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by Marla Lewin

Film Independent announced nominations this morning for the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards.  Nominees for Best Feature include (500) Days Of Summer, Amreeka, Precious, Sin Nombre and The Last Station.  Taraji P. Henson and Matt Dillon also announced finalists for the Acura Someone to Watch Award, the Truer Than Fiction Award, and the Piaget Producers Award. 

A Serious Man was selected for the Robert Altman Award, which is given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.   

“It’s astonishing to look back upon the wealth of fresh and diverse filmmaking talent that has been nominated over the past 25 years,” said Film Independent’s Executive Director Dawn Hudson.  “This year’s nominees continue to uphold that independent spirit, and have created exceptional work that we are proud to spotlight and celebrate.”

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committee applies uniqueness of vision, original & provocative subject matter, economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost & individual compensation), and percentage of financing from independent sources as guidelines when making its selections. 

The 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony will air live and uncut on Friday, March 5, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. PST/11:00 p.m. EST on IFC (Independent Film Channel).  

2010 SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not listed)

(500) Days Of Summer Producers: Mason Novick, Jessica Tuchinsky, Mark Waters,    Steven J. Wolfe

Amreeka Producers: Paul Barkin, Christina Piovesan

Precious Producers: Lee Daniels, Gary Magness, Sarah Siegel-Magness

Sin Nombre Producer: Amy Kaufman

The Last Station Producers: Bonnie Arnold, Chris Curling, Jens Meuer

BEST DIRECTOR

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen A Serious Man

Lee Daniels Precious

Cary Joji Fukunaga Sin Nombre

James Gray Two Lovers

Michael Hoffman The Last Station

BEST SCREENPLAY

Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman The Messenger

Michael Hoffman The Last Station

Lee Toland Krieger The Vicious Kind

Greg Mottola Adventureland

Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber (500) Days Of Summer

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)

A Single Man Director: Tom Ford

Producers: Tom Ford, Andrew Miano, Robert Salerno, Chris Weitz

Crazy Heart Director: Scott Cooper

Producer: T Bone Burnett, Judy Cairo, Rob Carliner, Scott Cooper, Robert Duvall

Easier With Practice Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez

Producer: Cookie Carosella

Paranormal Activity Director: Oren Peli

Producer: Jason Blum, Oren Peli

The Messenger Director: Oren Moverman

Producers: Mark Gordon, Lawrence Inglee, Zach Miller

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Sophie Barthes Cold Souls

Scott Cooper Crazy Heart

Cherien Dabis Amreeka

Geoffrey Fletcher Precious

Tom Ford, David Scearce A Single Man

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 listed

Big Fan Writer/Director: Robert Siegel

Producers: Elan Bogarin, Jean Kouremetis

Humpday Writer/Director/Producer: Lynn Shelton

The New Year Parade Writer/Director: Tom Quinn

Producers: Steve Beal, Tom Quinn

Treeless Mountain Writer/Director: So Yong Kim

Producers: Bradley Rust Gray, Ben Howe, So Yong Kim, Lars Knudsen, Jay Van Hoy

Zero Bridge Writer/Director: Tariq Tapa

Producers: Josée Lajoie, Hilal Ahmed Langoo, Tariq Tapa

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Maria Bello Downloading Nancy

Nisreen Faour Amreeka

Helen Mirren The Last Station

Gwyneth Paltrow Two Lovers

Gabourey Sidibe Precious

BEST MALE LEAD

Jeff Bridges Crazy Heart

Colin Firth A Single Man

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500) Days Of Summer

Souléymane Sy Savané Goodbye Solo

Adam Scott The Vicious Kind

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Dina Korzun Cold Souls

Mo’Nique Precious

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 and Orson Welles

Raymond McKinnon That Evening Sun

Christopher Plummer Last Station

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Roger Deakins A Serious Man

Adriano Goldman Sin Nombre

Anne Misawa Treeless Mountain

Andrij Parekh Cold Souls

Peter Zeitlinger Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director)

Anvil! The Story of Anvil Director: Sacha Gervasi

Food, Inc. Director: Robert Kenner

More Than A Game Director: Kristopher Belman

October Country Directors: Donal Mosher, Michael Palmieri

Which Way Home Director: Rebecca Cammisa

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)

A Prophet(France) Director: Jacques Audiard

An Education(UK/France) Director: Lone Scherfig

Everlasting Moments(Sweden) Director: Jan Troell

Mother(South Korea) Director: Bong Joon-Ho

The Maid(Chile) Director: Sebastián Silva

ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD –  recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.  The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. 

Kyle Patrick Alvarez Easier With Practice

Asiel Norton Redland

Tariq Tapa Zero Bridge

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD –  presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.  The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.

Natalia Almada El General

Jessica Oreck Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

Bill Ross, Turner Ross 45365

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD –  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.

Karin Chien The Exploding Girl, Santa Mesa

Larry Fessenden I Sell the Dead, The House of the Devil

Dia Sokol Beeswax, Nights & Weekends

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD - (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)

A Serious Man Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

   Casting Directors: Ellen Chenoweth, Rachel Tenner

Ensemble Cast: Richard Kind, Sari Lennick, Jessica McManus, Fred Melamed, Michael Stuhlbarg, Aaron Wolff

BY DISTRIBUTOR

DISTRIBUTOR FILM TITLE(S) # OF NOMINATIONS

Fox Searchlight (500) Days Of Summer, 

Crazy Heart, 

Gentlemen Broncos 7

Sony Pictures Classics An Education, 

The Last Station, 

A Prophet 7

Focus Features A Serious Man, 

Sin Nombre 6

Lionsgate More Than A Game, 

Precious 6

Oscilloscope Laboratories The Messenger, 

Treeless Mountain 6

Magnolia Pictures Food, Inc., 

Humpday, Mother, 

Two Lovers 5

Freestyle Releasing Me and Orson Welles, 

That Evening Sun 3

National Geographic Entertainment Amreeka 3

Samuel Goldwyn Films Cold Souls 3

The Weinstein Company A Single Man 3

72nd Street Productions The Vicious Kind 2

Abramaorama Films Anvil! The Story of Anvil 1

Carnivaleque Films The New Year Parade 1

Elephant Eye Films The Maid 1

First Independent Pictures Big Fan 1

First Look Pictures Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans1

IFC Films Everlasting Moments 1

HBO Documentary Films Which Way Home 1

Miramax Adventureland 1

Paramount Pictures Paranormal Activity 1

Phase 4 Films Fifty Dead Men Walking 1

Roadside Attractions Goodbye Solo 1

Strand Releasing Downloading Nancy 1

No Distributor October Country 1

No Distributor Easier With Practice 1

No Distributor Zero Bridge 1

FILMS NOMINATED 35 

TOTALS PER FILM

FILM TITLE # OF NOMINATIONS (2 or more nominations)

The Last Station 5

Precious 5

The Messenger 4

(500) Days Of Summer 3

Amreeka 3

Cold Souls 3

Crazy Heart 3

A Serious Man 3

A Single Man 3

Sin Nombre 3

That Evening Sun 2

Treeless Mountain 2

Two Lovers 2

The Vicious Kind 2