Little Miss Sunshine gets four Spirit Awards
nominations

Little Miss Sunshine, Quinceanera, and The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros are among some of the films nominated for this year's Film Independent's Spirit Awards. Underground breakout hit Little Miss Sunshine has been nominated in four categories, including Best Feature and Best Supporting Male, Alan Arkin. Quinceanera is up for the John Cassavetes Award, which recognizes the best film made on a total budget under $500,000. Ron Nyswaner, who penned The Painted Veil, is in contention for Best Sceenplay, while the film's lead male, Edward Norton, was nominated for his role. The foreign film category includes The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, a Filipino story about a gay preteen who falls for a police officer who inspires the boy to hope for a better life.

"American independent cinema has never been as strange or as wonderful as in 2006," Howard Rodman, chair of the American Narrative Feature Nominating Committee, said in a press release. "There were wildly impressive first features, stunning films made on ultralow budgets, and an amazing array of performances across the board. This made the choosing quite difficult, even as it made the viewing pleasurable indeed."

The evening will be hosted by comedian Sarah Silverman and will air live February 24 at 5 p.m. Eastern time on IFC. (The Advocate)