Gold Rush: Independent Spirit Awards Nominees 2011

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer)
§  50/50
§  Beginners
§  Drive
§  Take Shelter
§  The Artist
§  The Descendants

BEST DIRECTOR
§  Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
§  Mike Mills (Beginners)
§  Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter)
§  Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
§  Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)

BEST SCREENPLAY
§  Joseph Cedar (Footnote)
§  Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
§  Tom McCarthy (Win Win)
§  Mike Mills (Beginners)
§  Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash (The Descendants)

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
§  Another Earth
§  In the Family
§  Margin Call
§  Martha Marcy May Marlene
§  Natural Selection

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
§  Mike Cahill, Brit Marling (Another Earth)
§  J.C. Chandor (Margin Call)
§  Patrick deWitt (Terri)
§  Phil Johnston (Cedar Rapids)
§  Will Reiser (50/50)

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director, and producer.
§  Bellflower Writer/Director: Evan Glodell
§  Pariah Writer/Director: Dee Rees

BEST FEMALE LEAD
§  Lauren Ambrose (Think of Me)
§  Rachael Harris (Natural Selection)
§  Adepero Oduye (Pariah)
§  Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
§  Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

BEST MALE LEAD
§  Demian Bichir (A Better Life)
§  Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
§  Ryan Gosling (Drive)
§  Woody Harrelson (Rampart)
§  Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
§  Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter)
§  Anjelica Huston (50/50)
§  Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
§  Harmony Santana (Gun Hill Road)
§  Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
§  Albert Brooks (Drive)
§  John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
§  Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
§  John C. Reilly (Cedar Rapids)
§  Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
§  Joel Hodge (Bellflower)
§  Benjamin Kasulke (The Off Hours)
§  Darius Khondji (Midnight in Paris)
§  Guillaume Schiffman (The Artist)
§  Jeffrey Waldron (The Dynamiter)

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
§  An African Election
§  Bill Cunningham
§  The Interrupters
§  The Redemption of General Butt Naked
§  We Were Here

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
§  A Separation (Iran)
§  Melancholia (Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany)
§  Shame (UK)
§  The Kid With a Bike (Belgium/France/Italy)
§  Tyrannosaur (UK)

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 15th annual 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 grant funded by Piaget.
§  Chad Burris (Mosquita y Mari)
§  Sophia Lin (Take Shelter)
§  Josh Mond (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 18th annual 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.
§  Simon Arthur (Silver Tongues)
§  Mark Jackson (Without)
§  Nicholas Ozeki (Mamitas)

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 17th annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
§  Heather Courtney (Where Soldiers Come From)
§  Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again)
§  Alma Har’el (Bombay Beach)

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
§  Margin Call Director: J.C. Chandor
Casting Director: Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey
Ensemble Cast: Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci

My Take: I will go more into my thoughts in later posts, since I haven’t seen a number of these films (Best Feature is the only one I’m 5/6 on). However, I am pleased to see Drive, Beginners, and Take Shelter get their due in numerous categories.

The only real surprise? 50/50. I didn’t even know that was considered an independent movie. I suppose now I’ll have to write something about it…