[11/25/2014 -The noms were announced by Rosario Dawson and Diego Luna at the W Hotel in Hollywood. The winners were announced Feb. 21, 2015 — the day before the Oscars — in ceremonies at the usual location in a white tent on Santa Monica Beach.]
2015 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMS & WINNERS!!
BEST FEATURE
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole
Other nominees:
Boyhood
Love is Strange
Selma
Whiplash
BEST DIRECTOR
Richard Linklater - "Boyhood"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Damien Chazelle - "Whiplash"
Ava DuVernay - "Selma"
Alejandro G. Iñárritu - "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
David Zellner - "Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter"
BEST SCREENPLAY
Dan Gilroy - "Nightcrawler"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski - "Big Eyes"
J.C. Chandor - "A Most Violent Year"
Jim Jarmusch - "Only Lovers Left Alive"
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias - "Love is Strange"
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Nightcrawler
Director: Dan Gilroy<--WINNER!!
Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak
Other nominees:
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Director: Ana Lily Amirpour)
Dear White People (Director/Producer: Justin Simien)
Obvious Child (Director: Gillian Robespierre)
She’s Lost Control (Director/Producer: Anja Marquardt)
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Justin Simien - "Dear White People"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Desiree Akhavan - "Appropriate Behavior"
Sara Colangelo - "Little Accidents"
Justin Lader - "The One I Love"
Anja Marquardt - "She’s Lost Control"
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
–Given to the best feature made for under $500,000.
Land Ho!
Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens<--WINNERS!!
Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy
Other nominees:
Blue Ruin (Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier)
It Felt Like Love (Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman)
Man From Reno (Writer/Director: Dave Boyle/Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman)
Test (Writer/Director/Producer: Chris Mason Johnson)
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Julianne Moore - "Still Alice"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Marion Cotillard - "The Immigrant"
Rinko Kikuchi - "Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter"
Jenny Slate - "Obvious Child"
Tilda Swinton - "Only Lovers Left Alive"
BEST MALE LEAD
Michael Keaton - "Birdman <--WINNER!!
or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
Other nominees:
André Benjamin - "Jimi: All Is By My Side"
Jake Gyllenhaal - "Nightcrawler"
John Lithgow - "Love is Strange"
David Oyelowo - "Selma"
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Patricia Arquette - "Boyhood"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Jessica Chastain - "A Most Violent Year"
Carmen Ejogo - "Selma"
Andrea Suarez Paz - "Stand Clear of the Closing Doors"
Emma Stone - "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
J.K. Simmons - "Whiplash"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Riz Ahmed - "Nightcrawler"
Ethan Hawke - "Boyhood"
Alfred Molina - "Love is Strange"
Edward Norton - "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Emmanuel Lubezki - "Birdman <--WINNER!! or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
Other nominees:
Darius Khondji - "The Immigrant"
Sean Porter - "It Felt Like Love"
Lyle Vincent - "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night"
Bradford Young - "Selma"
BEST EDITING
Tom Cross - "Whiplash"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Sandra Adair - "Boyhood"
John Gilroy - "Nightcrawler"
Ron Patane - "A Most Violent Year"
Adam Wingard - "The Guest"
BEST DOCUMENTARY
CITIZENFOUR
Director/Producer: Laura Poitras<--WINNER!!
Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
Other nominees:
20,000 Days on Earth (Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard)
The Salt of the Earth (Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders)
Stray Dog (Director: Debra Granik)
Virunga (Director/Producer: Orlando von Einsiedel)
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Ida (Poland) <--WINNER!!
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Other nominees:
Force Majeure (Sweden/Director: Ruben Östlund)
Leviathan (Russia/Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev)
Mommy (Canada/Director: Xavier Dolan)
Norte, the End of History (Philippines/Director: Lav Diaz)
Under the Skin (United Kingdom/Director: Jonathan Glazer)
[ALL awards below selected by various committees, NOT voted on by Film Independent individual members]
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
Inherent Vice
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis
Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon
SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
Foxcatcher
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik
Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum
18th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
–Producers Award honors emerging producers
Chad Burris
Elisabeth Holm
Chris Ohlson
21st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
–Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
H. (Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia)
20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
–Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
The Kill Team (Director: Dan Krauss)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2015 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMS & WINNERS!!
BEST FEATURE
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole
Other nominees:
Boyhood
Love is Strange
Selma
Whiplash
BEST DIRECTOR
Richard Linklater - "Boyhood"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Damien Chazelle - "Whiplash"
Ava DuVernay - "Selma"
Alejandro G. Iñárritu - "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
David Zellner - "Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter"
BEST SCREENPLAY
Dan Gilroy - "Nightcrawler"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski - "Big Eyes"
J.C. Chandor - "A Most Violent Year"
Jim Jarmusch - "Only Lovers Left Alive"
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias - "Love is Strange"
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Nightcrawler
Director: Dan Gilroy<--WINNER!!
Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak
Other nominees:
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Director: Ana Lily Amirpour)
Dear White People (Director/Producer: Justin Simien)
Obvious Child (Director: Gillian Robespierre)
She’s Lost Control (Director/Producer: Anja Marquardt)
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Justin Simien - "Dear White People"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Desiree Akhavan - "Appropriate Behavior"
Sara Colangelo - "Little Accidents"
Justin Lader - "The One I Love"
Anja Marquardt - "She’s Lost Control"
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
–Given to the best feature made for under $500,000.
Land Ho!
Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens<--WINNERS!!
Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy
Other nominees:
Blue Ruin (Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier)
It Felt Like Love (Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman)
Man From Reno (Writer/Director: Dave Boyle/Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman)
Test (Writer/Director/Producer: Chris Mason Johnson)
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Julianne Moore - "Still Alice"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Marion Cotillard - "The Immigrant"
Rinko Kikuchi - "Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter"
Jenny Slate - "Obvious Child"
Tilda Swinton - "Only Lovers Left Alive"
BEST MALE LEAD
Michael Keaton - "Birdman <--WINNER!!
or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
Other nominees:
André Benjamin - "Jimi: All Is By My Side"
Jake Gyllenhaal - "Nightcrawler"
John Lithgow - "Love is Strange"
David Oyelowo - "Selma"
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Patricia Arquette - "Boyhood"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Jessica Chastain - "A Most Violent Year"
Carmen Ejogo - "Selma"
Andrea Suarez Paz - "Stand Clear of the Closing Doors"
Emma Stone - "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
J.K. Simmons - "Whiplash"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Riz Ahmed - "Nightcrawler"
Ethan Hawke - "Boyhood"
Alfred Molina - "Love is Strange"
Edward Norton - "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Emmanuel Lubezki - "Birdman <--WINNER!! or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
Other nominees:
Darius Khondji - "The Immigrant"
Sean Porter - "It Felt Like Love"
Lyle Vincent - "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night"
Bradford Young - "Selma"
BEST EDITING
Tom Cross - "Whiplash"<--WINNER!!
Other nominees:
Sandra Adair - "Boyhood"
John Gilroy - "Nightcrawler"
Ron Patane - "A Most Violent Year"
Adam Wingard - "The Guest"
BEST DOCUMENTARY
CITIZENFOUR
Director/Producer: Laura Poitras<--WINNER!!
Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
Other nominees:
20,000 Days on Earth (Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard)
The Salt of the Earth (Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders)
Stray Dog (Director: Debra Granik)
Virunga (Director/Producer: Orlando von Einsiedel)
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Ida (Poland) <--WINNER!!
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Other nominees:
Force Majeure (Sweden/Director: Ruben Östlund)
Leviathan (Russia/Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev)
Mommy (Canada/Director: Xavier Dolan)
Norte, the End of History (Philippines/Director: Lav Diaz)
Under the Skin (United Kingdom/Director: Jonathan Glazer)
[ALL awards below selected by various committees, NOT voted on by Film Independent individual members]
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
Inherent Vice
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis
Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon
SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
Foxcatcher
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik
Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum
18th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
–Producers Award honors emerging producers
Chad Burris
Elisabeth Holm
Chris Ohlson
21st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
–Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
H. (Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia)
20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
–Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
The Kill Team (Director: Dan Krauss)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++