Spirit Award Nominations. Discuss!
Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 3:03PM 
Oscar Best Picture hopefuls 12 Years a Slave and Nebraska ruled the Spirit Award nominations this afternoon with seven and six nominations respectively. All is Lost was a distant third place with 4 nominations. A bunch of other critical darlings managed 3 or less in a year that seemed to be about spreading the wealth... as least at the nomination stage. (Nominations for Enough Said but NOT Julia Louis-Dreyfuss in it. Hmmm. Best Feature for Frances Ha but only one other nomination? Curious though at least it was for the very deserving editing.
Complete list of nominees is after the jump...
BEST FEATURE
- 12 Years a Slave (PRODUCERS: Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad)
- All Is Lost (PRODUCERS: Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb)
- Frances Ha (PRODUCERS: Noah Baumbach, Scott Rudin, Rodrigo Teixeira, Lila Yacoub)
- Inside Llewyn Davis (PRODUCERS: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin)
- Nebraska (PRODUCERS: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa)
How cute is it that 40% of your best picture list is in Black and White?
BEST DIRECTOR
- Shane Carruth - Upstream Color
- J.C. Chandor - All Is Lost
- Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave
- Jeff Nichols - Mud
- Alexander Payne - Nebraska
3/5 director screenplay match. One wonders how close Mud & Upstream came to knocking Frances Ha and Llewyn Davis out of the mix in Picture.
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
A strong lineup and expect many of these -- probably most of them! -- to be up for Oscars.
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
- Blue Caprice DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Alexandre Moors PRODUCERS: Kim Jackson, Brian O’Carroll, Isen Robbins, Will Rowbotham, Ron Simons, Aimee Schoof, Stephen Tedeschi
- Concussion DIRECTOR: Stacie Passon PRODUCER: Rose Troche
- Fruitvale Station DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler PRODUCERS: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker
- Una Noche DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Lucy Mulloy PRODUCERS: Sandy Pérez Aguila, Maite Artieda, Daniel Mulloy, Yunior Santiago
- Wadjda DIRECTOR: Haifaa Al Mansour PRODUCERS: Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul
One wonders by Una Noche and Wadjda weren't competing (also or instead) in Best International Film if they liked them this much. Still, since the Spirit Awards descend into a public voting the high profilest high profile usually wins everything so Fruitvale will be hard to beat.
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
- Lake Bell - In A World
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Don Jon
- Bob Nelson - Nebraska
- Jill Soloway - Afternoon Delight
- Michael Starrbury - The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
Which is the best feature made with a budget under 1/2 a million. The award goes to the writer, director and producer.
- Computer Chess WRITER/DIRECTOR: Andrew Bujalski PRODUCERS: Houston King & Alex Lipschultz
- Crystal Fairy WRITER/DIRECTOR: Sebastiàn Silva PRODUCERS: Juan de Dios Larraín & Pablo Larraín
- Museum Hours WRITER/DIRECTOR: Jem Cohen PRODUCERS: Paolo Calamita & Gabriele Kranzelbinder (reviewed)
- Pit Stop WRITER/DIRECTOR: Yen Tan WRITER: David Lowery PRODUCERS: Jonathan Duffy, James M. Johnston, Eric Steele, Kelly Williams (interview, capsule)
- This is Martin Bonner WRITER/DIRECTOR: Chad Hartigan PRODUCER: Cherie Saulter (capsule)
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Brie Larson & Keith Stanfield = Spirit nominated duo (SHORT TERM 12)
- Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
- Julie Delpy - Before Midnight
- Gaby Hoffmann - Crystal Fairy
- Brie Larson - Short Term 12 (interview)
- Shailene Woodley -The Spectacular Now
BEST MALE LEAD
- 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
This will surely be the category that most resembles the eventual Oscar lineup but it's the Oscar lineup that will look "Spirity" and not the other way around. Oscar can have only 5 so two of these men may well have to step aside for Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
- Melonie Diaz - Fruitvale Station
- Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
- Lupita Nyong’o - 12 Years a Slave
- Yolonda Ross - Go For Sisters
- June Squibb - Nebraska
Interesting that the Spirit nominating jury felt, as I did in my review, that Melonie Diaz was the MVP from the supporting cast
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
SIGH. Will Forte is not a supporting actor. Awards bodies never ever learn that "supportive character" means something different than "supporting character". A posthumous nomination for Gandolfini but no nomination for Dreyfus who anchors the whole warm and funny and painful movie?
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
I can't quite love on to Delbonnel's work for the Coen Bros as it looks so suffocatingly cool and very processed but 12 Years and Spring Breakers and All is Lost are strong contenders. (have you seen Computer Chess? Should I?) But mostly it's just aggravating that only cinephiles seem to understand how brilliant Bradford Young is. When can he expect some major awards attention?
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
Another interesting category. I hated Upstream Color and as with a lot of non-linear pieces I feel like that approach can confuscate what might otherwise be lacking in structure or rhythm but I realize I'm in the minority where that art film goes. Frances Ha is a brilliant choice and my friends swear by Museum Hours.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- 20 Feet From Stardom DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Morgan Neville PRODUCERS: Gil Friesen & Caitrin Rogers
- After Tiller DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Martha Shane & Lana Wilson
- Gideon’s Army DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Dawn Porter PRODUCER: Julie Goldman
- The Act of Killing DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Joshua Oppenheimer PRODUCERS: Joram Ten Brink, Christine Cynn, Anne Köhncke, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Michael Uwemedimo
- The Square DIRECTOR: Jehane Noujaim PRODUCER: Karim Amer (reviewed)
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
- A Touch of Sin (China) DIRECTOR: Jia Zhang-Ke (reviewed)
- Blue is the Warmest Color (France) DIRECTOR: Abdellatif Kechiche (reviewed)
- Gloria (Chile) DIRECTOR: Sebastián Lelio
- The Great Beauty (Italy) DIRECTOR: Paolo Sorrentino
- The Hunt (Denmark) DIRECTOR: Thomas Vinterberg
The Chinese and French nominees, however wildly acclaimed/discussed, aren't Oscar eligible but the others are strong future Oscar hopefuls. I expect that this is Blue is the Warmest Color's Spirit prize to lose.
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
This ensemble prize is given to the film's director, casting director and the cast. They never have nominees. Just a winner.
Reese, Matthew, Tye, and Jacob and at their Cannes premiere for MUD
- MUD (Director: Jeff Nichols; Casting Director: Francine Maisler; Ensemble Cast: Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant, and Reese Witherspoon
I liked this movie but it seems like an awfully odd choice for best ensemble honors. Reese's character is never truly defined, the villains are caricatures, and many of the cast members remain separated in their own little movies.
17th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
This $25,000 unrestricted grant is meant to honor rising producers who work with limited resources but demonstrate creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality film.
- Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnston
- Jacob Jaffke
- Andrea Roa
- Frederick Thornton
20th ANNUAL SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
This award goes to a film and filmmaker with singular vision that is still waiting to be appropriately recognized. Consider it a "discovery" type deal
- My Sister’s Quinceañera DIRECTOR: Aaron Douglas Johnston
- Newlyweeds DIRECTOR: Shaka King
- The Foxy Merkins DIRECTOR: Madeline Olnek
19th ANNUAL STELLA ARTOIS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Another $25,000 grant but this one is for documentary filmmakers waiting for significant recognition.
- Kalyanee Mam -A River Changes Course
- Jason Osder - Let the Fire Burn
- Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez - Manakamana (reviewed)
And that's all! The Spirit Awards ceremony will be held the day before the Oscars as usual.
Reader Comments (52)
No Greta Gerwig?!
What Raul said, plus...
Yay: Melonie Diaz! She was great in Fruitvale and made the most of a role that was a bit thin. Spencer will probably still get the Oscar nod but this is a welcomed and well-deserved bit of recognition for Diaz.
Boo: Bradford Young has been doing great work in the cinematography field (Pariah & Middle of Nowhere...hello!!!) and it's a shame he was snubbed again. I've only seen clips of the eligible films he's lensed (Ain't Them Bodies Saints & Mother of George) but what a tragedy.
Also Boo: The Oscar was never gonna happen for him, but I really wanted to see James Franco nominated for Spring Breakers.
So happy for the Short Term 12 love, but yeah, they fit in 6 Lead Actor nominees but can't fit in Gerwig or JLD? And I wonder if this will be one more award for Blanchett, who's fantastic and deserving and all, but it'd be nice if other actresses could get a chance somewhere, ya know?
Anyway, it's nice to see some of these smaller titles getting recognized.
So what does the Spirit Awards have against the BEFORE films? I mean, serious question here.
I am always confused as to what makes a film "Foreign." The language, the cast, the director, the producers, the place of filming. "12 Years a Slave," isn't a British film?
im behind the 12 YEARS A SLAVE love 100% and thrilled by the Brie Larson nom... but no James Franco for SPRING BREAKERS. that's just whack :(
I'm ecstatic about short term 12 3 nomination but I think it should've been nom for best film and destin cretton should've been nominated for best director. Happy for Keith Stanfield nom for best supporting male. You read it here first not only will Larson win the best female lead but she will get an Oscar nom for best actress!!!!!
YES. Frances Ha, inching ever closer to a best picture nomination. *fingers crossed*
And hey, not a bad showing for Short Term 12! Great news for Brie Larson. :)
However, I really am not so sure about Keith Stanfield in supporting, (don't know where that came from), though I am pulling for his "normal life" song to get an oscar nomination!
Hm. A little more independent spirit in this years nominations; nice.
Hm. No Greta Gerwig despite a best pic nom. No Julia Louis-Dreyfus :(. Melonie Diaz over Octavia Spencer, interesting. No Ethan Hawke in best actor. I feel like they had a lot of options this year so how it turned out was interesting.
disappointed with a snub for Before Midnight in best picture category, James Franco in supporting actor and Greta Gerwig for Frances Ha
but pleased with the most nominations.
especially glad that Ain't Them Bodies Saints was not nominated for anything.
surprised but pleased with the nomination for Wadjda in best first feature category if not for foreign film. The Great Beauty is truly great and beautiful and deserving of nomination.
I'm really disappointed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus' absence in the Best Actress Race. I thought she would be a shoo-in for a nomination. She is considered one of the queens of TV comedy so she's recognized somewhere at least, but I was really hoping for a breakthrough for her here. Lovely to see Melonie Diaz, Julie Delpy and Sally Hawkins though! That alleviates some of the sting over JLD at least.
Honestly-while I have quibbles (no Hawke, JGJ, or Octavia, for starters), this is solid list-this was a great, great year for Indy cinema, and they had a lot of options.
The Lead Actress category is brutal, I love the performances by four of the five nominees (haven't seen Crystal Fairy) and it still means Gerwig and Louis-Dreyfus are shut out... For the most part I find these to be pretty good nominees
I have a question, though, what do people think of 'Mud' getting the Altman award for ensemble acting? Was the ensemble in that movie really good? I haven't seen it, so I was really caught off guard with that award.
Will Forte--that's a pleasant surprise! Best Actor is gonna be TOUGH.
I have not seen her film but is Shailene Woodley really that great in The Spectacular Now? Like, good enough to edge out JLD or Greta Gerwig? The ISA seem to really like Shailene (she won for The Descendants).
Greta got screwed, again. That could be the title of her next movie, though.
I thought the ensemble in Mud was pretty terrific. Not just MM, but Tye Sheridan (who would be Best Actor worthy if it weren't such a tough year), Sam Shepard and Sarah Paulson, among others.
Yay for All is Lost - nice to see recognition for JC Chandor and Frank DeMarco in addition to Redford.
Aaron -- I really loved Shailene in The Spectacular Now, she would probably be amongst my nominees, but I do find it weird that she's been singled out so much. As much as I loved the performance, it's not the one that I would have expected awards bodies to love, but the Gothams and now the Spirits have both responded very enthusiastically to it.
where the FU*K is scarjo?!?
I actually quite like the acting nomations (snubs notwithstanding, of course), but I miss the days that Indie Spirit noms would be full of actors and movies I was unfamiliar with. This year there's only Yolanda Ross in Go for Sisters.
I'm also happy that Diaz got nominated over Spencer in Fruitvale, definitely preferred her performance, if only it could translate to Oscar.
I completely get why Chandor is deserving in best director, but All Is Lost is really not that great of a film especially when compared to other recent survivalist films such as Gravity, Life of Pi, or even 12 Years a Slave and Captain Phillips. And don't get me started on Redford, all he did was physical actions i.e. repair the boat, fiddle with a battery, eat out of a can like a man, try to flip a raft, read… how does this translate to best acting especially in a year with numerous full-ranging, transformative and challenging performances from men, who actually have lines to read. Note to critics: looking aged and weathered when you are aged and weathered is EASIER and LESS IMPRESSIVE than actually adopting and developing a full character with lines that evolves and interacts with other characters in a fully realized cinematic world. Furthermore, the only lines Redford had to read were the opening narration and its one of the most ineffective, lifeless deliveries I've heard from a professional actor.
Sorry this is just my opinion thats been brewing for a while, needed to vent.
No James Franco for Spring Breakers is stupid! That is the sort of performance I'd expect this group to appreciate and acknowledge. Damn.
Yet again the only categories worth looking at the "below the line" categories. That editing roster is going to be pretty hard to beat for best five nominees all season long. Genuinely incredibly five editing nominees right there. And only one best feature correlation!
Still, for an awards body with the words "independent spirit" in the title I don't get much indie spirit from those feature nominees.
The Best Actor line up is so strong. ISA might be able to finally say "Oscar copy my list" this year.
Dino, I had to laugh out loud at your comments. Very funny and very true. To play devil's advocate without seeing Redford's performance, I do think actors have a formidable challenge when not being able to use dialog as a further tool to realize their performance. However, I must confess to being a fan of old Hollywood, and as such, I am a sucker for old movie stars getting recognition in the twilight of their years. I really have to work to keep my sentimentalism in check when it comes to this. LOL
Thanks for an entertaining post!
I like The Hunt and Blue is the Warmest Color quite a lot, but I'm really pulling for A Touch of Sin in the Foreign Category. It is just amazing.
Sebastian Silva's nomination as a first film is more farcical than Chbosky last year. He directed an Oscar-nominated foreign feature-length film! Fruitvale Station will probably win but This is Martin Bonner and Museum Hours are my favorites in the category.
Now back to regular scheduled stewing.......
GRETA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :'(
JULIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :'(
Now wondering if the two comedy performances split votes for a 6th nominee. No Amy Seimetz either and aside from the technical aspects of Upstream Color, I'd rather she be singled out and not the movie.
I hate the script for The Spectacular Now getting in. I just found the two performances (I consider Woodley supporting but clearly everybody is going in the opposite direction) righting the ship of a movie that is so heavy-handed and unsubtle in script and direction. If there was a place to give Frances Ha something, I thought it would be there if Greta was passed over since she has co-writing credits. NYFCC, you better not screw that film over either!
Yay to Yolanda Ross and Gaby Hoffmann. Nice to see smaller indies aka what used to be what these awards were for, getting recognition.
Blue will probably win Foreign Film despite the controversy. Aside from Gloria, the other nominees are not easy watches.
The Square vs. The Act of Killing in doc will probably be the match-up for the season.
billybil- Good question. I am even struck by the indie status of Spring Breakers. It had a backer in Annapurna (So wait, are Zero Dark Thirty and The Master indies too?) and a distributor that are more 'hip' than indie so I was frankly surprised to find them labeled as such.
Wow- all the acting categories minus Lead Actress are verrrry similar to what everyone is predicting as the Oscar nominees.
The actress omissions are a little bizarre. Ignoring my opinion that Woodley is supporting, I have to guess JLD and Greta canceled each other out. Also wished Amy Seimetz would've been there. She's the beating heart of chilly Upstream Color.
Even so, I thought the fact Gerwig had a co-authorship of the screenplay would land her there if this happened. I would swap that script for The Spectacular Now's unsubtle, heavy-handed script in a minute.
Really like the acknowledgment of Computer Chess' cinematography that is so essential the movie's aesthetic.
Well finding out that Spring Breakers is an indie despite coming out of the same house that gave us ZDT, The Master, Her, and American Hustle, I also join the chorus of people wondering why James Franco got no love.
John Sayles is one of my icons (local filmmaker and all) so I am thrilled for Yolanda Ross.
Wadjda is a dark-horse in the foreign category for the season. BITWC, out of the movies I have seen from the category, the movie I like it the most but I think what Wadjda represents overrides the Palme d'or winner. Same for the significance of The Square, although I really want The Act of Killing honored.
Yeah, I'd delete my first comment if I could. Completely misread Silva under the First Film when he was nominated for the Cassavetes Award.
Dino, you forget about his other line delivery, when he screams "F...!". It was one of the worst line deliveries I've ever heard. Was the the best take? I really hope people wake up to the fact "All is Lost" is simply an impressive piece of filmmaking? What exactly was the challenge here? I never got the sense he was at sea, but in a studio somewhere, especially the storm scenes and the waves, with the bubbly crystal clear water. I have nothing against Redford as a person, but acting is not really his strength and his directing can be very bland. Well, good luck to him. I'm sure he will feel the love in a way or another.
I still haven't even seen half of these movies, but it looks like we're getting a spectacular season.
Dino, you forget about his other line delivery, when he screams "F...!". It was one of the worst line deliveries I've ever heard. Was the the best take? I really hope people wake up to the fact "All is Lost" is simply an UNimpressive piece of filmmaking? What exactly was the challenge here? I never got the sense he was at sea, but in a studio somewhere, especially the storm scenes and the waves, with the bubbly crystal clear water. I have nothing against Redford as a person, but acting is not really his strength and his directing can be very bland. Well, good luck to him. I'm sure he will feel the love in a way or another.
Yay Sally Hawkins!!!!!!!!!!!
Just realized that with Paulson getting awarded along with the other actors in MUD, all four main actors in 12 YEARS A SLAVE were cited today (Ejiofor, Nyong’o, and Fassbender nominated in the main acting categories).
glad to see the countdown has begun, this is the first useful list pre[oscar imo. mikkelsen from the hunt would be considered a contender in a fair world of awards ( all i can add 2 above interesting comments)
I'm nowhere near as big a fan of Gerwig as plenty of internet folks, but yeah, it's ridiculous that she missed here.
What an interesting year. Instead of bitching about weak perfs getting in over a strong perf, we can bitch about really good perfs being passed over for other really good perfs. Its about time.
Computer Chess is a weird little movie. Worth seeing for a few zany performances, plot twists, and oh god there's one seduction scene that's to die for. (Plus it's short, and it's on Netflix!) The boxy, grainy, B&W approach is very 1980s and appropriate for the subject matter but I'm not sure it's "best"-worthy cinematography. Distinctive, sure, but leaving Frances Ha off that nomination list is a bit unforgivable.
I'm bittersweet on how close this list is to what we're expecting the Oscars to be. Good - indie films are being recognised at the Oscars! Not so good - this could have been the platform to highlight the less mentioned quality indie films that don't have a strong push behind them. So... bittersweet.
YAY Sally Hawkins though! \0/ She was absolutely awesome.
Haven't seen WARMEST yet (doesn't open in Oz until February), but the other four Foreign nominees are amongst the best films of 2013. If THE ACT OF KILLING made it to the Oscar noms with the three eligible ones, it would be my favourite line-up of Best Foreign Language ever (as long as the fifth spot didn't go to something dismal like THE GREAT PASSAGE).
IIRC, The Act of Killing was on the short-list for Denmark's foreign language film submissions (Oppenheimer's an ex-pat who got government funding) but The Hunt was chosen instead.
Apologies, you are correct, I meant THE MISSING PICTURE (getting my Asian documentaries on mass genocide mixed up - it's a common mistake, isn't it?)
travis - lol
MUSEEEUUUMM HOURSS!!!!!!
(I'm trying to focus on the positive.)
YES, Nat, you must see COMPUTER CHESS (Netflix Watch Instant) and MUSEUM HOURS. Two of the most peculiar, unassuming, and oddly humane (CC goes for cheekiness, where MH goes for wry compassion) films of the year. Oh, and incidentally two of my favorites of 2013.
First time caller ... I do find it curious that for all the critical love the 'Before' franchise gets, they are SOL when it comes to awards even in the year where they're basically the 'Iron Man 3' of indie film.
Or is it because they're the IM3 of indie film that they get shut out?
Or is Linklater just that much of an anomaly no matter what he does?
Or does it continue to look like he just turns on the camera, points and shoots while Hawke and Delpy 'be themselves'? How can awards committees award a movie that looks like no one did any work?
Also, while I find it curious, I don't necessarily find it *wrong* ... these movies have become, for the people involved as well as the fans, something beyond movies to some kind of shared experience that doesn't really need outside validation.
Still. This movie was about as indie as it got. They filmed without studio support. They did whatever they wanted (on the 2 later films) and got someone to distribute it based on reputation alone. Linklater's visual formalism deserves deeper consideration (I think we hear too much about the dialogue). These movies present an incredible model for young filmmakers to follow from writing to financing. Doesn't all that deserve a platform in the Spirit Awards?
I agree it seems peculiar that it missed out, but I also think it's wrong to think BEFORE MIDNIGHT is "as indie as it got".They were very much aware they'd get distribution and were given money by production companies that were very much aware of this.
Now, COMPUTER CHESS? UNA NOCHE? MUSEUM HOURS? They're pretty darn independent!
Can anyone explain to me the category of "Best International Film?" I am totally confused. I have seen British films nominated in this category, so it is in no way "Best Foreign Language Film." Have the rules changed? The name of the award has changed? What is going on ?
Thanks to whomever can clear this up for me.