Independent Spirit Awards - UPDATED: WINNERS - 2016

It's about that time - time for my rather dead blog to get active again! I seem to have an issue keeping it going unless it's awards season. At least I don't have angry readers clamoring for more - maybe next year I can try to get into a better pattern.

This is the first announcement for awards season! I've recently moved to Kitchener, so I'm going to have to figure out a way to watch my shows without cable. Meanwhile, Independent Spirit Awards nominations!

BEST FEATURE
Anomalisa
Beasts of No Nation
Carol
Spotlight
Tangerine

BEST FIRST FEATURE
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
James White
Manos Sucias
Mediterranea
Songs My Brothers Taught Me

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Jesse Andrews - Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Joseph Carpignano - Mediterranea
Emma Donoghue - Room
Marielle Heller - The Diary of a Teenage Girl
John Magary, Russell Harbaugh, Myna Joseph - The Mend

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
Sean Baker - Tangerine

BEST SCREENPLAY
Charlie Kaufman - Anamalisa
Donald Margulies - The End of the Tour
Phyllis Nagy - Carol
Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer - Spotlight
S. Craig Zahler - Bone Tomahawk

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (BEST FEATURE UNDER $500,000)
Advantageous
Christmas, Again
Heaven Knows What
Krisha
Out Of My Hand

BEST MALE LEAD
Christopher Abbott - James White
Abraham Attah - Beasts of No Nation
Ben Mendelsohn - Mississippi Grind
Jason Segel - The End of the Tour
Koudous Seihon - Mediterranea

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Cate Blanchett - Carol
Brie Larson - Room
Rooney Mara - Carol
Bel Powley - The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez - Tangerine

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Kevin Corrigan - Results
Paul Dano - Love & Mercy
Idris Elba - Beasts of No Nation
Richard Jenkins - Bone Tomahawk
Michael Shannon - 99 Homes

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Robin Bartlett - H.
Marin Ireland - Glass Chin
Jennifer Jason Leigh - Anomalisa
Cynthia Nixon - James White
Mya Taylor - Tangerine

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Cary Joji Fukunaga - Beasts of No Nation
Ed Lachman - Carol
Michael Gioulakis - It Follows
Reed Morano - Meadowland
Joshua James Richards - Songs My Brothers Taught Me

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Embrace of the Serpent (El Abrazo De La Serpiente)
Girlhood
Mustang
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Son of Saul

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Best of Enemies
Heart of a Dog
The Look of Silence
Meru
The Russian Woodpecker
(T)ERROR

BEST EDITING
Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie - Heaven Knows What
Tom McArdle - Spotlight
Nathan Nugent - Room
Julio C. Perez IV - It Follows
Kristan Sprague - Manos Sucias

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (BEST ENSEMBLE)
Spotlight

KIEHL'S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Chloe Zhoa
Felix Thompson
Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
Darren Dean
Mel Eslyn
Rebecca Green & Laura D. Smith

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Alex Sichel & Elizabeth Giamatti
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Hemal Trivedi & Mohammed Ali Naqvi

I'm loving the relative unknowns in the leading role and big nominations. It's one of the reasons I adore the Independent Spirit Awards.

Also, It Follows is an excellent film. Really creepy, but really well put together, and not B class at all.

UPDATED: Still loving the fact that the big names aren't the only ones winning! (Better than the Oscars with the diversity for sure.) And Spotlight is winning big; I still haven't seen it (I'm always later with the awards films) but I've heard it certainly deserves it! Tonight will be an interesting race. I'll be live-tweeting on Twitter from an event  here in Kitchener!