Showing posts with label Independent Spirit Awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Independent Spirit Awards. Show all posts

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Catching up on the Independent Spirit Award nominees

The Indie Spirit Awards - as they ought to - have highlighted a few films that weren't on my radar before. Herewith trailers for your (& my) viewing & anticipatory pleasure


The Loneliest Planet - Best Director



Bernie - Best Feature, Best Male Lead



Return - Best Female Lead





Your Sister's Sister - Best Supporting Female 


Sound of my Voice - Best First Feature, Best Supporting Female 
I've seen this one and it's great fun - a perfect little indie sci fi that tells you just enough to satisfy & leaves enough to the imagination to stay convincing. Brit Marling was rightly singled out, but the whole cast is excellent.

  

Seven Psychopaths - Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Male



Independent Spirit Awards - 2013














Mostly as expected. Not that that's a bad thing. These are good movies. Brit Marling & Zoe Kazan make a showing, Middle of Nowhere does pretty good business, as does Bernie & Matthew McConaughey.  
Naturally Beasts of the Southern Wild, Moonrise Kingdom & Silver Linings Playbook lead and between the three I'd say Beasts takes the top prize. What a bummer they snubbed Dwight Henry - what a performance! And count this as the start of Ann Dowd's Oscar campaign. Moving her to supporting was a smart move. I'm also always glad to see Sam Rockwell get noticed.
Much thanks to Awardsdaily, from whence I lifted this.

2013 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST FEATURE
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs, Keep the Lights On
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
BEST SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom
Zoe Kazan, Ruby Sparks
Martin McDonagh, Seven Psychopaths
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs, Keep the Lights On
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
Fill the Void
Gimme the Loot
Safety Not Guaranteed
Sound of My Voice
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Rama Burshtein, Fill the Void
Derek Connolly, Safety Not Guaranteed
Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank
Rashida Jones & Will McCormack, Celeste and Jesse Forever
Jonathan Lisecki, Gayby
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Breakfast with Curtis, WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Laura Colella
Middle of Nowhere, WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Ava DuVernay, PRODUCERS: Howard Barish, Paul Garnes,
Mosquita y Mari, WRITER/DIRECTOR: Aurora Guerrero, PRODUCER: Chad Burris
Starlet, WRITER/DIRECTOR: Sean Baker, PRODUCERS: Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, Kevin Chinoy, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach, Francesca Silvestri
The Color Wheel, WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Alex Ross Perry, WRITER: Carlen Altman
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Linda Cardellini, Return
Emayatzy Corinealdi, Middle of Nowhere
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Smashed
BEST MALE LEAD
Jack Black, Bernie
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Thure Lindhardt, Keep the Lights On
Matthew McConaughey, Killer Joe
Wendell Pierce, Four
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Rosemarie DeWitt, Your Sister’s Sister
Ann Dowd, Compliance
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Brit Marling, Sound of My Voice
Lorraine Toussaint, Middle of Nowhere
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike
David Oyelowo, Middle of Nowhere
Michael Péna, End of Watch
Sam Rockwell, Seven Psychopaths
Bruce Willis, Moonrise Kingdom
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Yoni Brook, Valley of Saints
Lol Crawley, Here
Ben Richardson, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Roman Vasyanov, End of Watch
Robert Yeoman, Moonrise Kingdom
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
How to Survive a Plague
DIRECTOR: David France
PRODUCERS: David France, Howard Gertler
Marina Abramoviæ: The Artist is Present
DIRECTOR: Matthew Akers
PRODUCERS: Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre
The Central Park Five
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
The Invisible War
DIRECTOR: Kirby Dick
PRODUCERS: Tanner King Barklow, Amy Ziering
The Waiting Room
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Peter Nicks
PRODUCERS: Linda Davis, William B. Hirsch
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
Amour
Once Upon A Time in Anatolia
Rust And Bone
Sister
War Witch
16th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 16th 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.
Nobody Walks PRODUCER: Alicia Van Couvering
Prince Avalanche, PRODUCER: Derrick Tseng
Stones in the Sun, PRODUCER: Mynette Louie
19th ANNUAL SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 19th 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.
Pincus, DIRECTOR: David Fenster
Gimme the Loot, DIRECTOR: Adam Leon
Electrick Children, DIRECTOR: Rebecca Thomas
STELLA ARTOIS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 18th 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.
Leviathan
DIRECTOR: Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
The Waiting Room, DIRECTOR: Peter Nicks
Only the Young, DIRECTOR: Jason Tippet & Elizabeth Mims
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and
its ensemble cast)
Starlet, Director: Sean Baker

Friday, December 16, 2011

Natural Selection - Clip


A devout Christian housewife leaves her comfort zone to track down her recently deceased husband's eldest sperm-bank son. He's a hick with a mullet, but she is determined to make him her family. Independent Spirit Nominee for Best Feature & Best Actress. Looks awesome. I want to see it, please.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Independent Spirit Award Nominations



Awards season is now in full swing. The Indie Spirit Awards focus exclusively on films made for under $20 million, which fortunately includes some of the year's big hitters. Here are their nominees (they shafted George Clooney & Glenn Close!) :

Best Feature:
50/50
The Artist
Beginners
The Descendants
Drive
Take Shelter


Best Director:
Michael Hazanavicius - The Artist 
Jeff Nichols - Take Shelter
Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive
Alexander Payne - The Descendants
Mike Mills - Beginners


Best International Film:
Tyrannosaur
The Kid with a Bike
Shame
Melancholia
A Separation

Best First Feature:
Patrick Wang - In the Family
Robbie Pickering - Natural Selection
Sean Durkin - Martha Marcy May Marlene
J.C. Chandor - Margin Call
Mike Cahill - Another Earth

Best Female Lead:
Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn
Lauren Ambrose - Think of Me
Rachael Harris - Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye - Pariah

Best Male Lead:
Demian Bichir - A Better Life
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Michael Shannon - Take Shelter
Ryan Gosling - Drive
Woody Harrelson - Rampart

Best Supporting Female:
Shailene Woodley - The Descendants
Jessica Chastain - Take Shelter
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana - Gun Hill Road
Anjelica Huston - 50/50

Best Supporting Male:
Albert Brooks - Drive
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Corey Stoll - Midnight in Paris
John C Reilly - Cedar Rapids
John Hawkes - Martha Marcy May Marlene

Best Screenplay:
Tom McCarthy - Win Win
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash - The Descendants
Michael Hazanavicius - The Artist
Joseph Cedar - Footnote
Mike Mills - Beginners

Best First Screenplay:
Will Reiser - 50/50
Mike Cahill & Brit Marling - Another Earth
Phil Johnston - Cedar Rapids
J.C. Chandor - Margin Call
Patrick DeWitt - Terri

John Cassavettes Award for films made on a shoestring budget:
Bellflower
Circumstance
Hello Lonesome
Pariah
The Dynamiter

Someone to Watch Award:
Mark Jackson - Without
Nicholas Ozeki - Mamitas
Simon Arthur - Silver Tongues

Truer Than Fiction Award:
Alma Har'el - Bombay Beach
Danfung Dennis - Hell and Back Again
Heather Courtney - Where Soldiers Come From

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Independent Spirit Award Nominees & Winners

Winner marked with *

Best Feature:

127 Hours
*Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right
Winter's Bone

(interestingly, 4 of those went on to be Oscar nominees. Good year for independent film)


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 First Feature:

Everything Strange and New
*Get Low
The Last Exorcism
Night Catches Us
Tiny Furniture