2009 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominees (thanks to IndieWire):
BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer)
- (500) Days of Summer
- Amreeka
- Precious
- Sin Nombre
- The Last Station
BEST DIRECTOR
- Joel & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
- Lee Daniels, Precious
- Cary Fukanaga, Sin Nombre
- James Grey, Two Lovers
- Michael Hoffman, The Last Station
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
- A Single Man
- Crazy Heart
- Easier With Practice
- The Messenger
- Paranormal Activity
BEST FEMALE LEAD
- Maria Bello, Downloading Nancy
- Helen Mirren, The Last Station
- Gwyneth Paltrow, Two Lovers
- Gabby Sidibe, Precious
- Nisreen Faour, Amreeka
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 SUPPORTING FEMALE
- Mo’Nique, Precious
- Samantha Morton, The Messenger
- Natahlie Press, Fifty Dead Men Walking
- Mia Wasikowska, That Evening Sun
- Dina Korzun, Cold Souls
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
- Jemaine Clement, Gentlemen Broncos
- Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
- Cristian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
- Ramon McKinnon, That Evening Sun
- Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)
- A Prophet
- An Education
- Everlasting Moments
- Mother
- The Maid
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
- A Serious Man
(Best Screenplay, Cinematography, Documentary and more, after the cut)
BEST SCREENPLAY
- Cold Souls
- Crazy Heart
- Adventureland
- Precious
- A Single Man
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
- Cold Souls
- Crazy Heart
- Amreeka
- Precious
- A Single Man
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- A Serious Man
- Sin Nombre
- Treeless Mountain
- Cold Souls
- Bad Lieutenant
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director)
- Anvil!
- Food Inc
- More Than a Game
- October Country
- Which Way Home
PRODUCERS AWARD
- Karen Chien
- Larry Fessenden
- Dia Sokol
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
—to be announced—
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
- Natalia Almada
- Bill Ross and Turner Ross
- Jessica Oreck
110 Responses for "Independent Spirit Award Nominees"
The only surprise I could see would be a Precious snub ala Milk last year but I doubt it.
Precious snub.
Um… I never usually know what’s going on for the IFP awards announcements but today I really don’t. What just happened?
I sense this is where Crazy Heart begins to be the Dark Horse player in the awards season.
Wow Moon got completely sut out.
Precious wasn’t snubbed!
Maria Bello “Downloading Nancy”
Helen Mirren “The Last Station”
Gwyneth Paltrow “Two Lovers”
Gabourey Sidibe “Precious”
I know I heard Jeff Bridges and then two other dudes I don’t know.
Mia Wasikowska, That Evening Sun
Amreeka is the big surprise.
http://www.indiewire.com/article/2009/12/01/spirit_awards_the_nominees
An Education? Did I miss something?
Screenplay and First Screenplay are the exact same list. I don’t think that’s right.
An Education is a British film.
Oh please, we’re all British deep down.
who are we missing for best supporting actress?
nevermind. got it
So if James McAvoy can’t even get in here, then what’s his hopes for an Oscar nom? Sigh. Another year, another McAvoy snub. Damn shame.
No A Serious Man for Screenplay is bullshit. I’m sorry. That’s just unacceptable and wrong on every level.
A Serious Man got screwed.
Just give the awards for actress to Gabby Sidibe and Monique right now.
I’m surprised by the Maggie Gyllenhaal snub. Also, did they say Emily Morton or was that just a typo before? Because hilarious if they did.
best screenplay = best first screenplay LOL
Though as disappointed as I am about the McAvoy snub, can’t really kick anyone out of the Best Actor list. I’m especially tickled that Souleymane Sy Savane made it in. Good for him!
BTW who’s Adam Scott? Or what film was he in?
Am I the only one who thinks ‘A Serious Man’ is the best (along with ‘In The Loop’) of the year? Whoa! What happened? Glad it got the Robert Altman Award though and a nom for directing. I thought Michael Stuhlbarg’s performance as Larry was absolutely one of the best performances of the year… does anyone else agree?
Haha. I think it’s hilarious that 500 Days of Summer was nominated in the Best Feature category, but not in the Best First Feature, and not in the Screenplay category – the only category where it’s a viable contender for a nomination in the Oscars. Oh the Independent Spirits.
BEST SCREENPLAY
The Messenger
The Last Station
500 Days of Summer
The Vicious Kind
Adventureland (yes!)
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Cold Souls
Crazy Heart
Amreeka
Precious
A Single Man
Is Adam Scott nominated for Passenger Side, not yet released in the US?
Snubs a plenty for A Serious Man.
Oh, I see Adam Scott is nominated for The Vicious Kind which I’ve never heard of.
Ben Foster should have been nominated, shameful.
I’m also pleased to see that A SINGLE Man got some love.
But, my number one film on my list this winter is, Up In The Air… looks phenomenal.
Am I the only one that loved Amy Adams in Sunshine Cleaning? the movie was so-so but she was brilliant and should have been nominated.
Great to see the nom for Christian McKay. If enough Academy members see him in the picture he wins the Oscar over Christoph Waltz.
The Cove snubbed on Doc… seriously, that film deserves the publicity.
Gwyneth Paltrow in Two Lovers = Brilliant. Glad someone finally recognized it.
So your multiple nominees (unless the list is not done updating yet):
The Last Station 5
Precious 5
The Messenger 4
(500) Days of Summer 3
Amreeka 3
Crazy Heart 3
Cold Souls 3
A Single Man 3
Sin Nombre 3
A Serious Man 2
That Evening Sun 2
Two Lovers 2
The Vicious Kind 2
Some boosting for Harrelson/McKay/Plummer/Morton. Yay for Levitt overcoming a horrendous script. Are “foreign” films not eligible for other categories, or did they ignore Mulligan?
Is The Cove indie? Is The White Ribbon? Bright Star? Lol at all the best screenplays being best first screenplays.
Only Precious got Pic/Dir/Screenplay. At least A Single Man got first feature & screenplay noms, I suppose, though now both the Spirits and the Golden Satellites have ignored Julianne Moore.
Interesting, no Serious Man for Feature. Hmm, none of their nominees got a BP Oscar nom last year anyway, though Wrestler likely would have gotten in with 10.
“Only Precious got Pic/Dir/Screenplay.”
The Last Station did as well. Daveylow showed us the updated BEST SCREENPLAY category:
BEST SCREENPLAY
The Messenger
The Last Station
500 Days of Summer
The Vicious Kind
Adventureland
Where’s Julianne Moore’s nomination? I thought she was close to an Oscar lock?
Oh, it looks like a movie can ONLY be nominated for Best “” OR Best First “”. Based on past nominees. Maybe comments above note this. Well, I feel better about A Single Man now. Aside from Moore mostly…
Still, the Spirits don’t seem to mean too much; agreement last year: actress 20%, Director & Film 0%, Supporting Actor & Actress 0%. Even the films that did get noms that did/will do well with the Oscars they didn’t like all that much: Milk & Hurt Locker especially.
Well, J, they don’t agree because they aren’t evaluating the same population of films…
Where’s Julianne Moore’s nomination? I thought she was close to an Oscar lock?
and where’s Maggie Gyllienhaal?
“Well, J, they don’t agree because they aren’t evaluating the same population of films…”
Yes, but there are overlaps and obvious instances of the Indie Spirits ignoring things that got nominated for Oscars later, even though the films got nommed for other categories at the Spirits. Like Milk, for Pic, Director, or Josh Brolin. Or The Hurt Locker (probably) for Pic or Director. Or Laura Linney for The Savages…
The name of the awards is not IFP Spirit Awards. As The matter of fact IFP doesn’t have to do anything with it. The correct name is “Film Independent’s Spirit Awards” Please correct. thanx.
I am sssooo glad to see Sin Nombre getting some love!
And where’s Hal Holbrook and Ben Foster? Zooey?
omg gwyneth! yes!
i seriously thought two lovers was vastly under rated and i’m so so so so glad it got some attention!
500 days of summer!
i’m also very excited that my boyfriend tom ford got a screenplay and first feature nod…
although i’m a little sad that julianne moore and zooey deschanel weren’t in the mix.
p.s. i think i’m definitely the only one here who didn’t love a serious man. i liked it a lot but i doubt it will make my top 10 of the year…(although i wouldn’t mind michael stuhlbarg getting a nod…)
where’s Joaquin?
where’s Elmo? and Matt Lauer?
where’s Zac?
OOh yes! I love the A Single Man love!
Yeah for Last Station but where is:
Julianne Moore
The White Ribbon?
District 9?
Nomination Tallies:
5
The Last Station
Precious
4
The Messenger
3
(500) Days Of Summer
Amreeka
Cold Souls
Crazy Heart
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Sin Nombre
2
That Evening Sun
Treeless Mountain
Two Lovers
The Vicious Kind
Eh, they’re ok nominations.
YES! Maria Bello got nominated for her outstanding performance in the hard-to-watch “Downloading Nancy”! I hope she wins!
I wish “Moon” had received some nods (especially Sam Rockwell), as well as ones for Tilda Swinton (“Julia”), Kerry Washington (“Life is Hot in Cracktown”), and Keke Palmer (“Shrink”).
And for the person who was asking who Adam Scott was, he’s in the Showtime series “Party Down” but he’s probably best known for being the controlling/singing younger brother to Will Ferrell in “Step Brothers”.
“Where’s Julianne Moore’s nomination? I thought she was close to an Oscar lock?”
Uh, no. Screaming fans on the web who desperately want Moore to win an Oscar does not equate to a “lock.” It’s supposed to be a very very brief performance, so I think there’s even a good shot she’ll be passed over.
Haven’t seen the script or the movie yet, but in the novel Julianne Moore’s character only shows up for one extended set piece. There’s a phone call earlier. The role is a great showcase, but it’s not lengthy.
SO happy for Maria Bello! She was STELLAR. I would love to see her win, definately a tough role. Although I love Gabourey too.
Supporting actress is Mo’Nique in a landslide, she is unreal.
Actor will probably be Bridges, but I was glad to see Joseph Gordon Leavitt, he is so charming.
Supporting actor, I’d love to see them give it to Woody.
Happy for (500) Days of Summer and Sin Nombre. 2 very deserving movies.
#17 “So if James McAvoy can’t even get in here, then what’s his hopes for an Oscar nom? Sigh. Another year, another McAvoy snub. Damn shame.”
He`ll get in for The Hobbit. :deal:
Kudos to Cold Soul, so happy it got some love. Natahlie Press was one of my longshots this year.
And I agree with an earlier writer about Amy Adams in Sunshine Cleaners, I thought she glowed.
you know how awards like surprises…and snubs. lets just hope Precious doesn’t fall into the latter
I’m also really happy to see Woody Harrelson, Colin Firth and Jeff Bridges honored
This could be the starting race for
THE LAST STATION
a top ten spot in NBR
a top ten spot in OSCARS
also
BEST ACTRESS/HELEN MIRREN
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY/MICHAEL HOFFMAN
BEST COSTUME DESIGN/MONIKA JACOBS
Umm Gwenyth and not Carey Mulligan? Wow.
Does anyone else thing Gwenyth is as terrible as I do?
Can’t believe they snubbed Hal Holbrook and Julianne Moore. How can they overlook? The woman who opened the press conf. did rather proudly say in her opening remarks they like to “nurture” and discover talent so I guess nominating Holbrook and Moore wouldn’t be much of a discovery . . . altho it is a shame not to acknowledge such brilliant work.
Well, In the Loop was fucking robbed. Officially no chance of an Oscar nomination now. But hey, congrats to A Serious Man, which is wonderful.
Mia Wasikowska and Ray McKinnon were justifiably nominated for That Evening Sun . . . but the Spirit Awards were smart to “discover” them now. Wasikowska is Tim Burton’s new Alice in Alice in Wonderland and Ray is in The Blind Side – #1/#2 movie in America right now.
WTF Prize going to Maria Bello “Downloading Nancy”
gotta say seriously happy with all the SIN NOMBRE love. It still remains one of my top films of the year…
No Joaquin Phoenix but Gwyneth Paltrow gets in? BOOOOOOOOOOO
A snub for the great Hal Holbrook and love for the supporting actors in the same film…sounds strange…
¡Cold Souls!…now, that´s stranger…
Adam Scott – a handy golfer, goes out with Ana Ivanovic.
Wow, Paranormal Activity actually got in for Best First Feature. Imagine we see it on the NBR top ten this Thursday. CRAZY!
#54 – NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! So tired of people pointing to McAvoy as Bilbo. If you’ve read the book, you should agree he’s wrong in every respect. (Not meaning to sound like a jerk, just don’t understand – why him??)
Otherwise, I’m pretty happy with the list – am really looking forward to The Last Station, so glad to see it get some recognition. Unfortunately, here in Denmark they choose to release a film 6 months after its US premiere, so I have seen NONE of the films listed. :S
By the way – I’me new here. Love films, love awards, love the Oscars, and have been an active reader here for a year. Finally summoned the courage to start posting myself – your Hobbit comment did the trick, bambi. Thanks!
Looking forward to participating in some of the great discussions here.
Cheers!
Check back tomorrow or Thursday, Dmitri. I was just about to spin up the screener to watch Demark’s Frytgtelig Lykkelig (Terribly Happy), which one of our contributors tells us reminds him of Blood Simple.
Did anyone notice that the Spirit Awards are on Friday this year? What gives? It’s always the night before the Oscar’s.
@Ryan or @Sasha any (known) reason for this dramatic change?
Ryan: Julianne’s part in A Single Man sounds the same as in the book, Ryan. One phone call and one extended set piece (well, one pivotal and long scene, to be fair). She’s quite the character so I could see her getting a nom, but don’t bet the house on it. I’m disappointed the film missed on best feature and cinematography here, but 3 noms ain’t so bad.
Jason: You weren’t the only one that didn’t love A Serious Man. I saw it last night and was distinctly underwhelmed. I still think Stuhlbarg was robbed however- next to Colin Firth his is my favourite male lead performance of the year so far.
As it is the novella, DBibby. I wasn’t writing too clearly this morning. I said “set piece” — but what I really meant was that her scenes with Colin Firth take place on one single set — in her hillside living room, dining room, and kitchen. In the book it’s more of a casual beach haven in the hills above the coast, but the shots in the trailer have it furnished in more elegantly California Moderne high style. Which is just fine by me.
Welcome, Dmitri, it took me awhile in the beginning to start posting, but I chime in when I feel the need.
I’ve been coming to this site sinece the beginning, and I think it’s the best Oscar site out there, thanks to Sasha and company.
NycOscarBuff84, you know the venue is changing from the tent in Santa Monica to a rooftop in downtown LA, above the Nokia Theater/LA Live complex.
My best guess is that the evening event will feel a little more formal, and the cityscape will look prettier and glitterier at night. Also, the move to Friday gives Mo’Nique an extra day to sober up between awards.
Go Gabourey! Also surprised Zooey Deschanel wasn’t nominated.
Probably in the minority here, but I’m glad A Serious Man was left out of Best Feature. I was pretty underwhelmed with that movie, don’t see what the big hype is.
Go Helen Mirren! She’s the best actress ever. It would be totally awsome if she won, but it’s already known that Gabby “fatass” Sidibe is going to win this shit…
For those of you who are worried, “Moon” was not nominated because it is a British film and therefore not eligible. The same thing goes for “An Education”.
You (or whoever) got it mixed up
Nathalie Press is in Fifty Dead Men Walking, not Cold Souls, likewise Dina Korzun IS in Cold Souls and not in Fifty Dead Men Walking
Also it’s Jemaine Clement, no S.
Interesting list, not the best in years, certainly from the rather good pool of films this year, but I like the spreading around in the technical categories, getting Bad Lieutenant in there.
I meant I’m surprised Deschanel was nominated.
Thanks Cahiers.
Next the investigation into who screwed up.
“Moon” was not nominated because it is a British film and therefore not eligible. The same thing goes for “An Education”.
Thanks Nicholas. I wondered if anyone had answered that yet. Same goes for In the Loop then.
As for The Last Station…? American production somehow?
The Last Station, which must have been screened VERY late in the process, tied the very hyped Precious for most overall nominations. That is impressive for a film that really hasnt been talked about too much outside of Mirren and Plummer.
Ryan, I just meant whoever because I thought maybe you’d copied the press release or indiewire’s list or what not. It’s a lot to type.
No HURT LOCKER? Lame. But glad to see PRECIOUS, as expected, make the cut.
Also glad TWO LOVERS scored nods for Gwyneth and James, but no Joaquin? And the cinematography was great, too.
It’s downright offensive that Adventureland only got a Screenplay nod and Moon got completely shut out. The ISA’s continue down their road of getting worse as they become more popular. These two statements are hardly related, fyi.
The Best Screenplay nominees are The Messenger; The Last Station; The Vicious Kind; Adventureland; and (500) Days of Summer.
@Free: Renner & Mackie from “The Hurt Locker” were nominated earlier this year (I don’t remember if the film was)- why, I don’t know, since the film wasn’t released yet.
@Paul: Since Gabby’s a “fatass,” you should be referred to from now on as a “jackass! “
I’m very pleased to see some love for Sin Nombre. It’s one of my favorites of the year.
Can someone please explain to me how A Serious Man can be nominated (or get a win) in the Robert Altman Award category but NOT be nominated for Best Feature. I personaly think the movie was way over-rated with a horrible ending.
The Hurt Locker was nominated in several categories last year and I believe it was nominated because it was viewed at several indie film festivals. I was looking at the fact that it didn’t win in any of it’s categories as a blow to it this year but apparently that’s not the case. The big movies seemed to be Milk and Frozen River last year and they overshadowed Locker.
I am happy to see Paranormal Activity got some recognition but I don’t think it’s going any further than that. I put P/A in my top 10 but I think it has a small chance of making anyone elses.
@JClark absolutely agree I was very happy to see Sin Nombre & filmmaker Kary Fukinaga nominated. It’s nominations are great no shot at Oscar’s but very well deserved for the Spirits.
[...] Oscar derby which has a serious dearth of beloved, breakout movies on the board. But today’s Spirit Award nominations did only kept the chessboard upright, stalemate [...]
I heard good things about The Last Station, but I had no idea it’d make this much of an impact.
Gwyneth’s name is spelled wrong.
I would like to have seen Paula Patton nominated for Precious. I think her performance is key to the film’s success, and it’s one you don’t hear much about.
“with a horrible ending.”
LOL. A Serious Man has one of the most brilliant, ingenious endings in years. Certainly the best capper to the best film of 2009.
Some surprises here…
I love to see SIN NOMBRE get some love here. I absolutely loved that movie…
…same with PARANORMAL ACTIVITY…but…
…with that said, A SERIOUS MAN was really screwed over. I thought it would be a lock to grab nearly all of the major categories and it only took The Altman Award and the Screenplay nod.
I am so happy that Dina Korzun got nominated. However she is the female lead of that film.
I count 4 A Single Man noms
Actor
First Film
Screenplay
First Screenplay
Where is Vinessa Shaw? She was terrific in Two Lovers…
“Also, the move to Friday gives Mo’Nique an extra day to sober up between awards.”
HA!!! RAdams becomes the greatest person ever for the day. I’m so using that joke. Hilarious.
JEMAINE!!!!
I certainly disagree with the great ending to A Serious Man. I know the few people who were in the movie theater with me all looked like they had no clue what they just saw. But that seems to be the Coen Brothers m.o. and never seems to hurt their movies (Like No Country for Old Men).
I also find it weird that An Education is listed as a foreign language film. Just because it was shot in London with Brittish accents doesn’t make it “foreign language”.
in the summer 2009 issue of Cineaste it was mentioned that Souleymane Sy Savane( Goodbye Solo) was a ‘nonprofessional actor’. maybe we need a few less pros…
Thanks so much for the warm welcome!
Mr. Adams – I’m really honoured you took time to read into my message (I had completely forgotten I mentioned Denmark, so was a bit surprised at your psychic powers at first!). This is what makes this place so great – people actually listen to one another rather than just stating their overblown opinions (ahem, James Cameron and all of his fans!). By the way, if it isn’t too private – what do you do for a living? Are you working here at Awards Daily full time? Is this a financed site? I’ve wondered about this for some time – sorry if the question is ridiculous because the answer is to be found written in great bold letters at the home page; I’m not very attentive to detail, so that might just be the case!
Regarding Frygtelig Lykkelig: I am NOT a fan of Danish film in general. As a matter of fact, I’m a real Anglo-Saxon film freak – love American (especially) and British film and TV. One of the pro-US people here in Europe!
But Terribly Happy is a rare exception – I LOVED that film! The best Danish film I’ve seen in years. I understand it’s Denmark’s entry into the Oscar race? I haven’t seen Blood Simple. I have, however, seen most of the Cohen Brothers’ work. I feel there is some similarity in style, but I don’t agree with those who practically dismiss the film as a Cohen clone. I think it’s very Danish at its best. Looking forward to hearing your opinion! 
I pay the rent writing advertising copy through connections in other countries, Dmitri. I’m one of the Mad Men.
I was interrupted 45 minutes into Terribly Happy, and hope to see it through to the end today. It’s one of the most purely enjoyable foreign language film submissions I’ve seen in a long time. Was trying to think who the star, Jakob Cedergren, reminded me of. Then it hit me — he’s the Danish Ben Affleck!
Happy about the Two Lovers nod but sad about Joaquins snub. Cheering for Adventureland! I think Gwyneth was great in Two Lovers. I only appreciated her in that movie, so I guess she was great?!?
Haha – the Danish Ben Affleck! You’ve got something there for sure. I must plainly admit I’m not sure whether you’re joking or not.
I haven’t seen Mad Men, so it’s a bit difficult to decide…
(Wow, I almost wrote “palinly” – that would have been a Freudian slip!) -> hope I’m not offending anyone…
“Wow, I almost wrote “palinly” – that would have been a Freudian slip!”
let’s hope a Freudian slip is all it is, Dmitri. I check my shower drain periodically for pod residue, because I’m paranoid about the body snatchers.
yes, I was joking a little about the Ben Affleck comparison (as I joke about most everything). The similarity ends with the jawline. Has Jakob Cedergren been in other films you can recommend?
I’m really impressed by how slippery Terribly Happy was to get a handle on. Just when I thought I knew where it was going, the plot would veer off in unexpectedly fun directions.
And until I saw this film I never realized how much blogs have in common with bogs.
[After laughing my a** off for five minutes]
Ryan, you have to be the funniest blog administrator I’ve ever come across! Your shower comment reminded me of a great Simpsons quote I just HAD to look up: “Before Lethal Weapon 2, I never thought there could be a bomb in my toilet, but now I check every time.”
I actually thought you were being quite serious with the Affleck comparison. I realise I must look like a complete deadpan-serious idiot who couldn’t recognise a joke if it came with a big tatoo stating its nature. I’m not, though – as Homer would say.
If I were to conjure up some lame excuse, I guess I could always say that I have a general fear of authorities and a hard time believing they have feelings or a sense of humour as a part of my heritage…
Cedergren is a relatively new face in Danish film. I even checked his profile on IMDb, just to be sure – nope, nothing I can recommend. But I wonder if you’ve seen How to Get Rid of Others? It’s a brilliant Danish film; very political, and even more cruelly funny than Terribly Happy. Although it really should have been translated as How to Get Rid of THE Others.
I agree with you on TH’s originality of plot. It’s based on a book by a very good Danish writer, and I think he must be primarily credited for that. Did you like the film overall?
Haha – they sure have. Lots of people drowning in shit, and no one cares!
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