25th Annual Spirit Awards Nominations

The announcement of the Spirit Awards nominations always feels like the beginning of awards season, and it was noted during the live stream announcement this morning that they do share them early to get the word out there on these great independent films. Top nods go to The Last Station and Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire, both films received 5 nominations. The Last Station is nominated for: Best Screenplay - Michael Hoffman, Best Supporing Male - Christopher Plummer, Best Female Lead - Helen Mirren and Best Director - Michael Hoffman and Best Feature & Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire is nominated for Best First Screenplay - Geoffrey Fletcher, Best Supporting Female - Mo'Nique, Best Female Lead - Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe, Best Director - Lee Daniels and Best Feature. The three other films nominated for best feature are (500) Days of Summer, Amreeka and Sin Nombre. Coming in with 4 nominations is The Messenger which is up for Best Screenplay - Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman, Best Supporting Female - Samantha Morton, Best Supporing Male - Woody Harrelson and Best First Feature.

The Messenger is one of the several films that I've heard a lot about, but has not released here in Toronto and I hope it does make it's way here soon. I am thrilled to see that (500) Days of Summer got some love, especially the great performance by Joseph Gorden-Levitt. Also nice to see Anvil! The Story of Anvil nominated for best doc and I think the surprize of the morning was Paranormal Activity nomination for Best First Feature for which you could hear folks in the audience slightly gasp. Go indie horror!!

The nominees are.....

Best Screenplay
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman - The Messenger
Michael Hoffman - The Last Station
Greg Mottola - Adventureland
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber - (500) Days of Summer
Lee Toland Krieger - The Vicious Kind

Best First Screenplay
Sophie Barthes - Cold Souls
Scott Cooper - Crazy Heart
Cherien Dabis - Amreeka
Geoffrey Fletcher - Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Tom Ford, David Scearce - A Single Man

Best Cinematography
A Serious Man
Sin Nombre
Treeless Mountain
Cold Souls
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Best Foreign Film
A Prophet
An Education
Everlasting Moments
Mother
The Maid

Best Documentary
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Food, Inc.
More Than a Game
October Country
Which Way Home

John Cassavetes Award (best feature made under $500,000)
Big Fan
Humpday
The New Years Parade
Treeless Mountain
Zero Bridge

Best Supporting Female
Mo'Nique - Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Dina Korzun - Cold Souls
Samantha Morton - The Messenger
Natalie Press - Fifty Dead Men Walking
Mia Wasikowska - That Evening Sun

Best Supporting Male
Jemaine Clement - Gentlemen Broncos
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Christian McKay - Me & Orson Wells
Ray McKinnon - That Evening Sun
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station

Best Female Lead
Mario Bello - Downloading Nancy
Nisreen Faour - Amreeka
Helen Mirrin - The Last Station
Gwyneth Paltrow - Two Lovers
Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

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 King

Best First Feature
A Single Man
Crazy Heart
Easier with Practice
The Messenger
Paranormal Activity

Best Director
Joel & Ethan Coen - A Serious Man
Lee Daniels - Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Cary Fukunaga - Sin Nombre
James Grey - Two Lovers
Michael Hoffman - The Last Station

Best Feature
(500) Days of Summer
Amreeka
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Sin Nombre
Last Station, The

Robert Altman Award (director, casting director and ensemble cast)
A Serious Man
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Casting Directors: Ellen Chenoweth, Rachel Tenner
Cast: Richard Kind, Sari Lennick, Jessica McManus, Michael Stuhlbarg, Aaron Wolff

Someone to Watch Award
Kyle Patrick Alvarez: Easier with Practice
Asiel Norton: Redland
Tariq Tapa: Zero Bridge

Piaget Producer Award
Karin Chien: The Exploding Girl, Santa Mesa
Larry Fessenden: I Sell the Dead, The House of the Devil
Dia Sokol: Beeswax, Nights & Weekends

Truer Than Fiction Award
Natalia Almade: El General
Jessica Ordeck: Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
Bill Ross, Turner Ross: 45365

The Spirit Awards will air live and uncut on IFC on Friday March 5, 2010 at 11pm EST/8pm PST. Hopefully they will be available for to watch live in Canada this year!

See more at the Spirit Awards Website