In the months leading up to Sunday's 88th Academy Awards (i.e. "the white BET awards," as host Chris Rock has appropriately dubbed them), discussion surrounding its pale af roster of nominees has cast a pretty big shadow over smaller, though equally prestigious, awards ceremonies—and understandably so. But these have been the ones to watch. Just last month, the Screen Actors Guild Awards gave the metaphorical middle finger to the Oscars by both nominating and awarding last year's outstanding performances by Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder), Idris Elba (Luther, Beasts of No Nation), and Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black), among many other deserving recipients.
Tonight's 31st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, hosted by Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon and comedian Kumail Nanjiani, also offers a notably diverse roster of nominees. Beasts of No Nation was nominated in the Best Feature category, as was last year's low-budget critical darling Tangerine(a personal favorite that's criminally overlooked if we're being honest). Koudous Seihon was nominated for a Best Male Lead award for his performance in Mediterranea, as was Kitana Kiki Rodriguez for her role as Sin-Dee Rella in Tangerine. And while Best Feature is certainly a boast-worthy nod all on its own, Beasts of No Nation was also nominated in five additional categories. Just a night out from Leo's possible Oscar-winning spotlight, it seems the Indies are coming for the Academy Awards' diversity problem—and we're definitely here for it.
We'll be updating this post with tonight's winners as they're announced, so peep the full list below.
Best Feature
Anomalisa
Beasts of No Nation
Carol
Spotlight (WINNER)
Tangerine
Best Director
Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson, Anomalisa
Cary Joji Fukunaga, Beasts of No Nation
Todd Haynes, Carol
David Robert Mitchell, It Follows
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight (WINNER)
Sean Baker, Tangerine
Best Female Lead
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Rooney Mara, Carol
Bel Powley, The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Brie Larson, Room (WINNER)
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Tangerine
Best Male Lead
Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation (WINNER)
Jason Segel, The End of the Tour
Christopher Abbot, James White
Koudous Seihon, Mediterranea
Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind
Best Supporting Female
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anomalisa
Marin Ireland, Glass Chin
Robin Bartlett, H.
Cynthia Nixon, James White
Mya Taylor, Tangerine (WINNER)
Best Supporting Male
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation (WINNER)
Richard Jenkins, Bone Tomahawk
Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Kevin Corrigan, Results
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Best Screenplay
Anomalisa
Bone Tomahawk
Carol
The End of the Tour
Spotlight (WINNER)
Best First Feature
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (WINNER)
James White
Manos Sucas
Mediterranea
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Best First Screenplay
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Mediterranea
The Mend
Room (WINNER)
Best Editing
Beasts of No Nation
Heaven Knows What
It Follows
Room
Spotlight (WINNER)
Best Cinematography
Beasts of No Nation
Carol (WINNER)
It Follows
Meadowland
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Best Documentary
Best of Enemies
Heart of a Dog
The Look of Silence (WINNER)
Meru
The Russian Woodpecker
(T)error
Best International Film
Embrace of the Serpent
Girlhood
Mustang
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Son of Saul (WINNER)
John Cassavetes Award
Advantageous
Christmas, Again
Heaven Knows What
Krisha (WINNER)
Out of My Hand
Robert Altman Award
Spotlight
