2013 Independent Spirit Award nominations

12 Years a Slave

Our favorite season has finally arrived! No, not the holiday season, but that utterly amazing and beautiful Award Season! As most cinephiles, we here at Moviefied look forward to the Award Season like children looking forward to Christmas. Will our favorite films be recognized? Will the various academies and guilds bestow upon them the glory of a nomination or the sweet validation of a win? We can only close our eyes, cross our fingers, and hope for the best.

Today, the Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced. Traditionally, the Independent Spirit Awards are handed out the same weekend as the Oscars and this year will be no different. Hosted by Patton Oswalt, the awards will be announced on Saturday, March 1, 2014.

Leading the nominations this year is Steve McQueen’s brutal slavery epic, 12 Years a Slave with seven nominations. Alexander Payne’s Nebraska was right behind it with six nominations. While Slave is seen as an Oscar favorite this year, the Spirit Awards might be the perfect spring board for Nebraska to nab a few nominations.

A Moviefied favorite, Short Term 12, received three nominations, including Best Female Lead for Brie Larson and Best Supporting Male for Keith Stanfield. Larson’s nomination does not come as a shock due to the universal praise she has received for her performance and her nomination for a Gotham Award. However, Stanfield’s well-deserved nomination comes as a surprise since most of the early awards attention has been focused on Larson’s performance.

What do you think, movie lovers? Any surprises you are thrilled about? Any snubs making you want to picket the awards? Tweet us to let us know .

Below is the full list of nominations:

BEST FEATURE

Nebraska

12 Years a Slave
All Is Lost
Frances Ha
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

BEST DIRECTOR

Michael Fassbender & Steve McQueen

Upstream Color, Shane Carruth
All is Lost, J.C. Chandor
12 Years a Slave, Steve McQueen
Mud, Jeff Nichols
Nebraska, Alexander Payne

BEST SCREENPLAY
Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen
Before Midnight, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater
Enough Said, Nicole Holofcener
The Spectacular Now, Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
12 Years a Slave, John Ridley

BEST FIRST FEATURE

Una Noche

Blue Caprice
Concussion
Fruitvale Station
Una Noche
Wadjda

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
In A World, Lake Bell
Don Jon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Nebraska, Bob Nelson
Afternoon Delight, Jill Soloway
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, Michael Starrbury

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – (Best Feature made for under $500,000)

Museum Hours

Computer Chess
Crystal Fairy
Museum Hours
Pit Stop
This is Martin Bonner

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Brie Larson

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

Matthew McConaughey

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
Yolonda Ross, Go For Sisters
June Squibb, Nebraska

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Keith Stanfield

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Will Forte, Nebraska
James Gandolfini, Enough Said
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Keith Stanfield, Short Term 12

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 & David Lowery, Upstream Color
Jem Cohen & Marc Vives, Museum Hours
Jennifer Lame, Frances Ha
Cindy Lee, Una Noche
Nat Sanders, Short Term 12

BEST DOCUMENTARY

The Act of Killing

20 Feet From Stardom
After Tiller
Gideon’s Army
The Act of Killing
The Square

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

Blue is the Warmest Color

A Touch of Sin (China)
Blue is the Warmest Color (France)
Gloria (Chile)
The Great Beauty (Italy)
The Hunt (Denmark)

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Ensemble Cast)
Mud

17th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnston
Jacob Jaffke
Andrea Roa
Frederick Thornton

SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
My Sister’s Quinceañera, director Aaron Douglas Johnston
Newlyweeds, director Shaka King
The Foxy Merkins, director Madeline Olnek

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Kalyanee Mam, A River Changes Course
Jason Osder, Let the Fire Burn
Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez, Manakamana