The Independent Spirit Award nominations are here, and to be honest, my favorite thing in these nominees are the three nods for It Follows in cinematography, editing and director. That's pretty awesome. Them embracing Netflix's Beasts of No Nation is nice to see as well- it remains to be seen whether the industry will do the same thing with the Netflix production. Another note is that this is the second organization to reject Rooney Mara's placement in supporting for Carol- she was nominated in Lead with Cate Blanchett, but if the Oscars also reject her placement it probably means she won't get nominated at all, since they haven't nominated two actresses in the lead category since Thelma and Louise.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Beasts of No Nation
Carol
It Follows
Meadowland
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
BEST DIRECTOR
Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson, Anomalisa
Cary Joji Fukunaga, Beasts of No Nation
Todd Haynes, Carol
David Robert Mitchell, It Follows
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
Sean Baker, Tangerine
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Best of Enemies
Heart of a Dog
The Look of Silence
Meru
The Russian Woodpecker
(T)error
BEST EDITING
Beasts of No Nation
Heaven Knows What
It Follows
Room
Spotlight
BEST FEATURE
Anomalisa
Beasts of No Nation
Carol
Spotlight
Tangerine
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Rooney Mara, Carol
Bel Powley, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Brie Larson, Room
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Tangerine
BEST FIRST FEATURE
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
James White
Manos Sucas
Mediterranea
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Mediterranea
The Mend
Room
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Embrace of the Serpent
Girlhood
Mustang
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Son of Saul
BEST MALE LEAD
Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation
Jason Segel, The End of the Tour
Christopher Abbot, James White
Koudous Seihon, Mediterranea
Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind
BEST SCREENPLAY
Anomalisa
Bone Tomahawk
Carol
The End of the Tour
Spotlight
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anomalisa
Marin Ireland, Glass Chin
Robin Bartlett, H.
Cynthia Nixon, James White
Mya Taylor, Tangerine
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Richard Jenkins, Bone Tomahawk
Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Kevin Corrigan, Results
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Advantageous
Christmas, Again
Heaven Knows What
Krisha
Out of My Hand
ROBERT ALTMAN ENSEMBLE AWARD
Spotlight
They got a little creative with their nominations here, choosing things like Anomalisa, Beasts of No Nation and It Follows, so the Indie Spirits are continuing its turnaround that started last year in trying to go back to their roots in honoring true American independent productions. As always, the ceremony is held the night before the Oscars, February 27th.
'It Follows' lands three Indie Spirit nods
