Romantic flick racks up six nods
LOS ANGELES — The romantic coming-of-age film “Call Me By Your Name” has a leading six Film Independent Spirit Award nominations, followed by Jordan Peele’s satirical horror “Get Out” and the Robert Pattinson thriller “Good Time” with five nominations each.
Actresses Tessa Thompson and Lily Collins announced the nominees for the 33rd installment of the awards show Tuesday.
Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name,” a lush romance set in 1980s Italy, was also recognized for directing, cinematography and editing. Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer’s received acting nominations for their performances.
Jordan Peele, meanwhile, picked up a directing and screenplay nod for “Get Out,” the box office hit and cultural phenomenon that has translated its momentum into awards buzz and nominations. Actor Daniel Kaluuya was nominated for his leading performance as a man visiting his white girlfriend’s family in the country.
“Get Out” and “Call Me By Your Name” are competing for Best Feature alongside Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project,” Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” and Chloe Zhao’s cowboy drama “The Rider.”
Oscar hopefuls are sprinkled throughout each category of the awards recognizing achievements in independent film. For the past four years, the Indie Spirit best feature winner matched the Oscar best picture winner, with “12 Years a Slave,” “Birdman,” “Spotlight” and “Moonlight.”
Notably Gerwig did not receive a directing nomination for “Lady Bird” but did pick up a screenplay nod. Acting recognition nods were given to Saoirse Ronan (lead) and Laurie Metcalf (supporting).
In addition to Peele and Guadagnino, nominated directors include Baker (“The Florida Project”), Zhao (“The Rider”), Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie (“Good Time”) and Jonas Carpignano (“A Ciambra”).
In the acting categories, best male lead has Chalamet and Kaluuya up against James Franco for “The Disaster Artist,” Pattinson for “Good Time,” and Harris Dickinson for “Beach Rats.”
Best leading female nominees include Ronan, Margot Robbie for “I, Tonya,” Frances McDormand for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Salma Hayek for “Beatriz at Dinner,” Shinobu Terajima for “Oh Lucy!” and Regina Williams for “Life and Nothing More.”
Dee Rees’ period racial drama “Mudbound” was singled out as the Robert Altman Award winner in recognition of its ensemble cast, including Mary J. Blige, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, and Carey Mulligan, but it did not receive any other nominations.
Film Independent chief Josh Welsh said Tuesday that 40 per cent of the nominated filmmakers are people of colour.
While the Indie Spirit nominees often overlap with many of the more mainstream awards, the show also puts a spotlight on under-the-radar efforts like “The Rider,” and “Beach Rats,” and specifically singles out notable first features, like “Menashe,” “Patti Cake$” and “Columbus,” and first screenplays like Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon’s “The Big Sick.”
“The Big Sick” only received one other nomination, for Holly Hunter’s supporting performance.
Nominees are chosen by Film Independent, which includes critics, filmmakers, actors, festival programmers, past winners and nominees, and members of its board. Many films with a perceived indie edge are not eligible because their production budgets are too high, like Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver.” Film Independent has an eligibility cap of $20 million, but can consider films with higher budgets at the discretion of the nominating committee.
One notable exclusion was Guillermo del Toro’s romantic horror “The Shape of Water,” which has been considered a major Oscar contender in multiple categories, including its lead Sally Hawkins. Despite being Spirit Awards eligible, “The Shape of Water” received zero nominations.
Winners will be revealed at a March 3 ceremony hosted by Nick Kroll and John Mulaney, a day before the Academy Awards. It will air live on IFC.