By Russ Fischer/Nov. 26, 2013 10:50 am EST
The best award set of the season is usually the Independent Spirit Awards — that’s the ceremony where filmmakers cut loose, and it’s the set of awards that is most likely to highlight actual achievement, rather than doling out statues to whoever campaigned the hardest for their Oscar.
Today the nominations of for the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards were announced, and they spread recognition out to a wide array of films. 12 Years a Slave scored the most nominations, but this year’s crop of films is diverse and excellent; if you spent the rest of 2013 catching up with everything you’ve yet to see on this list, it would be a great end-of-year movie run. The Nominees for the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards: BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not awarded) 12 Years a Slave (Producers Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad)All Is Lost (Producers: Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb)Frances Ha (Producers: Noah Baumbach, Scott Rudin, Rodrigo Teixeira, Lila Yacoub)Inside Llewyn Davis (Producers: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin)Nebraska (Producers: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa)
BEST DIRECTOR Shane Carruth, Upstream ColorJ.C. Chandor, All Is LostSteve McQueen, 12 Years a SlaveJeff Nichols, MudAlexander Payne, Nebraska BEST SCREENPLAY Woody Allen, Blue JasmineJulie Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater, Before MidnightNicole Holofcener, Enough SaidScott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, The Spectacular NowJohn Ridley, 12 Years a Slave BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer) Blue Caprice (Director/Producer: Alexandre Moors; Producers: Kim Jackson, Brian O’Carroll, Isen Robbins, Will Rowbotham, Ron Simons, Aimee Schoof, Stephen Tedeschi)Concussion (Director: Stacie Passon; Producer: Rose Troche)Fruitvale Station (Director: Ryan Coogler; Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker)Una Noche (Director/Producer: Lucy Mulloy; Producers: Sandy Pérez Aguila, Maite Artieda, Daniel Mulloy, Yunior Santiago)Wadjda (Director: Haifaa Al Mansour; Producers: Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul) BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY Lake Bell, In A WorldJoseph Gordon-Levitt, Don JonBob Nelson, NebraskaJill Soloway, Afternoon DelightMichael Starrbury, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete 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.
Computer Chess (Writer/Director: Andrew Bujalski; Producers: Houston King & Alex Lipschultz)Crystal Fairy (Writer/Director: Sebastiàn Silva; Producers: Juan de Dios Larraín & Pablo Larraín)Museum Hours (Writer/Director: Jem Cohen; Producers: Paolo Calamita & Gabriele Kranzelbinder)Pit Stop (Writer/Director: Yen Tan; Writer: David Lowery; Producers: Jonathan Duffy, James M. Johnston, Eric Steele, Kelly Williams)This is Martin Bonner (Writer/Director: Chad Hartigan; Producer: Cherie Saulter) BEST FEMALE LEAD Cate Blanchett, Blue JasmineJulie Delpy, Before MidnightGaby Hoffmann, Crystal FairyBrie Larson, Short Term 12Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now BEST MALE LEAD Bruce Dern, NebraskaChiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a SlaveOscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn DavisMichael B. Jordan, Fruitvale StationMatthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers ClubRobert Redford, All Is Lost BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE Melonie Diaz, Fruitvale StationSally Hawkins, Blue JasmineLupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a SlaveYolonda Ross, Go For SistersJune Squibb, Nebraska BEST SUPPORTING MALE Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a SlaveWill Forte, NebraskaJames Gandolfini, Enough SaidJared Leto, Dallas Buyers ClubKeith Stanfield, Short Term 12
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Sean Bobbitt, 12 Years a SlaveBenoit Debie, Spring BreakersBruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn DavisFrank G. DeMarco, All Is LostMatthias Grunsky, Computer Chess BEST EDITING Shane Carruth & David Lowery, Upstream ColorJem Cohen & Marc Vives, Museum HoursJennifer Lame, Frances HaCindy Lee, Una NocheNat Sanders, Short Term 12 BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer) 20 Feet From Stardom DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Morgan Neville PRODUCERS: Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers After Tiller DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Martha Shane & Lana Wilson Gideon’s Army DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Dawn Porter PRODUCER: Julie Goldman The Act of Killing DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Joshua Oppenheimer PRODUCERS: Joram Ten Brink, Christine Cynn, Anne Köhncke, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Michael Uwemedimo The Square DIRECTOR: Jehane Noujaim PRODUCER: Karim Amer BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director) A Touch of Sin (China; Director: Jia Zhang-Ke)Blue is the Warmest Color (France; Director: Abdellatif Kechiche)Gloria (Chile; Director: Sebastián Lelio)The Great Beauty (Italy; Director: Paolo Sorrentino)The Hunt (Denmark; Director: Thomas Vinterberg) ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Mud Director: Jeff Nichols Casting Director: Francine Maisler Ensemble Cast: Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant, Reese Witherspoon 17th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD (The 17th 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.) Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnston Jacob Jaffke Andrea Roa Frederick Thornton 20th ANNUAL SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD (The 20th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.) Aaron Douglas Johnston, My Sister’s QuinceañeraShaka King, NewlyweedsMadeline Olnek, The Foxy Merkins 19th ANNUAL STELLA ARTOIS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD (The 19th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by Stella Artois, 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.)
Kalyanee Mam, A River Changes CourseJason Osder, Let the Fire BurnStephanie Spray & Pacho Velez, Manakamana
Today the nominations of for the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards were announced, and they spread recognition out to a wide array of films. 12 Years a Slave scored the most nominations, but this year’s crop of films is diverse and excellent; if you spent the rest of 2013 catching up with everything you’ve yet to see on this list, it would be a great end-of-year movie run.
The Nominees for the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards:
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not awarded)
12 Years a Slave (Producers Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad)All Is Lost (Producers: Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb)Frances Ha (Producers: Noah Baumbach, Scott Rudin, Rodrigo Teixeira, Lila Yacoub)Inside Llewyn Davis (Producers: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin)Nebraska (Producers: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa)
BEST DIRECTOR
Shane Carruth, Upstream ColorJ.C. Chandor, All Is LostSteve McQueen, 12 Years a SlaveJeff Nichols, MudAlexander Payne, Nebraska
BEST SCREENPLAY
Woody Allen, Blue JasmineJulie Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater, Before MidnightNicole Holofcener, Enough SaidScott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, The Spectacular NowJohn Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the director and producer)
Blue Caprice (Director/Producer: Alexandre Moors; Producers: Kim Jackson, Brian O’Carroll, Isen Robbins, Will Rowbotham, Ron Simons, Aimee Schoof, Stephen Tedeschi)Concussion (Director: Stacie Passon; Producer: Rose Troche)Fruitvale Station (Director: Ryan Coogler; Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker)Una Noche (Director/Producer: Lucy Mulloy; Producers: Sandy Pérez Aguila, Maite Artieda, Daniel Mulloy, Yunior Santiago)Wadjda (Director: Haifaa Al Mansour; Producers: Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul)
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Lake Bell, In A WorldJoseph Gordon-Levitt, Don JonBob Nelson, NebraskaJill Soloway, Afternoon DelightMichael Starrbury, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete
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.
Computer Chess (Writer/Director: Andrew Bujalski; Producers: Houston King & Alex Lipschultz)Crystal Fairy (Writer/Director: Sebastiàn Silva; Producers: Juan de Dios Larraín & Pablo Larraín)Museum Hours (Writer/Director: Jem Cohen; Producers: Paolo Calamita & Gabriele Kranzelbinder)Pit Stop (Writer/Director: Yen Tan; Writer: David Lowery; Producers: Jonathan Duffy, James M. Johnston, Eric Steele, Kelly Williams)This is Martin Bonner (Writer/Director: Chad Hartigan; Producer: Cherie Saulter)
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Cate Blanchett, Blue JasmineJulie Delpy, Before MidnightGaby Hoffmann, Crystal FairyBrie Larson, Short Term 12Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now
BEST MALE LEAD
Bruce Dern, NebraskaChiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a SlaveOscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn DavisMichael B. Jordan, Fruitvale StationMatthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers ClubRobert Redford, All Is Lost
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Melonie Diaz, Fruitvale StationSally Hawkins, Blue JasmineLupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a SlaveYolonda Ross, Go For SistersJune Squibb, Nebraska
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a SlaveWill Forte, NebraskaJames Gandolfini, Enough SaidJared Leto, Dallas Buyers ClubKeith Stanfield, Short Term 12
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sean Bobbitt, 12 Years a SlaveBenoit Debie, Spring BreakersBruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn DavisFrank G. DeMarco, All Is LostMatthias Grunsky, Computer Chess
BEST EDITING
Shane Carruth & David Lowery, Upstream ColorJem Cohen & Marc Vives, Museum HoursJennifer Lame, Frances HaCindy Lee, Una NocheNat Sanders, Short Term 12
BEST DOCUMENTARY
20 Feet From Stardom
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Morgan Neville
PRODUCERS: Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers
After Tiller
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Martha Shane & Lana Wilson
Gideon’s Army
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Dawn Porter
PRODUCER: Julie Goldman
The Act of Killing
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Joshua Oppenheimer
PRODUCERS: Joram Ten Brink, Christine Cynn, Anne Köhncke, Signe Byrge Sørensen,
Michael Uwemedimo
The Square
DIRECTOR: Jehane Noujaim
PRODUCER: Karim Amer
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
(Award given to the director)
A Touch of Sin (China; Director: Jia Zhang-Ke)Blue is the Warmest Color (France; Director: Abdellatif Kechiche)Gloria (Chile; Director: Sebastián Lelio)The Great Beauty (Italy; Director: Paolo Sorrentino)The Hunt (Denmark; Director: Thomas Vinterberg)
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Mud
Director: Jeff Nichols
Casting Director: Francine Maisler
Ensemble Cast: Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant, Reese Witherspoon
17th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
(The 17th 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.)
Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnston
Jacob Jaffke
Andrea Roa
Frederick Thornton
20th ANNUAL SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
(The 20th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.)
Aaron Douglas Johnston, My Sister’s QuinceañeraShaka King, NewlyweedsMadeline Olnek, The Foxy Merkins
19th ANNUAL STELLA ARTOIS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
(The 19th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by Stella Artois, 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.)
Kalyanee Mam, A River Changes CourseJason Osder, Let the Fire BurnStephanie Spray & Pacho Velez, Manakamana
