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)