Call Me By Your Name; Lady Bird, Lead 33rd Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations

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Call Me By Your Name, the erotic story of discovery, officially became the Awards Seasons front runner landing six  Spirit Nominations; Get Out, five; Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, four; Three Billboards, and I, Tonya each secured three.

Film Independent announced the nominations for the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards and revealed that director Ava DuVernay will be this year’s Honorary Chair. Past Honorary Chairs include David Oyelowo, Jessica Chastain, Kerry Washington, Ang Lee and Martin Scorsese.

The Spirit Awards are the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, which cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and promote diversity in the industry. Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at the Jeremy Hotel in West Hollywood, with actors Lily Collins and Tessa Thompson presenting the nominations. Nominees for Best Feature included Call Me by Your Name, The Florida Project, Get Out, Lady Bird and The Rider.


Call Me By Your Name Review – Beautiful; Well Crafted Story of Discovery

“This year's nominations reflect the range and vitality of artist-driven, independent film,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “Diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision are the hallmarks of the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and the films this year powerfully embody all those qualities." 

"We are so happy to have Ava DuVernay as our Spirit Awards Honorary Chair," added Welsh, "Ava is a remarkable filmmaker – a writer, director and producer we have celebrated at the Spirit Awards and the LA Film Festival. More than that, she is a leader and a powerful voice for change, in the industry and beyond."

Mudbound was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts.

Winners, who are selected by Film Independent Members, will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, March 3, 2018. The awards ceremony co-hosted by Nick Kroll and John Mulaney will be held on the beach in Santa Monica, just north of the Santa Monica Pier. The show will broadcast live exclusively on IFC at 2:00 pm PT/ 5:00 pm ET.

Winners of the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants will be announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants and Nominee Brunch on Saturday, January 6, 2018, at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.


Mudbound Review – Exceptional Character Driven Performances; A Triumph

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 400 submissions this year and applied the following guidelines in determining the nominations: uniqueness of vision, original and provocative subject matter, economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost and individual compensation) and percentage of financing from independent sources. The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees are comprised of writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, actors, critics, casting directors, film festival programmers and other working film professionals.


2018 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)      

Call Me by Your Name         

Producers: Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Rodrigo Teixeira, Marco Morabito, James Ivory, Howard Rosenman

The Florida Project  

Producers: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Kevin Chinoy, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Francesca Silvestri, Shih-Ching Tsou

Get Out          

Producers: Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr., Sean McKittrick, Jordan Peele

Lady Bird      

Producers: Eli Bush, Evelyn O’Neill, Scott Rudin

The Rider      

Producers: Mollye Asher, Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche, Chloé Zhao

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)

Columbus

Director: Kogonada

Producers: Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Aaron Boyd, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz

Ingrid Goes West     

Director: Matt Spicer

Producers: Jared Ian Goldman, Adam Mirels, Robert Mirels, Aubrey Plaza, Tim White, Trevor White

Menashe

Director/Producer: Joshua Z. Weinstein

Producers: Yoni Brook, Traci Carlson, Daniel Finkelman, Alex Lipschultz

Oh Lucy!

Director/Producer: Atsuko Hirayanagi

Producers: Jessica Elbaum, Yukie Kito, Han West

Patti Cake$   

Director: Geremy Jasper

Producers: Chris Columbus, Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Noah Stahl, Rodrigo Teixeira

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.)

Dayveon      

Writer/Director/Producer: Amman Abbasi

Writer: Steven Reneau

Producers: Lachion Buckingham, Alexander Uhlmann

A Ghost Story         

Writer/Director: David Lowery

Producers: Adam Donaghey, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston

Life and nothing more       

Writer/Director: Antonio Méndez Esparza

Producers: Amadeo Hernández Bueno, Alvaro Portanet Hernández, Pedro Hernández Santos

Most Beautiful Island         

Writer/Director/Producer: Ana Asensio

Producers: Larry Fessenden, Noah Greenberg, Chadd Harbold, Jenn Wexler

The Transfiguration

Writer/Director: Michael O'Shea

Producer: Susan Leber

BEST DIRECTOR

Sean Baker

The Florida Project    

Jonas Carpignano

A Ciambra      

Luca Guadagnino

Call Me by Your Name          

Jordan Peele

Get Out          

Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

Good Time     

Chloé Zhao

The Rider       

BEST SCREENPLAY

Greta Gerwig

Lady Bird        

Azazel Jacobs

The Lovers     

Martin McDonagh

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri   

Jordan Peele

Get Out          

Mike White

Beatriz at Dinner

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Kris Avedisian

Story By: Kyle Espeleta, Jesse Wakeman

Donald Cried  

Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani

The Big Sick  

Ingrid Jungermann

Women Who Kill

Kogonada

Columbus       

David Branson Smith, Matt Spicer

Ingrid Goes West

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Thimios Bakatakis

The Killing of a Sacred Deer 

Elisha Christian

Columbus       

Hélène Louvart

Beach Rats    

Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

Call Me by Your Name          

Joshua James Richards

The Rider

BEST EDITING         

Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie

Good Time

Walter Fasano

Call Me by Your Name          

Alex O'Flinn

The Rider

Gregory Plotkin

Get Out          

Tatiana S. Riegel

I, Tonya          

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Salma Hayek

Beatriz at Dinner        

Frances McDormand

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

Margot Robbie

I, Tonya

Saoirse Ronan

Lady Bird        

Shinobu Terajima

Oh Lucy!        

           

Regina Williams

Life and nothing more

BEST MALE LEAD

Timothée Chalamet

Call Me by Your Name

Harris Dickinson

Beach Rats    

James Franco

The Disaster Artist

Daniel Kaluuya

Get Out          

Robert Pattinson

Good Time     

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Holly Hunter

The Big Sick

Allison Janney

I, Tonya          

Laurie Metcalf

Lady Bird                    

Lois Smith

Marjorie Prime

Taliah Lennice Webster

Good Time

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Nnamdi Asomugha

Crown Heights                       

Armie Hammer

Call Me by Your Name          

Barry Keoghan

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Sam Rockwell

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri   

Benny Safdie

Good Time

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD - Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast

Mudbound

Director: Dee Rees

Casting Directors: Billy Hopkins, Ashley Ingram

Ensemble Cast: Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan, Carey Mulligan

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)

 The Departure          

Director/Producer: Lana Wilson

Faces Places

Directors: Agnés Varda, JR

Producer: Rosalie Varda

Last Men in Aleppo 

Director: Feras Fayyad

Producers: Kareem Abeed, Søeren Steen Jespersen, Stefan Kloos

Motherland   

Director/Producer: Ramona S. Diaz

Producer: Rey Cuerdo

Quest

Director: Jonathan Olshefski

Producer: Sabrina Schmidt Gordon

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)

BPM (Beats Per Minute)      

France

Director: Robin Campillo

A Fantastic Woman 

Chile

Director: Sebastián Lelio

I Am Not a Witch      

Zambia

Director: Rungano Nyoni

Lady Macbeth           

U.K.

Director: William Oldroyd

Loveless        

Russia

Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev

BONNIE AWARD – Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo joined American Airlines in 1973 at age 24, becoming the first female pilot to fly for a major U.S. airline. In her honor, the inaugural Bonnie Award will recognize a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant, sponsored by American Airlines.

So Yong Kim

Lynn Shelton

Chloé Zhao

JEEP TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 23rd annual Truer Than Fiction Award, funded by the Jeep brand, 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 the Jeep brand.

Shevaun Mizrahi

Director of Distant Constellation        

Jonathan Olshefski

Director of Quest       

Jeff Unay

Director of The Cage Fighter

KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 24th annual Someone to Watch Award, funded 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.

Amman Abbasi

Director of Dayveon

Justin Chon

Director of Gook        

Kevin Phillips

Director of Super Dark Times

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 21st annual Producers Award, funded 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.

Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim

Ben LeClair

Summer Shelton


In addition, Visit Seattle will fund the Seattle Story Award, which is still open for nominations. The winning filmmaker will exhibit innovation, diversity and uniqueness of vision while having a history of transforming perspectives through rich stories. The recipient will receive a $25,000 cash grant to create a short film inspired by Seattle’s independent spirit. This film will premiere during the Spirit Awards broadcast.