Already tweaking from its recent Gotham Awards win, bleak meth-head drama Winter’s Bone also racked up several Independent Spirit Award nominations today, including nods for Best Feature, Director, Screenplay, Female Lead, Supporting Female Lead, Supporting Male Lead, and Cinematography, giving it the most nominations overall. The film will compete for Best Feature against 127 Hours, Black Swan, The Kids Are All Right, and Greenberg (expected Oscar contender The King’s Speech was limited by festival rules to Best Foreign Feature), while in the Best Female Lead category, star Jennifer Lawrence will go up against Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, Annette Bening, Michelle Williams, and Greta Gerwig. Interestingly, Williams’ nod was the sole nomination for Blue Valentine, which suggests that depressing sex scenes simply do not embody an “independent spirit,” unless they involve Greta Gerwig.
Other surprises: The Last Exorcism scored nods for Best Supporting Female and Best First Feature, while Julianne Moore was apparently the only part of The Kids Are All Right that Film Independent didn’t like. (Ditto Philip Seymour Hoffman in his directorial debut, Jack Goes Boating.) The full list of nominees is below; as always, the awards ceremony will be held in a big tent on Santa Monica beach the day before the Oscars on February 26. Joel McHale will host.
BEST FEATURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right
Winter’s Bone
BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone
John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole
BEST SCREENPLAY
Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Winter’s Bone
Nicole Holofcener, Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz, Life During Wartime
BEST FIRST FEATURE
Everything Strange and New
Get Low
Night Catches Us
The Last Exorcism
Tiny Furniture
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Diane Bell, Obselidia
Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture
Nik Fackler, Lovely, Still
Bob Glaudini, Jack Goes Boating
Dana Adam Shapiro, Evan M. Wiener, Monogamy
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD — (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
Daddy Longlegs
Lbs.
Lovers Of Hate
Obselidia
The Exploding Girl
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Greta Gerwig, Greenberg
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine