“Carol,” the Cate Blanchett romance between a pair of women in 1950s New York, earned a leading six nominations today for the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honor the best in independent film.
The Spirit Awards will be held Feb. 27, 2016 at the 1550 beach parking lot on Pacific Coast Highway – directly north of the Santa Monica Pier and the site of previous touring Cirque du Soleil performances.
“Beasts of No Nation,” an African war drama, and “Spotlight,” the journalism drama about a team of reporters investigating sexual abuse of children by priests in Boston, each earned five nods.
All three films will compete for the top honor of best feature, along with Charlie Kaufman’s animated comic-drama “Anomalisa” and the transgender drama “Tangerine.”
“Carol” co-stars Blanchett and Rooney Mara were both nominated for best actress, along with Brie Larson for “Room,” Bel Powley for “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez for “Tangerine.”
Best actor nominations went to Christopher Abbott for “James White,” Abraham Attah for “Beasts of No Nation,” Ben Mendelsohn for “Mississippi Grind,” Jason Segal for “The End of the Tour” and Koudous Seihon for “Mediterranea.”
In addition to its nomination for best feature, “Spotlight” was also chosen to receive the Robert Altman Award, which honors a film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.
“‘Spotlight’ is a remarkable film that excels on every level, but the nominating committee thought it was especially deserving of the Robert Altman Award,” Film Independent President Josh Welsh said. “The film is beautifully cast with every member of the ensemble working together to tell the story of the Boston Globe investigating allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church.”
