March 2014 will be one of the biggest months for the industry next year, with the Oscars held on March 2nd. The day before is equally one of the biggest days for the independent side of the industry, playing host to the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards.
The full list of nominations was announced this week, and leading the charge with an impressive seven nods out of fifteen categories is Steve McQueen’s acclaimed 12 Years a Slave. Alexander Payne’s Nebraska is not far behind with six to its name, followed by J.C. Chandor’s All Is Lost with four nominations.
Given the independent nature of the awards, some of the films featuring below are inevitably very different to those you can expect to see come January’s Academy Awards nominations announcement, and it’s great to see such titles getting the recognition they deserve on a platform like this.
Equally inevitably, there are always going to be talent that’s left off the lists, which many people feel were snubbed. This year, that comes in the form of Miles Teller for his leading performance in The Spectacular Now, who is unfortunately absent in the Best Male Lead category. Short Term 12 is similarly absent from Best Feature; and despite two nods for Frances Ha, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach are both absent from Best Female Lead and Best Director, respectively.
That being said, there is of course so much talent that is being recognised here, with Brie Larson getting a very well deserved Best Female Lead nod for her outstanding performance in Short Term 12, alongside Shailene Woodley in The Spectacular Now.
Oscar Isaac, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Michael B. Jordan stand tall in the Best Male Lead category alongside Bruce Dern, Matthew McConaughey, and Robert Redford.
And Will Forte and Keith Stanfield get the recognition they deserve in the Best Supporting Male category alongside Michael Fassbender, Jared Leto, and James Gandolfini.
The Best First Screenplay category features a stellar line-up of first-time writers, led by Lake Bell, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bob Nelson, Jill Soloway, and Michael Starrbury, and that category in particular is one I’m really looking forward to seeing the outcome of.
The 2014 Independent Spirit Awards will be held the day before the Oscars on March 1st, 2014. For now, here is the full list of nominations, and you can sound off in the comments below.
Best Feature
- 12 Years a Slave
- All Is Lost
- Frances Ha
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Nebraska
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 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 Female Lead
- Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
- Julie Delpy – Before Midnight
- Gaby Hoffmann – Crystal Fairy
- Brie Larson – Short Term 12
- 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
Best Supporting Female
- Melonie Diaz – Fruitvale Station
- Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine
- Lupita Nyong’O – 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 First Feature
- Blue Caprice
- Concussion
- Fruitvale Station
- Una Noche
- Wadjda
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
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 and David Lowery – Upstream Color
- Jem Cohen and Marc Vives – Museum Hours
- Jennifer Lame – Frances Ha
- Cindy Lee – Una Noche
- Nat Sanders – Short Term 12
Best Documentary
- 20 Feet from Stardom
- After Tiller
- Gideon’s Army
- The Act of Killing
- The Square
Best International Film
- A Touch of Sin – China
- Blue is the Warmest Color – France
- Gloria – Chile
- The Great Beauty – Italy
- The Hunt – Denmark
Robert Altman Award for Ensemble
- Mud
John Cassavetes Award for films made under $500,000
- Computer Chess
- Crystal Fairy
- Museum Hours
- Pit Stop
- This Is Martin Bonner
