August 28, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Film Independent Spirit Awards to be presented on Santa Monica beach

The Spirit Awards will be presented during a luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. (Thinkstock)
The Spirit Awards will be presented during a luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. (Thinkstock)

“Birdman,” the Oscar-nominated dark comedy about a washed-up actor trying to revive his career, has a leading six nominations for the 30th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honor the best of independent cinema and will be presented today on the beach in Santa Monica.

“Boyhood,” “Nightcrawler” and “Selma” each have five nominations.

“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” and fellow best- picture Oscar nominees “Boyhood,” “Selma” and “Whiplash” are nominated for best feature, along with “Love is Strange.”

Michael Keaton is nominated for best male lead for his role in “Birdman,” as are Andre Benjamin for “Jimi: All is By My Side,” Jake Gyllenhaal for “Nightcrawler,” John Lithgow for “Love is Strange” and David Oyelowo for “Selma.”

Nominees for best female lead are Marion Cotillard for “The Immigrant,” Rinko Kikuchi for “Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter,” Julianne Moore for “Still Alice,” Jenny Slate for “Obvious Child” and Tilda Swinton for “Only Lovers Left Alive.”

Moore has been sweeping most of the awards in the category, and is a favorite heading into Sunday’s Oscars.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s detective drama “Inherent Vice” will receive Film Independent’s Robert Altman Award, which honors a film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.

The film “is a testament to the spirit of Altman’s tradition of artistic collaboration,” said John Welsh, president of Film Independent. “The film features an exquisite ensemble of actors masterfully directed and cast.”

The Spirit Awards will be presented during a luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.

Here is a complete list of nominees: BEST FEATURE  (Award given to the producer; executive producers are not awarded.)

— “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” Producers: Alejandro G. Inarritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole

— “Boyhood,” Producers: Richard Linklater, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, Cathleen Sutherland

— “Love is Strange,” Producers: Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, Jay Van Hoy

— “Selma,” Producers: Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey

— “Whiplash,” Producers: Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak BEST DIRECTOR

— Damien Chazelle, “Whiplash”

— Ava DuVernay, “Selma”

— Alejandro G. Inarritu, “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”

— Richard Linklater, “Boyhood”

— David Zellner, “Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter” BEST SCREENPLAY

— Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski, “Big Eyes”

— J.C. Chandor, “A Most Violent Year”

— Dan Gilroy, “Nightcrawler”

— Jim Jarmusch, “Only Lovers Left Alive”

— Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias, “Love is Strange” BEST FIRST FEATURE  (Award given to the director and producer.)

— “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” Director: Ana Lily Amirpour; Producers: Justin Begnaud, Sina Sayyah

— “Dear White People,” Director/Producer: Justin Simien; Producers: Effie T. Brown, Ann Le, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe

— “Nightcrawler,” Director: Dan Gilroy; Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak

— “Obvious Child,” Director: Gillian Robespierre; Producer: Elisabeth Holm

— “She’s Lost Control,” Director/Producer: Anja Marquardt; Producers: Mollye Asher, Kiara C. Jones BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

— Desiree Akhavan, “Appropriate Behavior”

— Sara Colangelo, “Little Accidents”

— Justin Lader, “The One I Love”

— Anja Marquardt, “She’s Lost Control”

— Justin Simien, “Dear White People” JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD  (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer; executive producers are not awarded.

— “Blue Ruin,” Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier; Producers: Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani

— “It Felt Like Love,” Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman; Producers: Shrihari Sathe, Laura Wagner

— “Land Ho!,” Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens; Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy

— “Man From Reno,” Writer/Director: Dave Boyle; Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman; Producer: Ko Mori

— “Test,” Writer/Director/Producer: Chris Mason Johnson; Producer: Chris Martin BEST FEMALE LEAD

— Marion Cotillard, “The Immigrant”

— Rinko Kikuchi, “Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter”

— Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”

— Jenny Slate, “Obvious Child”

— Tilda Swinton, “Only Lovers Left Alive” BEST MALE LEAD

— Andre Benjamin, “Jimi: All Is By My Side”

— Jake Gyllenhaal, “Nightcrawler”

— Michael Keaton, “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”

— John Lithgow, “Love is Strange”

— David Oyelowo, “Selma” BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

— Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”

— 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

— Riz Ahmed, “Nightcrawler”

— Ethan Hawke, “Boyhood”

— Alfred Molina, “Love is Strange”

— Edward Norton, “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”

— J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash” BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

— Darius Khondji, “The Immigrant”

— Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”

— Sean Porter, “It Felt Like Love”

— Lyle Vincent, “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”

— Bradford Young, “Selma” BEST EDITING

— Sandra Adair, “Boyhood”

— Tom Cross, “Whiplash”

— John Gilroy, “Nightcrawler”

— Ron Patane, “A Most Violent Year”

— Adam Wingard, “The Guest” BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer.)

— “20,000 Days on Earth,” Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard; Producers: Dan Bowen, James Wilson

— “CITIZENFOUR,” Director/Producer: Laura Poitras; Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky

— “Stray Dog,” Director: Debra Granik; Producer: Anne Rosellini

— “The Salt of the Earth,” Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders; Producer: David Rosier

— “Virunga,” Director/Producer: Orlando Von Einsiedel; Producer: Joanna Natasegara BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM  (Award given to the director.)

— “Force Majeure,” (Sweden); Director: Ruben Ostlund

— “Ida,” (Poland); Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

— “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 ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD  (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.)

— “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 – The 18th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.

— Chad Burris

— Elisabeth Holm

— Chris Ohlson 21st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 21st annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.

— “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

— “H.,” Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia

— “The Retrieval,” Director: Chris Eska 20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 20th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters.

— “Approaching the Elephant,” Director: Amanda Rose Wilder

— “Evolution of a Criminal,” Director: Darius Clark Monroe

— “The Kill Team,” Director: Dan Krauss

— “strong>The Last Season,” Director: Sara Dosa

 

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