Amreeka, Zero Bridge Nominated for Independent Spirit Awards

December 9, 2009

The nominations for this year’s 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced last week, and we’re proud that “Amreeka,” a film about a Palestinian single mother who immigrates to a small town in Illinois, was included as a Best Picture nominee for the prestigious award. Not only did the film get a best picture nod, but female lead Nisreen Faour scored a Best Actress nomination, and writer Cherien Dabis was also recognized for Best First Screenplay. elan reviewed “Amreeka” back in September.

Another huge kudos goes to “Zero Bridge,” which was nominated for the “John Cassavetes Award” (given to the best feature made under $500,000), and whose director/producer Tariq Tapa, was nominated for the “One to Watch” award. “Zero Bridge” is about contemporary daily life in the Indian-occupied city of Srinagar, Kashmir. Watch the trailer on the film’s website here: http://www.zerobridgefilm.com

The Independent Spirit Awards are known to be one of the leading predictors of the Academy Awards, which makes this news all the more exciting for these films that put a positive spotlight on Muslim stories. Past Spirit Award best film winners have been nominated for the best picture Oscar five of the last six years. awards will be announced on March 5th, 2010, with a live ceremony on the Independent Film Channel. Here is the complete list of the nominees, also at http://spiritawards.com/nominees:

Best feature: “(500) Days of Summer,” “Amreeka,” “Precious,” “Sin Nombre,” “The Last Station”

Best director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, “A Serious Man”; Lee Daniels, “Precious”; Cary Joji Fukunaga, “Sin Nombre”; James Gray, “Two Lovers;” Michael Hoffman, “The Last Station”

Best screenplay: Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman, “The Messenger”; Michael Hoffman, “The Last Station”; Lee Toland Krieger, “The Vicious Kind”; Greg Mottola, “Adventureland”; Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, “(500) Days of Summer”

Best first feature: “A Single Man,” “Crazy Heart,” “Easier With Practice,” “Paranormal Activity,” “The Messenger”

Best first screenplay: Sophie Barthes, “Cold Souls”; Scott Cooper, “Crazy Heart”; Cherien Dabis, “Amreeka”; Geoffrey Fletcher, “Precious”; Tom Ford, David Scearce, “A Single Man”

John Cassavetes Award: “Big Fan,” “Humpday,” “The New Year Parade,” “Treeless Mountain,” “Zero Bridge”

Best female lead: Maria Bello, “Downloading Nancy”; Nisreen Faour, “Amreeka”; Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”; Gwyneth Paltrow, “Two Lovers”’ Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”

Best male lead: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”; Colin Firth, “A Single Man”; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “(500) Days of Summer”; Souleymane Sy Savane, “Goodbye Solo”; Adam Scott, “The Vicious Kind”

Best supporting female: Dina Korzun, “Cold Souls”; Mo’Nique, “Precious”; Samantha Morton, “The Messenger”; Natalie Press, “Fifty Dead Men Walking”; Mia Wasikowska, “That Evening Sun”

Best supporting male: Jemaine Clement, “Gentlemen Broncos”; Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”; Christian McKay, “Me and Orson Welles”; Raymond McKinnon, “That Evening Sun”; Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”

Best cinematography: Roger Deakins, “A Serious Man”; Adriano Goldman, “Sin Nombre”; Anne Misawa, “Treeless Mountain”; Andrij Parekh, “Cold Souls”; Peter Zeitlinger, “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”

Best documentary: “Anvil! The Story of Anvil,” “Food, Inc.,” “More Than a Game,” “October Country,” “Which Way Home”

Best foreign film: “A Prophet,” “An Education,” “Everlasting Moments,” “Mother,” “The Maid”

Acura Someone to Watch Award: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, “Easier With Practice”; Asiel Norton, “Redland”; Tariq Tapa, “Zero Bridge”

Truer Than Fiction Award: Natalia Almada, “El General”; Jessica Oreck, “Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo”; Bill Ross, Turner Ross, “45365”

Piaget Producers Award: Karin Chien, (“The Exploding Girl,” “Santa Mesa”); Larry Fessenden, (“I Sell the Dead,” “The House of the Devil”); Dia Sokol, (“Beeswax,” “Nights & Weekends”)