward Shults
Producers: Justin R. Chan, Chase Joliet, Wilson Smith
Out of My Hand
Writer/Director: Takeshi Fukunaga
Writer/Producer: Donari Braxton
Producer: Mike Fox
BEST DIRECTOR
- Sean Baker, Tangerine
- Cary Joji Fukunaga, Beasts of No Nation
- Todd Haynes, Carol
- Duke Johnson & Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa
- Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
- David Robert Mitchell, It Follows
BEST SCREENPLAY
- Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa
- Donald Margulies, The End of the Tour
- Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer, Spotlight
- Phyllis Nagy, Carol
- S. Craig Zahler, Bone Tomahawk
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
- Jesse Andrews, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
- Jonas Carpignano, Mediterranea
- Emma Donoghue, Room
- Marielle Heller, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
- John Magary (Story by Russell Harbaugh and Myna Joseph), The Mend
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Cary Joji Fukunaga, Beasts of No Nation
- Michael Gioulakis, It Follows
- Ed Lachman, Carol
- Reed Morano, Meadowland
- Joshua James Richards, Songs My Brothers Taught Me
BEST EDITING
- Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie, Heaven Knows What
- Tom McArdle, Spotlight
- Nathan Nugent, Room
- Julio C. Perez IV, It Follows
- Kristan Sprague, Manos Sucias
BEST FEMALE LEAD
- Cate Blanchett, Carol
- Brie Larson, Room
- Rooney Mara, Carol
- Bel Powley, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
- Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Tangerine
BEST MALE LEAD
- Christopher Abbott, James White
- Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation
- Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind
- Jason Segel, The End of the Tour
- Koudous Seihon, Mediterranea
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
- Robin Bartlett, H.
- Marin Ireland, Glass Chin
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anomalisa
- Cynthia Nixon, James White
- Mya Taylor, Tangerine
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
- Kevin Corrigan, Results
- Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
- Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
- Richard Jenkins, Bone Tomahawk
- Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
Spotlight
Director: Tom McCarthy
Casting Directors: Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee
Ensemble Cast: Billy Crudup, Paul Guilfoyle, Neal Huff, Brian d'Arcy James, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Jamey Sheridan, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci
BEST DOCUMENTARY
(Award given to the director and producer)
(T)ERROR
Directors/Producers: Lyric R. Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe
Producer: Christopher St. John
Best of Enemies
Directors/Producers: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville
Heart of a Dog
Director/Producer: Laurie Anderson
Producer: Dan Janvey
The Look of Silence
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen
Meru
Directors/Producers: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Producer: Shannon Ethridge
The Russian Woodpecker
Director/Producer: Chad Gracia
Producers: Ram Devineni, Mike Lerner
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
(Award given to the director)
Embrace of the Serpent
(Colombia)
Director: Ciro Guerra
Girlhood
(France)
Director: Céline Sciamma
Mustang
(France, Turkey)
Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
(Sweden)
Director: Roy Andersson
Son of Saul
(Hungary)
Director: László Nemes
19th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
The 19th 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.
- Darren Dean
- Mel Eslyn
- Rebecca Green and Laura D. Smith
22nd ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
The 22nd 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.
- God Bless the Child, Directors: Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
- King Jack, Director: Felix Thompson
- Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Director: Chloé Zhao
21st TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
The 21st annual 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.
- Among the Believers, Directors: Mohammed Ali Naqvi and Hemal Trivedi
- Incorruptible, Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
- A Woman Like Me, Directors: Elizabeth Giamatti and Alex Sichel
Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 27, 2016. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, in a new location this year just north of the Santa Monica Pier. 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 9, 2016, at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.
In addition to celebrating the broad spectrum of independent filmmaking, the Spirit Awards is also the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, which cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and promote diversity in the industry. To learn more about table sales, attendance and donations please contact jmurby@filmindependent.org or 310.432.1253.
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Raymond Lo
