Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave (NYFF51)

The Independent Spirit Awards unveiled their nominations Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, with the Best Feature category completely dominated by New York Film Festival alums. 12 Years A Slave, All Is Lost, Nebraska and Inside Llewyn Davis all screened at the 51st NYFF, while Frances Ha appeared in the 50th edition of the festival in 2012.

12 Years A Slave director Steve McQueen, All Is Lost's J.C. Chandor and NebraskaUpstream Color, NDNF '13) and Jeff Nichols (Mud) in the category. Best First Feature contenders went out to New Directors/New Films title Blue Caprice (Alexandre Moors) and NewFest's Concusssion (Stacie Passon), which were joined by Ryan Coogler's Sundance winner Fruitvale Station, Lucy Mulloy's Una Noche and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Language Oscar contender, Wadjda by Haifaa Al Mansour.

NYFF51 Gala Tribute honoree Cate Blanchett received a Best Female Lead nomination for her role in Blue Jasmine, while Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) and Robert Redford (All Is Lost) received nods in the Best Male Lead category.

Jehane Noujaim's The Square (NYFF51) and Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act Of Killing (NDNF '13) received nominations for Best Documentary. They were joined by Film Society first run titles 20 Feet From Stardom (Morgan Neville) and After Tiller (Martha Shane and Lana Wilson), as well as Dawn Porter's Gideon's Army.

Abdellatif Kechiche's Cannes Palme d'Or winner Blue Is The Warmest Color (France), Sebastián Lelio's Gloria (Chile), and Jia Zhang-ke's A Touch Of Sin (China) received Best International Film nods on Tuesday. The trio had their U.S. premieres at NYFF51. Also vying for a Spirit Award in the category are Paolo Sorrentino's The Great Beauty (Italy) and Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt (Denmark).


Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue Is the Warmest Color (NYFF51)

“The nominations this year are from such an amazing pool of talented film artists,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent, which produces the annual Spirit Awards. “Their work demonstrates the deep originality and uniqueness of vision that are at the heart of independent film. At Film Independent, we work all year round to promote that spirit, and the nominees celebrated here today are tremendous ambassadors for their crafts, both in front of and behind the camera.”

The Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, with the premiere broadcast airing later that evening at 10:00 pm ET/PT exclusively on IFC.

The  2013 Spirit Awards nominations follow:

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

Best Director:
Shane Carruth – Upstream Color
J.C. Chandor – All Is Lost
Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave
Jeff Nichols – Mud
Alexander Payne – Nebraska


Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing (NDNF '13)

Best Documentary:
20 Feet From Stardom
After Tiller
Gideon's Army
The Act of Killing
The Square

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

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


Alexandre Moors's Blue Caprice (NDND '13)

Best First Feature:
Alexandre Moors – Blue Caprice
Stacie Passon – Concussion
Ryan Coogler – Fruitvale Station
Lucy Mulloy – Una Noche
Haifaa Al Mansour – Wadjda

Best First Screenplay:
Lake Bell – In A World
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Don Jon
Bob Nelson – Nebraska
Jill Soloway – Afternoon Delight
Michael Starrbury – The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete
 
John Cassavetes Award (Best feature made for under $500,000):
Andrew Bujalski – Computer Chess
Sebastiàn Silva – Crystal Fairy 
Jem Cohen – Museum Hours
Yen Tan, David Lowery – Pit Stop
Chad Hartigan – This is Martin Bonner


Cate Blanchett in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine

Best Female Lead:
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:
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
Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave
Will Forte – Nebraska
James Gandolfini – Enough Said
Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club
Keith Stanfield – Short Term 12


Shane Carruth's Upstream Color (NDNF '13)

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
 
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast):
Winner: Mud
Director: Jeff Nichols
Casting Director: Francine Maisler
Ensemble Cast: Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant, Reese Witherspoon

17th Annual Piaget Producers Award
The 17th 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.

Winners: Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnston, Jacob Jaffke, Andrea Roa, Frederick Thornton



Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez's Manakamana (NYFF51)

20th Annual Someone To Watch Award
The 20th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. 

Aaron Douglas Johnston – My Sister's Quinceañera
Shaka King – Newlyweeds
Madeline Olnek – The Foxy Merkins

19th Annual Stella Artois Truer Than Fiction Award
The 19th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by Stella Artois, 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.

Kalyanee Mam – A River Changes Course
Jason Osder – Let the Fire Burn
Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez – Manakamana