12 Years a Slave, Nebraska Lead Independent Spirit Nominations

Photo: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Award season is in full swing, everybody. Today the Film Independent Spirit Awards announced their nominations. (Read the full list of nominations below.) Not surprisingly, 12 Years a Slave leads all nominees, with seven nominations, including Best Feature. The slightly less heralded Nebraska comes in second, with six nods, also including Best Feature. All Is Lost, Frances Ha, and Inside Llewyn Davis round out the rest of the crop aiming for the top prize. With films like Gravity and American Hustle too expensive to be considered, you get a lot of quirky nominations, like Shailene Woodley (The Spectacular Now) for lead actress, Will Forte (Nebraska) for supporting actor, and Shane Carruth (Upstream Color) for director. The winners will be announced on March 1, 2014, the night before the Academy Awards, which is good if rich and famous actors are looking to save some coin on tux rentals.

BEST FEATURE
12 Years A Slave 
All Is Lost 
Frances Ha 
Inside Llewyn Davis 
Nebraska 

BEST LEAD FEMALE
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine 
Julie Delpy - Before Midnight 
Gaby Hoffman - Crystal Fairy 
Brie Larson - Short Term 12 
Shailene Woodley - The Spectacular Now 

BEST LEAD MALE
Bruce Dern - Nebraska 
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years A Slave 
Oscar Isaac - Inside Llewyn Davis 
Michael B. Jordan - Fruitvale Station 
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club 
Robert Redford - All Is Lost 

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Melonie Diaz - Fruitvale Station
Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine  
Lupita N’Yongo - 12 Years A Slave 
Yolanda Ross - Go For Sisters 
June Squibb - Nebraska 

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years A Slave 
Will Forte - Nebraska 
James Gandolfini - Enough Said 
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club 
Keith Stanfield - Short Term 12 

BEST DIRECTOR
Shane Carruth - Upstream Color 
J.C. Chandor - All Is Lost 
Steve McQueen - 12 Years A Slave 
Jeff Nichols - Mud 
Alexander Payne - Nebraska 

BEST FIRST FEATURE
ABlue Caprice 

Ryan Coogler - Fruitvale Station 
Lucy Mulloy - Una Noche 
Haifaa Al Mansour - Wadjda 

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000) 
Computer Chess 
Crystal Fairy 
Museum Hours 
Pit Stop 
This Is Martin Bonner 

BEST SCREENPLAY 
Woody Allen - Blue Jasmine 
Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater - Before Midnight 
Nicole Holofcener - Enough Said 
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber - The Spectacular Now 
John Ridley - 12 Years A Slave 

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Lake Bell - In A World 
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Don Jon 
Bob Nelson - Nebraska 
Jill Soloway - Afternoon Delight 
Michael Starburry - The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister & Pete 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sean Bobbitt - 12 Years A Slave 
Benoit Debie - Spring Breakers 
Bruno Delbonnel - Inside Llewyn Davis 
Frank G. Demarco - All Is Lost 
Matthias Grunsky - Computer Chess 

BEST EDITING
Shane Carruth & David Lowery - Upstream Color 
Jem Cohen & Marc Vives - Museum Hours 
Jennifer Lame - Frances Ha 
Cindy Lee - Una Noche 
Nat Sanders - Short Term 12 

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
A Touch Of Sin 
Blue Is The Warmest Color
Gloria
The Great Beauty 
The Hunt 

BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Act Of Killing 
After Tiller 
Gideon’s Army
The Square 
Twenty Feet From Stardom 

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnson
Jacob Jaffke
Andrea Roa
Ferderick Thornton

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARDS (Given to emerging director of non-fiction features) 
Kalyanee Mam - A River Changes Course 
Jason Osder - Let The Fire Burn 
Stephanie Spray & Pancho Valez - Manakamana 

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARDS
Aaron Douglas Johnston - My Sisters’ Quinceanera 
Shaka King - Newlyweeds 
Madeleine Olnek - The Foxy Merkins 

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Best ensemble)
Mud