'12 Years a Slave' Leads the Nominations for the Annual Spirit Awards

The historical drama "12 Years a Slave" earned a leading seven nominations today for the 29th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, while the father-son road trip comedy-drama "Nebraska" collected six.

The films were both nominated for best feature, along with Robert Redford's maritime drama "All is Lost," the Noah Baumbach comedy-drama "Frances Ha" and the Coen brothers' folk-music tale "Inside Llewyn Davis."

The Spirit Awards, which recognize artistic films made with limited budgets, will be presented March 1 during a luncheon in a tent near the beach in Santa Monica. Actor Patton Oswald will host the event.

"12 Years a Slave" director Steve McQueen earned a nod for best director, along with Jeff Nichols for "Mud," Alexander Payne for "Nebraska," Shane Carruth for "Upstream Color" and J.C. Chandor for "All is Lost."

Bruce Dern was nominated for best actor for "Nebraska," as were Chiwetel Ejiofor for "12 Years a Slave," Oscar Isaac for "Inside Llewyn Davis," Michael B. Jordan for "Fruitvale Station," Matthew McConaughey for "Dallas Buyers Club" and Redford for "All is Lost."

Nominated for best actress were Cate Blanchett for "Blue Jasmine," Julie Delpy for "Before Midnight," Gaby Hoffman for "Crystal Fairy," Brie Larson for "Short Term 12" and Shailene Woodley for "The Spectacular Now."

"Mud," the story of a stranger who's arrival shakes up the lives of two teenage boys in a small Arkansas town, will receive the Robert Altman Award, which honors a film's director, casting director and ensemble cast.

"The nominations this year are from such an amazing pool of talented film artists," according to Josh Welsh, president of Film Independent. "Their work demonstrates the deep originality and uniqueness of vision that are at the heart of independent film. At Film Independent, we work all year round to promote that spirit, and the nominees celebrated here today are tremendous ambassadors for their crafts, both in front of and behind the camera."

— City News Service