Independent Spirit Awards

FEATURE: Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
FIRST FEATURE: Crazy Heart
JOHN CASSAVETTES AWARD (film with a budget of $500,000 or less): Humpday
DIRECTOR: Lee Danels, Precious
ACTOR: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
ACTRESS: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique, Precious
SCREENPLAY: (500) Days of Summer- Scott Neustradter & Michael H. Weber
FIRST SCREENPLAY: Precious- Geoffrey Fletcher
DOCUMENTARY: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
FOREIGN FILM: An Education
CINEMATOGRAPHY: A Serious Man- Roger Deakins
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Easier With Practice (director)
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (given to ensemble and casting director): A Serious Man

Independent Spirit Award Nominations

BEST FEATURE
500 Days of Summer
Amreeka
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Sin Nombre
The Last Station

BEST FIRST FEATURE
A Single Man
Crazy Heart
Easier with Patience
The Messenger
Paranormal Activity

JOHN CASSAVETTES AWARD (best film under $500,000)
Big Fan
Humpday
The New Year Parade
Treeless Mountain
Zero Bridge

BEST DIRECTOR
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, A Serious Man
Lee Daniels, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Cary Fukanaga, Sin Nombre
James Grey, Two Lovers
Michael Hoffman, The Last Station

BEST MALE LEAD
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 500 Days of Summer
Souleymane Sy Savane, Goodbye Solo
Adam Scott, The Vicious Kind

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Maria Bello, Downloading Nancy
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Gwyneth Paltrow, Two Lovers
Gaborey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Nisreen Faour, Amreeka

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Jermaine Clement, Gentleman Broncos
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Cristian McKay, Me & Orson Welles
Ramon McKinnon, That Evening Sun
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Samantha Morton, The Messenger
Nathalie Press, Fifty Dead Men Walking
Mia Wasikowska, That Evening Sun
Dina Korzun, Cold Souls

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Amreeka
A Single Man
Cold Souls
Crazy Heart
Precious: Based on Novel "Push" by Sapphire

BEST SCREENPLAY
500 Days of Summer
Adventureland
The Last Station
The Messenger
The Vicious Kind

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Cold Souls
A Serious Man
Sin Nombre
Treeless Mountain

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Anvil!: The Story of Anvil!
Food, Inc.
More Than a Game
October Country
Which Way Home

BEST FOREIGN FILM
An Education
Everlasting Moments
The Maid
Mother
A Prophet

It always trips me out when films in English are considered foreign (An Education), maybe the Indie Spirits weren't big on the film, salivating like everyone else...fine with me.

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (given to director, ensemble and casting director)
A Serious Man

Those of out there with a WTF? mindset about the omission of The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow's bracing film which was the big winner at the Gothams, and mightily bestowed upon at the Golden Satellites, shall not fear, the film was actually submitted for last year's Indie Spirit Awards, and got nominated for a few-- it's safe and sound and a probable Oscar contender...

Independent Spirit Awards

FEATURE: The Wrestler
DIRECTOR: Tom McCarthy, The Visitor
ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
ACTRESS: Melissa Leo, Frozen River
SUPPORTING ACTOR: James Franco, Milk (yay!)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
SCREENPLAY: Vicky Cristina Barcelona- Woody Allen
FIRST SCREENPLAY: Milk- Dustin Lance Black
JOHN CASSAVETTES AWARD: In Search of a Midnight Kiss
FOREIGN FILM: The Class
DOCUMENTARY: Man on Wire
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Wrestler- Marysi Alberti
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Ensemble): Synecdoche, New York

Independent Spirit Awards

BEST FEATURE
Juno

BEST DIRECTOR
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell & the Butterfly

BEST ACTOR
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages

BEST ACTRESS
Ellen Page, Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Talk to Me

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There

BEST FIRST FEATURE
The Lookout

JOHN CASSAVETTES AWARD (film under $500,000)
August Evening

BEST SCREENPLAY
The Savages- Tamara Jenkins

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Juno- Diablo Cody

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Once

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Crazy Love

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Diving Bell & the Butterfly- Jamusz Kaminski

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
The director, casting director and ensemble of I'm Not There

Obviously Juno won the award-- the usual drill with the Indie Spirits is that the one lone pic nominated for the Oscar does win, therefore dooming it the next day. I have problems with this, especially since it doesn't really seem to embody independence anyway.

At a glance:

2007: Little Miss Sunshine (The Departed won Oscar)
2006: Brokeback Mountain (Crash! won Oscar)
2005: Sideways (Million Dollar Baby won Oscar)
2004: Lost in Translation (The Lord of the Rings won Oscar)