2016 Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced

By @DJansick
2016 Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced

Moments ago, actors John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) announced the official list (which leaked on their site earlier for the second year in a row) of nominees for the 2016 Independent Spirit Awards. Todd HaynesCarol hauled in the most nominations with a total of six, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and two Best Female Lead nominations. Close behind were Beasts of No Nation (which debuted on Netflix) and Tom McCarthy‘s Spotlight each with five nods in major categories.

The most surprising snubs this year were Rick Famuyiwa‘s Sundance hit Dope, Grandma which got rave reviews due to Lily Tomlin’s performance, and Noah Baumbach’s Mistress America, all which failed to earn a single nomination. Distributor Fox Searchlight had to feel the most disappointed, seeing just one nomination for their recording-breaking Sundance pickup Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and even more shocking, coming up empty-handed for Brooklyn, Mistress America, and Youth.

On the flip side, we were happy to see Sean Baker’s Tangerine so well represented, grabbing four nominations including one for Best Feature. Other pleasant inclusions in this year’s list were the indie horror film It Follows, the foreign coming-of-age drama Mustang, and Benny and Joshua Safdie’s Heaven Knows What.

As with last year’s show, the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards will be broadcast live exclusively on February 27, 2016 on IFC at 2:00 pm PT / 5:00 pm ET.

Coming Soon: Our 2016 Spirit Award predictions.

2016 Independent Spirit Award Nominations:

Best Feature:

Anomalisa
Beasts of No Nation
Carol
Spotlight
Tangerine

Best Director:

Sean BakerTangerine
Cary Joji FukunagaBeasts of No Nation
Todd HaynesCarol
Charlie Kaufman & Duke JohnsonAnomalisa
Tom McCarthySpotlight
David Robert MitchellIt Follows

Best Screenplay:

Charlie KaufmanAnomalisa
Donald MarguliesThe End of the Tour
Phyllis NagyCarol
Tom McCarthy & Josh SingerSpotlight
S. Craig ZahlerBone Tomahawk

Best Male Lead:

Christopher AbbottJames White
Abraham AttahBeasts of No Nation
Ben MendelsohnMississippi Grind
Jason SegelThe End of the Tour
Koudous SeihonMediterranea

Best Female Lead:

Cate BlanchettCarol
Brie LarsonRoom
Rooney MaraCarol
Bel PowleyThe Diary of a Teenage Girl
Kitana Kiki RodriguezTangerine

Best Supporting Male:

Kevin CorriganResults
Paul DanoLove & Mercy
Idris ElbaBeasts of No Nation
Richard JenkinsBone Tomahawk
Michael Shannon99 Homes

Best Supporting Female:

Robin BartlettH.
Marin IrelandGlass Chin
Jennifer Jason LeighAnomalisa
Cynthia NixonJames White
Mya TaylorTangerine

Best First Feature:

The Diary of a Teenage Girl
James White
Manos Sucias
Mediterranea
Songs My Brothers Taught Me

Best First Screenplay:

Jesse AndrewsMe and Earl and the Dying Girl
Jonas CarpignanoMediterranea
Emma DonoghueRoom
Marielle HellerThe Diary of a Teenage Girl
John Magary, Russell Harbaugh, Myna JosephThe Mend

Best Cinematography:

Cary Joji FukunagaBeasts of No Nation
Ed LachmanCarol
Joshua James RichardsSongs My Brothers Taught Me
Michael GioulakisIt Follows
Reed MoranoMeadowland

Best International Film: (Award given to the director)

Embrace of the Serpent
Girlhood
Mustang
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Son of Saul

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

John Cassavetes Award: (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)

Advantageous – Jacqueline Kim and Jennifer Phang
Christmas, Again – Charles Poekel
Heaven Knows What – Ronald Bronstein, Arielle Holmes, and Joshua Safdie
Krisha – Trey Edward Shults
Out of My Hand – Takeshi Fukunaga and Donari Braxton

Robert Altman Award: (Best Ensemble)

Spotlight

Truer Than Fiction:

Mohammed Ali & Hemal TrivediAmong The Believers
Elizabeth Chai VasarhelyiIncorruptible
Elizabeth Giamatti & Alex SichelA Woman Like Me

Producers Award:

Darren Dean
Mel Eslyn
Rebecca Green & Laura D. Smith

Someone to Watch Award:

Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-BeckGod Bless The Child
Felix ThompsonKing Jack
Chloe ZhoaSongs My Brothers Taught Me

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