We know — it’s February and the last thing you want to hear about is another awards show, but believe us when we say that the American Independent Film Awards are different. Generally speaking, the awards season tends to celebrate the best in cinema, with the caveat being that many movies get on the Oscar radar because they have the money and influence behind them helping to make that push. And while the Indie Spirit Awards somewhat the fill the gap of the Oscars, focusing on movies produced outside the studio system for less than $20 million, it still means that worthy films get overlooked. That’s where the American Independent Film Awards step in.
The organization has released the nominees for their inaugural awards, with their mandate focusing on feature films with a budget of $1 million or less. And this year’s nominees, led by Anne Rose Holmer‘s “The Fits” with 9 nods, is a reminder of how much great work was made in 2017 by filmmakers working on limited resources. If you’ve already caught up watching all the Oscar contenders, this is great list of movies that perhaps missed your local cinema, that are well worth finding — many of these filmmakers have bright futures ahead of them.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2016 You Might Not Have Seen
The winners of the American Independent Film Awards will be unveiled this evening.
BEST FILM (10 Noms)
Always Shine – Director: Sophia Takal
Producers: Lawrence Michael Levine, Sophia Takal, Pierce Varous
Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party – Director: Stephen Cone
Producers: Stephen Cone, Laura Klein, Shane Simmons
Kate Plays Christine – Director: Robert Greene
Producers: Susan Bedusa, Douglas Tirola
Krisha – Director: Trey Edward Shults
Producers: Justin R. Chan, Chase Joliet, Trey Edward Shults, Wilson Smith
Little Sister – Director: Zach Clark
Producers: Zach Clark, Daryl Pittman, Melodie Sisk
The Eyes of My Mother – Director: Nicolas Pesce
Producers: Max Born, Jacob Wasserman, Schuyler Weiss
The Fits – Director: Anna Rose Holmer
Producers: Anna Rose Holmer, Lisa Kjerulff
The Invitation – Director: Karyn Kusama
Producers: Martha Griffin, Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi, Nick Spicer
The Other Side – Director: Roberto Minervini
Producers: Paolo Benzi, Muriel Meynard, Dario Zonta
White Girl – Director: Elizabeth Wood
Producers: Gabriel Nussbaum
BEST DIRECTOR (5 Noms)
Robert Greene, Kate Plays Christine
Trey Edward Shults, Krisha
Zach Clark, Little Sister
Anna Rose Holmer, The Fits
Karyn Kusama, The Invitation
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (5 Noms) *
Stephen Cone, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party
Trey Edward Shults, Krisha
Zach Clark, Little Sister
Saela Davis, Anna Rose Holmer, Lisa Kjerulff, The Fits
Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi, The Invitation
Elizabeth Wood, White Girl
BEST IMPROVISATIONAL SCREENPLAY (3 Noms)
Blue Jay
collective: unconscious
Kate Plays Christine
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE (7 Noms)
Mackenzie Davis, Always Shine
Kate Lyn Sheil, Kate Plays Christine
Krisha Fairchild, Krisha
Addison Timlin, Little Sister
Jesse Plemons, Other People
Royalty Hightower, The Fits
Morgan Saylor, White Girl
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE (7 Noms)
Caitlin FitzGerald, Always Shine
Edwina Findley, Free in Deed
Keith Poulson, Little Sister
Ally Sheedy, Little Sister
Molly Shannon, Other People
Tammy Blanchard, The Invitation
John Carroll Lynch, The Invitation
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER (3 Noms)
Drew Daniels, Krisha
Zach Kuperstein, The Eyes of My Mother
Paul Yee, The Fits
BEST EDITOR (3 Noms)
Robert Greene, Kate Plays Christine
Trey Edward Shults, Krisha
Saela Davis, The Fits
BEST COSTUME DESIGN (3 Noms)
Hannah Kittell, Kate Plays Christine
Elizabeth Crum, Men Go To Battle
Christina Blackaller, The Greasy Strangler
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN (3 Noms) **
Soojin Chang, Charlotte Royer, Paul Tate dePoo III, Mar Urrestarazu, Timothy Whidbee, collective: unconscious
John Fergason, Creative Control
Chelsea Oliver Embers
Sam Hensen, The Eyes of My Mother
Charlotte Royer, The Fits
Jason Kisvarday, The Greasy Strangler
BEST HAIR & MAKE-UP (3 Noms)
Janine Maloney/Cat Martin, The Eyes of My Mother
Danielle Mueller, The Fits
Michelle Sfarzo, The Greasy Strangler
BEST SCORE (3 Noms)
Daniel Garcia, Jesse Gelaznik, Kazu Makino, Alex Weston, H.
Brian McOmber, Krisha
Saunder Jurriaans and Danny Bensi, The Fits
THE MICHAEL CIMINO BEST FILM AWARD (Films with a budget between 1M to 3M)
Certain Women – Producers: Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani / Director: Kelly Reichardt
The Love Witch – Producer/Director: Anna Biller
Notes:
* Best Original Screenplay: Tie means six nominations.
** Best Production Design: Tie means six nominations
*** The Michael Cimino Best Film Award: Identity of the Best Film and runner-up will be unveiled.
