Gay Film Directors Up for Spirit Awards

Out film directors Lee Daniels and Tom Ford are both multiple nominees for the 25th Anniversary Spirit Awards. Daniels received two nominations, for directing and producing best film nominee Precious. Ford also received two nods for his gay-themed A Single Man -- one for best first feature (awarded to both the director and producer) and a shared nomination with David Scearce for best first screenplay. The ceremony will be held March 5 in Los Angeles and will air live on IFC.

The full list of nominees is on the next page...

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer)
(500) Days Of Summer, Producers: Mason Novick, Jessica Tuchinsky, Mark Waters, Steven J. Wolfe
Amreeka, Producers: Paul Barkin, Christina Piovesan
Precious, Producers: Lee Daniels, Gary Magness, Sarah Siegel-Magness
Sin Nombre, Producer: Amy Kaufman
The Last Station, Producers: Bonnie Arnold, Chris Curling, Jens Meuer

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 FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
A Single Man, Director: Tom Ford, Producers: Tom Ford, Andrew Miano, Robert Salerno, Chris Weitz
Crazy Heart, Director: Scott Cooper, Producers: T Bone Burnett, Judy Cairo, Rob Carliner, Scott Cooper, Robert Duvall
Easier With Practice, Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Producer: Cookie Carosella
Paranormal Activity, Director: Oren Peli, Producer: Jason Blum, Oren Peli
The Messenger, Director: Oren Moverman, Producers: Mark Gordon, Lawrence Inglee, Zach Miller

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)
Big Fan, Writer/Director: Robert Siegel; Producers: Elan Bogarin, Jean Kouremetis
Humpday, Writer/Director/Producer: Lynn Sheldon
The New Year Parade, Writer/Director: Tom Quinn; Producers: Steve Beal, Tom Quinn
Treeless Mountain, Writer/Director: So Yong Kim; Producers: Bradley Rust Gray, Ben Howe, So Yong Kim, Lars Knudsen, Jay Van Hoy
Zero Bridge, Writer/Director: Tariq Tapa; Producers: Josee Lajoie, Hilal Ahmed Langoo, Tariq Tapa

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 SCREENPLAY
Sophie Barthes, Cold Souls
Scott Cooper, Crazy Heart
Cherien Dabis, Amreeka
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Tom Ford, David Scearce, A Single Man

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Maria Bello, Downloading Nancy
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Gwentyth Paltrow, Two Lovers
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Nisreen Faour, Amreeka

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, Gentleman 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 (Award given to the director)
Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Director: Sacha Gervasi
Food, Inc., Director: Robert Kenner
More Than a Game, Director: Kristopher Belman
October Country, Directors: Donal Mosher, Michael Palmieri
Which Way Home, Director: Rebecca Cammisa

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)
A Prophet (France), Director: Jacques Audiard
An Education (UK/France), Director: Lone Scherfig
Everlasting Moments (Sweden), Director: Jan Troell
Mother (South Korea), Director: Bong Joon-Ho
The Maid (Chile), Director: Sebastian Silva

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(Given to one film's director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
A Serious Man
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Casting Directors: Ellen Chenoweth, Rachel Tenner
Cast: Richard Kind, Sari Lennick, Jessica McManus, Michael Stuhlbarg, Aaron Wolff

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

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