AWARDS: Nominees list for the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards

Full nominees list of 2009 Spirit Awards:

Feature (Award given to the producer):

"Ballast" – Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
"Frozen River" – Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae
"Rachel Getting Married" – Producers: Jonathan Demme, Neda Armin, Marc Platt
"Wendy and Lucy" – Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani
"The Wrestler" – Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin

Director:

Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Tom McCarthy, "The Visitor"

First Feature (Award given to the director and producer):

"Afterschool" – Director: Antonio Campos, Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond
"Medicine for Melancholy" – Director: Barry Jenkins, Producer: Justin Barber
"Sangre De Mi Sangre" – Director: Christopher Zalla, Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell
"Sleep Dealer" – Director: Alex Rivera, Producer: Anthony Bregman
"Synecdoche, New York" – Director: Charlie Kaufman, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel

Male Lead:

Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Female Lead:
 
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"

Supporting Male:

James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
Jim Myron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"

Supporting Female:

Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"

Screenplay:

Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre De Mi Sangre"

First Screenplay:

Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"
Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"

Cinematography:

Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crawley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"

John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer):

"In Search of a Midnight Kiss" – Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge; Producers: Seth Caplan, Scoot McNairy
"Prince of Broadway" – Director: Sean Baker; Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean; Producer: Darren Dean
"The Signal" – Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry; Producers: Jacob Gentry, Alexander Motlagh
"Take Out" – Writer/Director/Producers: Sean Baker, Shih-Ching Tsou
"Turn the River" – Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman; Producer: Ami Armstrong

Documentary (Award given to the director):

"The Betrayal" – Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World" – Director: Werner Herzog
"Man on Wire" – Director: James Marsh
"The Order of Myths" – Director: Margaret Brown
"Up the Yangtze" – Director: Yung Chang

Foreign Film:

"The Class" (France) – Director: Laurent Cantet
"Gomorra" (Italy) – Director: Matteo Garrone
"Hunger" (UK/Ireland) – Director: Steve McQueen
"Secret of the Grain" (France) – Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany) – Director: Carlos Reygadas

IFC/Acura Someone to Watch Award:

Barry Jenkins, director of "Medicine for Melancholy"
Nina Paley, director of "Sita Sings the Blues"
Lynn Shelton, director of "My Effortless Brilliance"

Truer Than Fiction Award:

Margaret Brown, director of "The Order of Myths"
Sacha Gervasi, director of "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
Darius Marder, director of "Loot"

Piaget Producers Award:

Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, producers of "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"
Jason Orans, producer of "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish"
Heather Rae, producer of "Frozen River"

Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director, and its ensemble cast): "Synecdoche, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest and Michelle Williams