‘Carol,’ ‘Beasts Of No Nation,’ & ‘Spotlight’ Lead 2016 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations

To borrow a Thanksgiving metaphor, if the Oscars are the turkey on the table, the Spirit Awards are the gravy. You can’t have one without the other, and so it goes with the awards season. While the Academy celebrates the starriest selections of the year, the Spirit Awards shine a light on the movies that might get lost amidst more monied campaigns. And while this year sees a major Oscar player lead the pack, look beyond and you’ll see plenty of smaller cinematic gems getting some attention.

Todd Haynes‘ "Carol" leads the Spirit Award nominees this year with six nods including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Female Lead, with both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara competing in the category. Coming in behind with five nominations is "Beasts Of No Nation," with good representation in the major categories as well. Tied with five is "Spotlight" which didn’t get any individual acting nods, but perhaps more appropriately, scooped the Robert Altman Award for ensemble work. Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson‘s "Anomalisa" rounds out the top contenders with four nods.

There are interesting surprises too. David Robert Mitchell‘s, "It Follows" has earned three nods including Best Director, while "Bone Tomahawk" came out of nowhere with two. Meanwhie, pictures like "Glass Chin," "99 Homes," and "Mississippi Grind" also got a glass raised to them.

Check out the full list of nominees below. The Indie Spirits will be handed out on February 27th.

Best Feature
“Anomalisa”
“Beasts Of No Nation”
“Carol”
“Spotlight”
“Tangerine”

Best First Feature
“James White”
“Manos Sucias”
“Mediterranea”
“Songs My Brother Taught Me”
“The Diary Of A Teenage Girl”

Best International Film
“A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence”
“Embrace Of The Serpent”
“Girlhood”
“Mustang”
“Son Of Saul”

Best Director
Cary Joji Fukunaga — “Beasts Of No Nation”
Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson — “Anomalisa”
David Robert Mitchell — “It Follows”
Sean Baker — “Tangerine”
Todd Haynes — “Carol”
Tom McCarthy — “Spotlight”

Best Female Lead
Bel Powley — “Diary Of A Teenage Girl”
Brie Larson — “Room”
Cate Blanchett — “Carol”
Katana Kiki Rodriguez — “Tangerine”
Rooney Mara — “Carol”

Best Male Lead
Abraham Attah — “Beasts Of No Nation”
Ben Mendelsohn — “Mississippi Grind”
Christopher Abbott — “James White”
Jason Segel — “The End Of The Tour”
Koudous Seihon — “Mediterranea”

Best Supporting Female
Cynthia Nixon — “James White”
Jennifer Jason Leigh — “Anomalisa”
Marin Ireland — “Glass Chin”
Mya Taylor — “Tangerine”
Robin Bartlett — “H.”

Best Supporting Male
Idris Elba — “Beasts Of No Nation”
Kevin Corrigan — “Results”
Michael Shannon — “99 Homes”
Paul Dano — “Love & Mercy”
Richard Jenkins — “Bone Tomahawk”

Best First Screenplay
Emma Donoghue — “Room”
Jesse Andrews — “Me And Earl And The Dying Girl”
John Magary, Russell Harbagh, Myna Joseph — “The Mend”
Jonas Carpignano — “Mediterranea”
Marielle Heller — “The Diary Of A Teenage Girl”

Best Screenplay
Charlie Kaufman — “Anomalisa”
Donald Marguiles — “The End Of The Tour”
Phyllis Nagy — “Carol”
S. Craig Zahler — “Bone Tomahawk”
Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer — “Spotlight”

Best Cinematography
Cary Joji Fukunaga — “Beasts Of No Nation”
Ed Lachman — “Carol”
Joshua James Richards — “Songs My Brother Taught Me”
Michael Giolakis — “It Follows”
Reed Morano — “Meadowland”

Best Documentary
“(T)error”
“Best Of Enemies”
“Heart Of A Dog”
“Meru”
“The Look Of Silence”
“The Russian Woodpecker”

Best Editing
Julio C. Perez IV — “It Follows”
Kristan Sprague — “Manos Sucias”
Nathan Nugent — “Room”
Ronald Bronstein and Benny Sadie — “Heaven Knows What”
Tom McArdle — “Spotlight”

John Cassavetes Award
“Advantageous”
“Christmas, Again”
“Heaven Knows What”
“Krisha”
“Out Of My Hand”

Robert Altman Award
“Spotlight”