And the Spirit Award Nominees Are…

Glad to see Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There getting much Spirit Awards loving with four nominations plus the Robert Altman Award. Also glad to see Tamara Jenkins recognized for The Savages even if that film didn’t get a Best Feature nomination. Congrats to Once and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days for the Foreign Film recognition. Not surprisingly, Juno got 5 total nominations including Best Feature, Director, First Screenplay, Actress and Supporting Actor. It kind of feels like Juno vs. I’m Not There. Let’s just say I’m rooting for Todd Haynes.
All the nominees after the jump…
Selected from 200 films by 45 nominating members, here are the nominees for the 2008 Spirit Awards:
Best Feature
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Jon Kilik - I’m Not There
Producers: Christine Vachon, John Sloss, John Goldwyn, James D. Stern - Juno
Producers: Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Mason Novick, Russell Smith - A Mighty Heart
Producers: Dede Gardner, Andrew Eaton, Brad Pitt - Paranoid Park
Producers: Neil Kopp, David Cress
Best Director
- Todd Haynes
I’m Not There - Tamara Jenkins
The Savages - Jason Reitman
Juno - Julian Schnabel
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Gus Van Sant
Paranoid Park
Best First Feature
- 2 Days in Paris
Director: Julie Delpy
Producers: Julie Delpy, Christophe Mazodier, Thierry Potok - Great World of Sound
Director: Craig Zobel
Producers: Melissa Palmer, David Gordon Green, Richard Wright, Craig Zobel - The Lookout
Director: Scott Frank
Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Laurence Mark, Walter Parkes - Rocket Science
Director: Jeffrey Blitz
Producers: Effie T. Brown, Sean Welch - Vanaja
Director: Rajnesh Domalpalli
Producer: Latha R. Domalapalli
John Cassavettes Award
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
- August Evening
Writer/Director: Chris Eska
Producers: Connie Hill, Jason Wehling - Owl and the Sparrow
Writer/Director: Stephane Gauger
Producers: Nguyen Van Quan, Doan Nhat Nam, Stephane Gauger - The Pool
Director: Chris Smith
Producer: Kate Noble
Writer: Chris Smith & Randy Russell - Quiet City
Director: Aaron Katz
Producers: Brendan McFadden, Ben Stambler
Writers: Aaron Katz, Erin Fisher, Cris Lankenau - Shotgun Stories
Writer/Director: Jeff Nichols
Producers: David Gordon Green, Lisa Muskat, Jeff Nichols
Best Screenplay
- Ronald Harwood
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Tamara Jenkins
The Savages - Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner
Starting Out in the Evening - Adrienne Shelly
Waitress - Mike White
Year of the Dog
Best First Screenplay
- Jeffrey Blitz
Rocket Science - Zoe Cassavetes
Broken English - Diablo Cody
Juno - Kelly Masterson
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead - John Orloff
A Mighty Heart
Best Female Lead
- Angelina Jolie
A Mighty Heart - Sienna Miller
Interview - Ellen Page
Juno - Parker Posey
Broken English - Tang Wei
Lust, Caution
Best Male Lead
- Pedro Castaneda
August Evening - Don Cheadle
Talk To Me - Philip Seymour Hoffman
The Savages - Frank Langella
Starting Out in the Evening - Tony Leung
Lust, Caution
Best Supporting Female
- Cate Blanchett
I’m Not There - Anna Kendrick
Rocket Science - Jennifer Jason Leigh
Margot at the Wedding - Tamara Podemski
Four Sheets to the Wind - Marisa Tomei
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Best Supporting Male
- Chiwetel Ejiofor
Talk To Me - Marcus Carl Franklin
I’m Not There - Kene Holliday
Great World of Sound - Irrfan Khan
The Namesake - Steve Zahn
Rescue Dawn
Best Cinematography
- Mott Hupfel
The Savages - Janusz Kaminski
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Milton Kam
Vanaja - Mihai Malaimare, Jr.
Youth Without Youth - Rodrigo Prieto
Lust, Caution
Best Documentary
- Crazy Love
Director: Dan Klores - Lake of Fire
Director: Tony Kaye - Manufactured Landscapes
Director: Jennifer Baichwal - The Monastery
Director: Pernille Rose Grønkjær - The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair
Directors: Petra Epperlein & Michael Tucker
Best Foreign Film
- 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Director: Cristian Mungiu
(Romania) - The Band’s Visit
Director: Eran Kolirin
(Israel) - Lady Chatterley
Director: Pascale Ferran
(France) - Once
Director: John Carney
(Ireland) - Persepolis
Directors: Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi
(France)
1st Annual ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(Given to one film’s director, casting director and its ensemble cast)
- I’m Not There
Director: Todd Haynes
Casting Director: Laura Rosenthal
Ensemble Cast: Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Bruce Greenwood
The awards telecast will be broadcast on IFC on February 23, 2008.
Yay for Once! And for the Lust, Caution’s cast and cinematographer. I also really like the nomination for The Lookout. I’ve yet to see many of the nominated films, including I’m Not There, and this recognition only increases my interest in them.
Craig, you should be nominated for the Film Website Independent Spirit Awards :-)
Thanks Sartre. I have to admit when it comes to breaking and in depth news….I’m overmatched. But if I see something that’s in my wheelhouse, you’ll hear about it.
juno…for best feature ??? ok i haven’t seen juno…
but it seems juno mets the the very normal film that’s gets marketed as indie.(put out by an ‘indie’ distro) think that people eat up….
an than when you mention ‘indie’ to the geral public they say something like juno or the queen(and they think their so cutting edge for being brave enough to watch these..)
am i close ??????
I think you’re right on Glimmer my friend. Juno is a wolf in indie sheep’s clothing.
That’s not to say its original intentions weren’t pure. The script by the lovely Ms. Diablo Cody and the performance by spunky Ellen Page have a lot going for them. I feel like something was lost along the way though. I dont know though. I want to see it again when it comes out. Maybe I’ll see it in a different light.
Bodes well for my foray into Lust, Caution. Smile or no smile? “You won’t leave the theater with a smile on your face.” But Tony put a smile on your face? The Reel Geezers “predicted” acting and cinemetography –
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gNoYavsUp7o&feature=related
Tony didn’t put a smile on my face but DDL did. Lust Caution is no ‘dramedy’, that’s all I’m saying T.
Sure, sure. More awards, less shut outs. Best:
comedy-ironic/sardonic
comedy-gut busting
musical-song and dance
musical-music as story
animated-adult
animated-kid
drama-period
drama-current
drama-futuristic
That’s right. Totally watered down just to keep everyone happy.
Apologies to everyone who thinks we’re insane. This is a carryover from another thread in another land.