2015 Spirit Awards Nominees Announced

LOS ANGELES, NOV. 25, 2014—Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, announced nominations for the 2015 Spirit Awards this morning. Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at the W Hollywood, with actors Rosario Dawson and Diego Luna presenting the nominations. Nominees for Best Feature included Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Boyhood, Love is Strange, Selma and Whiplash.

“As we celebrate 30 years of great independent film,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent, “this year’s nominees are an astonishingly strong group of films and filmmakers which demonstrate the uniqueness of vision we honor at this show.”

Inherent Vice 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.

“Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice is a testament to the spirit of Altman’s tradition of artistic collaboration,” said Welsh. “The film features an exquisite ensemble of actors masterfully directed and cast.”

Film Independent also awarded a Special Distinction Award to Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher for its uniqueness of vision, honesty of direction and screenwriting, superb acting and achievement on every level of filmmaking. Due to Spirit Awards guidelines, Inherent Vice and Foxcatcher were not eligible for individual nominations.

Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 21, 2015. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. This year 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 10, 2015, at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 341 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.

Over the past 30 years the Film Independent Spirit Awards has made a name for itself as the premiere awards show for the independent film community. Artists who have received industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards include Joel and Ethan Coen, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Ashley Judd, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Edward Burns, Aaron Eckhart, Neil LaBute, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Hilary Swank, Marc Forster, Todd Field, Christopher Nolan, Zach Braff, Amy Adams, Lena Dunham and many more.

The Film Independent Spirit Awards are sponsored by Premier Sponsors Piaget, The Lincoln Motor Company, Bank of America, Heineken and IFC. T-Mobile is the Official Arrivals Show Sponsor and FIJI Water is the Official Water of the 2015 Spirit Awards. WireImage is the Official Photographer of Film Independent.

For more information on submission guidelines, voting, media and publicist credentials, and the history of the Spirit Awards, please visit spiritawards.com.

2015 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole

Boyhood Producers: Richard Linklater, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, Cathleen Sutherland

Love is Strange Producers: Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, Jay Van Hoy

Selma Producers: Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey

Whiplash Producers: Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster, Michael Litvak

BEST DIRECTOR

Damien Chazelle Whiplash

Ava DuVernay Selma

Alejandro G. Iñárritu  Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Richard Linklater Boyhood

David Zellner Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST SCREENPLAY

Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski Big Eyes

J.C. Chandor A Most Violent Year

Dan Gilroy Nightcrawler

Jim Jarmusch Only Lovers Left Alive

Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias Love is Strange

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Director: Ana Lily Amirpour Producers: Justin Begnaud, Sina Sayyah

Dear White People Director/Producer: Justin Simien Producers: Effie T. Brown, Ann Le, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe

Nightcrawler Director: Dan Gilroy Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak

Obvious Child Director: Gillian Robespierre Producer: Elisabeth Holm

She’s Lost Control Director/Producer: Anja Marquardt Producers: Mollye Asher, Kiara C. Jones

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Desiree Akhavan Appropriate Behavior

Sara Colangelo Little Accidents

Justin Lader The One I Love

Anja Marquardt She’s Lost Control

Justin Simien Dear White People

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.

Blue Ruin Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier Producers:  Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani

It Felt Like Love Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman Producers: Shrihari Sathe, Laura Wagner

Land Ho! Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy

Man From Reno Writer/Director: Dave Boyle Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman Producer: Ko Mori

Test Writer/Director/Producer: Chris Mason Johnson Producer: Chris Martin

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Marion Cotillard The Immigrant

Rinko Kikuchi Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

Julianne Moore Still Alice

Jenny Slate Obvious Child

Tilda Swinton Only Lovers Left Alive                    

BEST MALE LEAD

André Benjamin Jimi: All Is By My Side

Jake Gyllenhaal Nightcrawler

Michael Keaton Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

John Lithgow Love is Strange

David Oyelowo Selma

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Patricia Arquette Boyhood

Jessica Chastain A Most Violent Year

Carmen Ejogo Selma

Andrea Suarez Paz Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

Emma Stone Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Riz Ahmed Nightcrawler

Ethan Hawke Boyhood

Alfred Molina Love is Strange

Edward Norton Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

J.K. Simmons Whiplash

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Darius Khondji The Immigrant

Emmanuel Lubezki  Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Sean Porter It Felt Like Love

Lyle Vincent A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Bradford Young Selma

BEST EDITING                  

Sandra Adair  Boyhood

Tom Cross Whiplash

John Gilroy  Nightcrawler

Ron Patane  A Most Violent Year

Adam Wingard  The Guest

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)

20,000 Days on Earth Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard Producers: Dan Bowen, James Wilson

CITIZENFOUR Director/Producer: Laura Poitras  Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky

Stray Dog Director: Debra Granik Producer: Anne Rosellini

The Salt of the Earth Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders  Producer: David Rosier

Virunga Director/Producer: Orlando von Einsiedel Producer: Joanna Natasegara

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)

Force Majeure (Sweden) Director: Ruben Östlund

Ida (Poland) Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

Leviathan (Russia) Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev

Mommy (Canada) Director: Xavier Dolan

Norte, the End of History (Philippines) Director: Lav Diaz

Under the Skin (United Kingdom) Director: Jonathan Glazer

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)

Inherent Vice Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon

SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD

Foxcatcher Director/Producer: Bennett Miller Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik  Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman  Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum

18^th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 18^th 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.

Chad Burris Elisabeth Holm Chris Ohlson

21^st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 21^st 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.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

H. Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia

The Retrieval Director: Chris Eska

20^th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 20^th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters 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 funded by LensCrafters.

Approaching the Elephant Director: Amanda Rose Wilder

Evolution of a Criminal Director: Darius Clark Monroe

The Kill Team Director: Dan Krauss

The Last Season  Director: Sara Dosa

BY DISTRIBUTOR

ABOUT THE FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS Now in its 30th year, the Film Independent Spirit Awards is an annual celebration that honors artist-driven films made with an economy of means by filmmakers whose films embody independence and originality. The Spirit Awards recognizes the achievements of American and international independent filmmakers and promotes the finest independent films of the year to a wider audience. The winners of the Spirit Awards are voted upon by Film Independent and IFP Members. Awards are given in the following categories: Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, Best Director, Best Screenplay, John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for a budget under $500,000), Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Male, Best Supporting Female, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, the Robert Altman Award, Best International Film and Best Documentary. The Filmmaker Grants include the Piaget Producers Award, the Kiehl’s Someone to Watch Award and the LensCrafters Truer Than Fiction Award. The Film Independent Spirit Awards are sponsored by Premier Sponsors Piaget, The Lincoln Motor Company, Bank of America, Heineken and IFC. T-Mobile is the Official Arrivals Show Sponsor and FIJI Water is the Official Water of the 2015 Spirit Awards. WireImage is the Official Photographer of Film Independent.

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