31st FiLM iNDEPENDENT SPiRiT AWARDS NOMiNATiONS ANNOUNCED

PressRelease_SA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Alia Quart Khan, Film Independent
Tel: 310.432.1287 or aqkhan@filmindependent.org

Gina Pence, Ginsberg/Libby
Tel: 323.645.6800 or gina.pence@ginsberglibby.com

 

31st FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED 

$75,000 IN GRANTS TO BE AWARDED TO FILMMAKERS

SPIRIT AWARDS TO BE BROADCAST LIVE EXCLUSIVELY ON IFC,
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016 2:00 pm PT / 5:00 pm ET

LOS ANGELES (November 24, 2015) – Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the LA Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, announced nominations for the 2016 Spirit Awards this morning. Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held 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 jmurby@filmindependent.org 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.

To download the new Film Independent Spirit Awards logo and laurels, click here.

 

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: Michael Cyril Creighton, 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

2016_bydistributor_1b
 

2016_bydistributor_2b
 

2016_bydistributor_3b
 

2016_allnomstable_1
 

2016_allnomstable_2
 

2016_allnomstable_3

ABOUT THE FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

Now in its 31st year, the Film Independent Spirit Awards is an annual celebration honoring 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 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, Best International Film, Best Documentary and the Robert Altman Award. The Filmmaker Grants include the Piaget Producers Award, the Kiehl’s Someone to Watch Award and the Truer Than Fiction Award. The Film Independent Spirit Awards are sponsored by Premier Sponsors Piaget, Bank of America, Heineken, American Airlines, Jaguar and IFC. FIJI Water is the Official Water of the 2016 Spirit Awards. WireImage is the Official Photographer of Film Independent.

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

Film Independent is a nonprofit arts organization that champions independent film and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects, and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff and constituents is comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a Member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry professional or a film lover.

In addition to producing the Spirit Awards, Film Independent produces the Los Angeles Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA Film Series, a year-round, weekly program that offers unique cinematic experiences for the Los Angeles creative community and the general public.

With over 250 annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry. Film Independent’s Artist Development program offers free Labs for selected writers, directors, producers and documentary filmmakers and presents year-round networking opportunities. Project Involve is Film Independent’s signature program dedicated to fostering the careers of talented filmmakers from communities traditionally underrepresented in the film industry.

ABOUT IFC

IFC is the home of offbeat, unexpected comedies.  Series like Portlandia, Documentary Now!, Maron and Comedy Bang! Bang! air alongside fan-favorite movies and comedic cult TV shows.  IFC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc., and available across multiple platforms.  IFC is Always On Slightly Off.

Want to vote?

Film Independent Members vote to determine the winners at the Spirit Awards. Members can attend free Nominee Screening Series in Los Angeles and New York and receive DVD screeners of select nominees by mail. Members must be current by December 4, 2015 to receive full voting benefits.

Join today at filmindependent.org/membership.

Media Credential Applications: spiritawards.com/press.

###