Film Independent announced the nominees for the 2014 Spirit Awards on Tuesday, kicking off awards season in earnest by honoring the best of the year's independent films. Steve McQueen's "12 Years A Slave" led all films with seven nominations, followed by Alexander Payne's "Nebraska" with six nods. Both films were nominated for the Spirt Awards' Best Feature honor, alongside "All Is Lost," "Frances Ha" and "Inside Llewyn Davis."
Other indie films honored include "Fruitvale Station," "Dallas Buyers Club," "Blue Jasmine," "Short Term 12" and "The Spectacular Now." It was expected that "Lee Daniels' The Butler" and "August: Osage County," two releases from The Weinstein Company, could have factored into the nominations as well, but both films were left out. According to the Film Independent website, an film must have a budget of less than $20 million; "The Butler" had an estimated budget of $30 million (according to Box Office Mojo), while "August: Osage County" reportedly cost $25 million (via IMDb)
Check out the major nominations below. A full list of nominees can be found at the Film Independent site.
Best Feature: "12 Years A Slave," "All Is Lost," "Frances Ha," "Inside Llewyn Davis," "Nebraska"
Best Lead Female: 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")
Best Director: Shane Carruth "Upstream Color"), J.C. Chandor ("All Is Lost"), Steve McQueen ("12 Years A Slave"), Jeff Nichols ("Mud"), Alexander Payne ("Nebraska")
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")
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")
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