The Independent Spirit Awards handed out top honors to 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club and Nebraska at the 29th ceremony honoring independent films. Blue Jasmine, Fruitvale Station, Blue is the Warmest Color, Short Term 12, This is Martin Bonner and
20 Feet from Stardom also received awards at the traditional pre-Oscar affair which is held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. The Awards are given by Film Independent, an HFPA grant-recipient and partner in the LACMA Restoration screenings, that also organizes the Los Angeles Film Festival. Below is the complete list of nominees and winners:
Best Feature
(Award given to the producer)
* Executive Producers are not listed.
WINNER: 12 Years A Slave
Producers: Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen,
Arnon Milchan, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad
All Is Lost
Producers: Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb
Frances Ha
Producers: Noah Baumbach, Scott Rudin, Rodrigo Teixeira, Lila Yacoub
Inside Llewyn Davis
Producers: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin
Nebraska
Producers: Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa

Best First Feature
(Award given to the director and producer)
Blue Caprice
Director/Producer: Alexandre Moors
Producers: Isen Robbins, Aimee Schoof, Ron Simons, Stephen Tedeschi, Brian O’Carroll,
Kim Jackson, Will Rowbotham
Concussion
Director: Stacie Passon
Producer: Rose Troche
WINNER:Fruitvale Station
Director: Ryan Coogler
Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker
Una Noche
Director/Producer: Lucy Mulloy
Producers: Sandy Pérez Aguila, Maite Artieda, Daniel Mulloy, Yunior Santiago
Wadjda
Director: Haifaa Al Mansour
Producers: Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul

John Cassavetes Award
(Award given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)
* Executive Producers are not listed.
Computer Chess
Writer/Director: Andrew Bujalski
Producers: Houston King, Alex Lipschultz
Crystal Fairy
Writer/Director: Sebastián Silva
Producers: Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín
Museum Hours
Writer/Director/Producer: Jem Cohen
Producers: Paolo Calamita, Gabriele Kranzelbinder
Pit Stop
Writer/Director: Yen Tan
Writer: David Lowery
Producers: Jonathan Duffy, James M. Johnston, Eric Steele, Kelly Williams
WINNER: This Is Martin Bonner
Writer/Director: Chad Hartigan
Producer: Cherie Saulter

Best Director
Shane Carruth – Upstream Color
J.C. Chandor – All Is Lost
WINNER: Steve McQueen – 12 Years A Slave
Jeff Nichols – Mud
Alexander Payne – Nebraska

Best Screenplay
Woody Allen – Blue Jasmine
Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater – Before Midnight
Nicole Holofcener – Enough Said
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber – The Spectacular Now
WINNER: John Ridley – 12 Years A Slave

Best First Screenplay
Lake Bell – In A World…
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Don Jon
WINNER: Bob Nelson – Nebraska
Jill Soloway – Afternoon Delight
Michael Starrbury – The Inevitable Defeat of Mister And Pete

Best Cinematography
WINNER: Sean Bobbitt – 12 Years A Slave
Benoit Debie – Spring Breakers
Bruno Delbonnel – Inside Llewyn Davis
Frank G. Demarco, Peter Zuccarini –All Is Lost
Matthias Grunsky – Computer Chess

Best Editing
Shane Carruth, David Lowery – Upstream Color
Jem Cohen, Marc Vives – Museum Hours
Jennifer Lame – Frances Ha
Cindy Lee – Una Noche
WINNER: Nat Sanders – Short Term 12

Best Male Lead
Bruce Dern – Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years A Slave
Oscar Isaac – Inside Llewyn Davis
Michael B. Jordan – Fruitvale Station
WINNER: Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford – All Is Lost

Best Female Lead
WINNER: Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
Julie Delpy – Before Midnight
Gaby Hoffmann – Crystal Fairy
Brie Larson – Short Term 12
Shailene Woodley – The Spectacular Now

Best Supporting Male
Michael Fassbender – 12 Years A Slave
Will Forte – Nebraska
James Gandolfini – Enough Said
WINNER: Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club
Keith Stanfield – Short Term 12

Best Supporting Female
Melonie Diaz – Fruitvale Station
Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine
WINNER: Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years A Slave
Yolonda Ross – Go For Sisters
June Squibb – Nebraska

Best International Film
A Touch of Sin (China) – Director – Jia Zhang-Ke
WINNER: Blue Is The Warmest Color (France) – Director – Abdellatif Kechiche
Gloria (Chile) – Director – Sebastián Lelio
The Great Beauty (Italy) – Director – Paulo Sorrentino
The Hunt (Denmark) – Director – Thomas Vinterberg

Best Documentary
(Award Given To The Director And Producer)
WINNER: 20 Feet From Stardom – Director/Producer: Morgan Neville – Producers: Gil Friesen, Caitrin Rogers
After Tiller – Directors/Producers: Martha Shane And Lana Wilson
Gideon’s Army – Director/Producer: Dawn Porter – Producer: Julie Goldman
The Act Of Killing – Director/Producer: Joshua Oppenheimer – Producers: Joram Ten
Brink, Christine Cynn, Anne Köhncke, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Michael Uwemedimo,
Anonymous
The Square – Director: Jehane Noujaim – Producer: Karim Amer
Robert Altman Award
(Award Given To One Film’s Director, Casting Director, And Its Ensemble Cast)
WINNER: Mud
Director: Jeff Nichols
Casting Director: Francine Maisler
Ensemble Cast: Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew Mcconaughey, Ray Mckinnon,
Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks,
Bonnie Sturdivant, Reese Witherspoon

17th Annual Piaget Producers Award
The 17th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget. The finalists are:
WINNERS: Toby Halbrooks & James M. Johnston
Jacob Jaffke
Andrea Roa
Frederick Thornton
19th Annual Stella Artois Truer Than Fiction Award
The 19th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by Stella Artois, is presented to an emerging director of non-union features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. The finalists are:
Kalyanee Mam – Director – A River Changes Course
WINNER: Jason Osder – Director – Let The Fire Burn
Stephanie Spray & Pacho Valez – Directors – Manakamana
20th Annual Someone To Watch Award
The 20th annual Someone To Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,00 unrestricted grant. The finalists are:
Aaron Douglas Johnston – Director – My Sister’s Quinceañera
WINNER: Shaka King – Director – Newlyweeds
Madeleine Olnek – Director – The Foxy Merkins [gallery:3330]