Independent Spirit Awards

Some random nods (Greenburg?) and some major snubs such as Barbara Hershey or Mila Kunis for Black Swan, Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine, Julianne Moore for The Kids are All Right, Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek for Get Low, Diane Wiest for Rabbit Hole, and others. Overall, though there were some truly underdog performances and movies, which is good for those unknown entertainers. I am slightly dissappointed, but I also think it is important to note that this award will have little to no effect on the Oscar race, except that it gives these various movies/performances some press time. Here are the nominees. Also, so glad that Please Give got the Robert Altman Award, but furious that it was left out of Picture, and all acting categories.

BEST FEATURE

127 HOURS
BLACK SWAN
GREENBERG
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
WINTER’S BONE

BEST DIRECTOR

DARREN ARONOFSKY – Black Swan
DANNY BOYLE – 127 Hours
LISA CHOLODENKO – The Kids Are All Right
DEBRA GRANIK – Winter’s Bone
JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL – Rabbit Hole

BEST SCREENPLAY

STUART BLUMBERG & LISA CHOLODENKO – The Kids Are All Right
DEBRA GRANIK & ANNE ROSELLINI – Winter’s Bone
NICOLE HOLOFCENER – Please Give
DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE – Rabbit Hole
TODD SOLONDZ – Life During Wartime

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

EVERYTHING STRANGE AND NEW
GET LOW
NIGHT CATCHES US
THE LAST EXORCISM
TINY FURNITURE
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

DIANE BELL – Obselidia
LENA DUNHAM – Tiny Furniture
NIK FACKLER – Lovely, Still
BOB GLAUDINI – Jack Goes Boating
DANA ADAM SHAPIRO & EVAN M. WIENER – Monogamy

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000;
award given to the writer, director, and producer)

DADDY LONGLEGS
LOVERS OF HATE
OBSELIDIA
THE EXPLODING GIRL

BEST FEMALE LEAD

ANNETTE BENING – The Kids Are All Right
GRETA GERWIG – Greenberg
NICOLE KIDMAN – Rabbit Hole
JENNIFER LAWRENCE – Winter’s Bone
NATALIE PORTMAN – Black Swan
MICHELLE WILLIAMS – Blue Valentine

BEST MALE LEAD

RONALD BRONSTEIN – Daddy Longlegs
AARON ECKHART – Rabbit Hole
JAMES FRANCO – 127 Hours
JOHN C. REILLY – Cyrus
BEN STILLER – Greenberg

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
ASHLEY BELL – The Last Exorcism
DALE DICKEY – Winter’s Bone
ALLISON JANNEY – Life During Wartime
DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA – Jack Goes Boating
NAOMI WATTS – Mother and Child

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

JOHN HAWKES – Winter’s Bone
SAMUEL L. JACKSON – Mother and Child
BILL MURRAY – Get Low
JOHN ORTIZ – Jack Goes Boating
MARK RUFFALO – The Kids Are All Right

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

ADAM KIMMEL – Never Let Me Go
MATTHEW LIBATIQUE – Black Swan
JODY LEE LIPES – Tiny Furniture
MICHAEL McDONOUGH – Winter’s Bone
HARRIS SAVIDES – Greenberg

BEST DOCUMENTARY
(Award given to the director)

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
MARWENCOL
SWEETGRASS
RESTREPO
THUNDER SOUL

BEST FOREIGN FILM
(Award given to the director)

KISSES (Ireland)
MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON (France)
OF GODS AND MEN (Morocco)
THE KING’S SPEECH (United Kingdom)
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (Thailand)

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD

(Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its

ensemble cast)

PLEASE GIVE (DIRECTOR: Nicole Holofcener)