Comics / Press Releases

Family Drama leads the Pack in the Independent Spirit Awards Noms

By Leroy Douresseaux
December 3, 2005 - 06:49

The Independent Spirit Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, November 29, 2005. The Squid and the Whale, a low-budget drama about a family torn apart by divorce, led all films with six nominations. Some movie fans and industry players consider the ISA’s to be the American art-house film world’s version of the Oscars.

This is the 21st year of the ISA’s, which honor low-budget films based on such criteria as original, provocative subject matter and the degree of independent financing. Winners will be unveiled March 4, the day before the Academy Awards.

Film Independent, a non profit organization that assists independent filmmakers in getting their films made and helping to build an audience for their work, sponsors the ISA’s. IFC (The Independent Film Channel) will air the ceremonies live 5:00 pm EST, Saturday, March 4, 2006, and AMC (The American Movie Channel) will rebroadcast the show in an edited form the same evening at 10:00 pm EST.

The complete list of nominees:

Best Feature

Brokeback Mountain Producers: Diana Ossana, James Schamus

Capote Producers: Caroline Baron, William Vince, Michael Ohoven

Good Night, and Good Luck. Producer: Grant Heslov

The Squid and the Whale Producers: Wes Anderson, Peter Newman, Charles Corwin, Clara Markowicz

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Producers: Michael Fitzgerald, Tommy Lee Jones

Best Director

Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain

George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck.

Gregg Araki, Mysterious Skin

Rodrigo Garcia, Nine Lives

Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale

Best First Feature

Crash Director: Paul Haggis, Producers: Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, Bob Yari, Mark R. Harris, Bobby Moresco, Paul Haggis

Lackawanna Blues Director: George C. Wolfe, Producer: Nellie Nugiel

Me and You and Everyone We Know Director: Miranda July, Producer: Gina Kwon

Thumbsucker Director: Mike Mills, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Bob Stephenson

Transamerica Director: Duncan Tucker, Producers: Rene Bastian, Sebastian Dungan, Linda Moran

John Cassavetes Award

(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)

Brick Director/Writer: Rian Johnson, Producers: Ram Bergman and Mark G. Mathis

Conventioneers Director: Mora Stephens, Producer: Joel Viertel, Writers: Mora Stephens and Joel Viertel

Jellysmoke Director/Writer/Producer: Mark Banning

The Puffy Chair Director: Jay Duplass, Producer: Mark Duplass, Writers: Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass

Room Director/Writer: Kyle Henry, Producers: Allen Bain, Darren Goldberg, Jesse Scolaro

Best Screenplay

Ayad Akhtar, Joseph Castelo, Tom Glynn, The War Within

Guillermo Arriaga, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale

Dan Futterman, Capote

Rodrigo Garcia, Nine Lives

Best First Screenplay

Kenneth Hanes, Fixing Frank

Miranda July, Me and You and Everyone We Know

Angus MacLachlan, Junebug

Sabina Murray, The Beautiful Country

Duncan Tucker, Transamerica

Best Supporting Female

Amy Adams, Junebug

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Happy Endings

Allison Janney, Our Very Own

Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain

Robin Wright Penn, Nine Lives

Best Supporting Male

Firdous Bamji, The War Within

Matt Dillon, Crash

Jesse Eisenberg, The Squid and the Whale

Barry Pepper, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Jeffrey Wright, Broken Flowers

Best Female Lead

Felicity Huffman, Transamerica

Dina Korzun, Forty Shades of Blue

Laura Linney, The Squid and the Whale

S. Epatha Merkerson, Lackawanna Blues

Cyndi Williams, Room

Best Male Lead

Jeff Daniels, The Squid and the Whale

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote

Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow

Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain

David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck.

Best Cinematography

Robert Elswit, Good Night, and Good Luck.

John Foster, Keane

Adam Kimmel, Capote

Chris Menges, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

Harris Savides, Last Days

Best Foreign Film

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Romania) Director: Cristi Puiu

Duck Season (Mexico) Director: Fernando Eimbcke

Head-On (Germany/Turkey) Director: Fatih Akin

Paradise Now (Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/France) Director: Hany Abu-Assad

Tony Takitani (Japan) Director: Jun Ichikawa

Best Documentary

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Director: Alex Gibney

Grizzly Man, Director: Werner Herzog

La Sierra, Directors: Scott Dalton & Margarita Martinez

Romantico, Director: Mark Becker

Sir! No Sir!, Director: David Zeiger

IFC/Acura Someone to Watch Award

The 12th annual IFC/Acura Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant, funded by IFC and Acura. The Finalists are:

Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana, director of Cavite

Robinson Devor, director of Police Beat

Jay Duplass, director of The Puffy Chair

Truer Than Fiction Award

The 10th annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant attention. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. The Finalists are:

Rachel Boynton for Our Brand is Crisis

Garrett Scott & Ian Olds for Occupation: Dreamland

Mark Becker for Romantico

Thomas Allen Harris for Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela

AMC/American Express Producers Award

The 9th annual AMC/American Express Producers Award 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 AMC and American Express. The Finalists are:

Caroline Baron, producer of Capote and Monsoon Wedding

Ram Bergman, producer of Brick and Conversations with Other Women

Mike S. Ryan, producer of Junebug and Palindromes

Last Updated: January 1, 2026 - 11:07