Thanks to Paul Outlaw for pointing us to the Spirit Award Nominees at IFC.
Best Feature
“Ballast”
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh“Frozen River”
Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae“Rachel Getting Married”
Producers: Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt“Wendy and Lucy”
Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani“The Wrestler”
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
Best Director
Ramin Bahrani, “Chop Shop”
Jonathan Demme, “Rachel Getting Married”
Lance Hammer, “Ballast”
Courtney Hunt, “Frozen River”
Thomas McCarthy, “The Visitor”
(more after the cut)
Best First Feature
“Afterschool”
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond“Medicine for Melancholy”
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber“Sangre de Mi Sangre”
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell“Sleep Dealer”
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman“Synecdoche, New York”
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
“In Search of a Midnight Kiss”
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy“Prince of Broadway”
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean“The Signal”
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh“Take Out”
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou“Turn the River”
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong
Best First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, “Milk”
Lance Hammer, “Ballast”
Courtney Hunt, “Frozen River”
Jonathan Levine, “The Wackness”
Jenny Lumet, “Rachel Getting Married”
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Anna Fleck and Ryan Boden, “Sugar”
Charlie Kaufman, “Synecdoche, New York”
Howard A. Rodman, “Savage Grace”
Christopher Zalla, “Sangre de Mi Sangre”
Best Female Lead
Summer Bishil, “Towelhead”
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”
Tarra Riggs, “Ballast”
Michelle Williams, “Wendy and Lucy”
Best Male Lead
Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
Sean Penn, “Milk”
Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Best Supporting Female
Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Rosemarie DeWitt, “Rachel Getting Married”
Rosie Perez, “The Take”
Misty Upham, “Frozen River”
Debra Winger, “Rachel Getting Married”
Best Supporting Male
James Franco, “Milk”
Anthony Mackie, “The Hurt Locker”
Charlie McDermott, “Frozen River”
JimMyron Ross, “Ballast”
Haaz Sleiman, “The Visitor”
Best Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, “The Wrestler”
Lol Crowley, “Ballast”
James Laxton, “Medicine for Melancholy”
Harris Savides, “Milk”
Michael Simmonds, “Chop Shop”
Best Documentary
“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)”
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath“Encounters at the End of the World”
Director: Werner Herzog“Man on Wire”
Director: James Marsh“The Order of Myths”
Director: Margaret Brown“Up the Yangtze”
Director: Yang Chung
Best Foreign Film
“The Class” (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet“Gomorrah” (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone“Hunger” (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen“Secret of the Grain” (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche“Silent Light” (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
“Synecdoche, New York”
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams
