“12 Years a Slave,” “Nebraska” top Independent Spirit Awards noms

PanARMENIAN.Net - The 2014 Independent Spirit Awards nominations have been announced, and director Steve McQueen’s drama 12 Years a Slave tops the nominees with seven nods, including Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Actor, according to Collider.

Nebraska is not far behind with six nominations, and the Robert Redford drama All Is Lost also did well with four nods. The much-beloved Short Term 12 failed to land a Best Feature nomination, but Primer director Shane Carruth’s twisty second feature Upstream Color landed nods for Best Director and Best Editing. The Best Actor category is a strong mirror of the very tight Oscar race in the same category, and the wonderful Shailene Woodley and Brie Larson nabbed Best Actress nominations for The Spectacular Now and Short Term 12, respectively.

The Independent Spirit Awards will be hosted on March 1, 2014.

“As far as snubs go, it’s disappointing not to see Miles Teller recognized for his stellar work in The Spectacular Now or the lovely Greta Gerwig who grounds Frances Ha, and Before Midnight would have been a worthy addition to the Best Feature category. That being said, this year is a highly competitive awards race (as evidenced by the Best Actor category expanding to six nominees), so it’s tough to argue with this list of nominees,” Collider said.

Pleasant surprises include James Gandolfini (Enough Said) and Will Forte (Nebraska) landing Best Supporting Actor nods, Gaby Hoffmann receiving a Best Female Lead nomination for her work in the Michael Cera pic Crystal Fairy, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt being recognized in the Best First Screenplay category for Don Jon.