Nominees for Best Feature include ‘Anomalisa,’ ‘Beasts of No Nation,’ ‘Carol,’ ‘Spotlight’ and ‘Tangerine.’
LOS ANGELES -- Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the LA Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, have announced nominations for the 2016 Spirit Awards. Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held Tuesday morning at W Hollywood, with actors John Boyega and Elizabeth Olsen presenting the nominations. Nominees for Best Feature included Anomalisa, Beasts of No Nation, Carol, Spotlight and Tangerine.
“This year’s nominees are a testament to the strength, vitality and diversity of independent, artist-driven filmmaking,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “It’s an astonishingly strong group of films and performances this year and we look forward to celebrating them all at the Spirit Awards.”
Spotlight 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.
“Spotlight is a remarkable film that excels on every level, but the Nominating Committee thought it was especially deserving of the Robert Altman Award,” said Welsh. “The film is beautifully cast with every member of the ensemble working together to tell the story of the Boston Globe investigating allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church.”
Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 27, 2016. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, in a new location this year just north of the Santa Monica Pier. 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 9, 2016, at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.
The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 362 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.
In addition to celebrating the broad spectrum of independent filmmaking, the Spirit Awards is also the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, which cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and promote diversity in the industry. To learn more about table sales, attendance and donations please contact [email protected] (link sends e-mail) or 310.432.1253.
For more information on submission guidelines, voting, media and publicist credentials, and the history of the Spirit Awards, please visit spiritawards.com.
2016 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
- Anomalisa
Producers: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman, Dino Stamatopoulos, Rosa Tran - Beasts of No Nation
Producers: Daniel Crown, Idris Elba, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Amy Kaufman, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker - Carol
Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley - Spotlight
Producers: Blye Pagon Faust, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Michael Sugar - Tangerine
Producers: Sean Baker, Karrie Cox, Marcus Cox, Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou
BEST FIRST FEATURE - Award given to the director and producer.
- The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Director: Marielle Heller
Producers: Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, Madeline Samit - James White
Director: Josh Mond
Producers: Max Born, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Melody Roscher, Eric Schultz - Manos Sucias
Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka
Producers: Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes - Mediterranea
Director: Jonas Carpignano
Producers: Jason Michael Berman, Chris Columbus, Jon Coplon, Christoph Daniel, Andrew Kortschak, John Lesher, Ryan Lough, Justin Nappi, Alain Peyrollaz, Gwyn Sannia, Marc Schmidheiny, Victor Shapiro, Ryan Zacarias - Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Director/Producer: Chloé Zhao
Producers: Mollye Asher, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Angela C. Lee, Forest Whitaker
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.
- Advantageous
Writer/Director/Producer: Jennifer Phang
Writer/Producer: Jacqueline Kim
Producers: Robert Chang, Ken Jeong, Moon Molson, Theresa Navarro - Christmas, Again
Writer/Director/Producer: Charles Poekel - Heaven Knows What
Directors: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie
Writers: Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
Producers: Oscar Boyson, Sebastian Bear McClard - Krisha
Writer/Director/Producer: Trey Edward Shults
Producers: Justin R. Chan, Chase Joliet, Wilson Smith - Out of My Hand
Writer/Director: Takeshi Fukunaga
Writer/Producer: Donari Braxton
Producer: Mike Fox
BEST DIRECTOR
- Sean Baker
Tangerine - Cary Joji Fukunaga
Beasts of No Nation - Todd Haynes
Carol - Duke Johnson & Charlie Kaufman
Anomalisa - Tom McCarthy
Spotlight - David Robert Mitchell
It Follows
BEST SCREENPLAY
- Charlie Kaufman
Anomalisa - Donald Margulies
The End of the Tour - Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer
Spotlight - Phyllis Nagy
Carol - S. Craig Zahler
Bone Tomahawk
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
- Jesse Andrews
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Jonas Carpignano
Mediterranea - Emma Donoghue
Room - Marielle Heller
The Diary of a Teenage Girl - John Magary, Story by Russell Harbaugh and Myna Joseph
The Mend
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Cary Joji Fukunaga
Beasts of No Nation - Michael Gioulakis
It Follows - Ed Lachman
Carol - Reed Morano
Meadowland - Joshua James Richards
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
BEST EDITING
- Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie
Heaven Knows What - Tom McArdle
Spotlight - Nathan Nugent
Room - Julio C. Perez IV
It Follows - Kristan Sprague
Manos Sucias
BEST FEMALE LEAD
- Cate Blanchett
Carol - Brie Larson
Room - Rooney Mara
Carol - Bel Powley
The Diary of a Teenage Girl - Kitana Kiki Rodriguez
Tangerine
BEST MALE LEAD
- Christopher Abbott
James White - Abraham Attah
Beasts of No Nation - Ben Mendelsohn
Mississippi Grind - Jason Segel
The End of the Tour - Koudous Seihon
Mediterranea
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
- Robin Bartlett
H. - Marin Ireland
Glass Chin - Jennifer Jason Leigh
Anomalisa - Cynthia Nixon
James White - Mya Taylor
Tangerine
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
- Kevin Corrigan
Results - Paul Dano
Love & Mercy - Idris Elba
Beasts of No Nation - Richard Jenkins
Bone Tomahawk - Michael Shannon
99 Homes
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.
- Spotlight
Director: Tom McCarthy
Casting Directors: Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee
Ensemble Cast: Billy Crudup, Paul Guilfoyle, Neal Huff, Brian d’Arcy James, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Jamey Sheridan, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci
BEST DOCUMENTARY - Award given to the director and producer.
- (T)ERROR
Directors/Producers: Lyric R. Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe
Producer: Christopher St. John - Best of Enemies
Directors/Producers: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville - Heart of a Dog
Director/Producer: Laurie Anderson
Producer: Dan Janvey - The Look of Silence
Director:Joshua Oppenheimer
Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen - Meru
Directors/Producers: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Producer: Shannon Ethridge - The Russian Woodpecker
Director/Producer: Chad Gracia
Producers: Ram Devineni, Mike Lerner
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM - Award given to the director.
- Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia)
Director: Ciro Guerra - Girlhood (France)
Director: Céline Sciamma - Mustang (France, Turkey)
Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven - A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden)
Director: Roy Andersson - Son of Saul (Hungary)
Director: László Nemes
19th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 19th 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.
- Darren Dean
- Mel Eslyn
- Rebecca Green and Laura D. Smith
22nd ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 22nd 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.
- God Bless the Child
Directors: Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck - King Jack
Director: Felix Thompson - Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Director: Chloé Zhao
21st TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 21st annual Truer Than Fiction Award 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.
- Among the Believers
Directors: Mohammed Ali Naqvi and Hemal Trivedi - Incorruptible
Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi - A Woman Like Me
Directors: Elizabeth Giamatti and Alex Sichel
Source: Film Independent Spirit Awards
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
