15th Annual Independent Spirit Awards

Nominees announced: January 12, 2000


Ceremony: March 25, 2000

The nominees for the 15th Annual Independent Spirit Awards, as announced January 12th, 2000. The winners, as presented March 25th, 2000.

Thanks to hcgabriel.


Best Feature
Election (Paramount)
Produced by Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, David Gale & Keith Samples

Other Nominees:

The Limey (Artisan)
Produced by John Hardy & Scott Kramer
The Straight Story (Touchstone)
Produced by Mary Sweeney & Neal Edelstein
Sugar Town (October)
Produced by Daniel Hassid
Cookie's Fortune (October)
Produced by Robert Altman & Etchie Stroh

Best First Feature (Over $500,000)
Being John Malkovich (USA Films)
Directed by Spike Jonze
Produced by Michael Stipe, Sandy Stern, Steve Golin & Vincent Landay

Other Nominees:

Boys Don't Cry (Fox Searchlight)
Directed by Kimberly Peirce
Produced by Jeffrey Sharp, John Hart, Eva Kolodner & Christine Vachon
Three Seasons (October)
Directed by Tony Bui
Produced by Jason Kliot, Joana Vincente & Tony Bui
Twin Falls Idaho (Sony Pictures Classics)
Directed by Michael Polish
Produced by Marshall Persinger, Rena Ronson & Steven J. Wolfe
Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (Sony Pictures Classics)
Directed by Joan Chen
Produced by Joan Chen & Alice Chan

Best First Feature (Under $500 000)
The Blair Witch Project (Artisan)
Directed by Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez
Produced by Gregg Hale & Robin Cowie

Other Nominees:

La Ciudad (The City) (Zeitgeist)
Directed by David Riker
Produced by David Riker & Paul S. Mezey
Compensation
Directed by Zeinabu Irene Davis
Produced by Zeinabu Irene Davis & Marc Arthur Chery
Judy Berlin
Directed by Eric Mendelsohn
Produced by Rocco Caruso
Treasure Island
Directed by Scott King
Produced by Adrienne Gruben

Best Director
Alexander Payne, Election (Paramount)

Other Nominees:
Harmony Korine, julien donkey-boy (Fine Line)
Doug Liman, Go (Columbia)
David Lynch, The Straight Story (Touchstone)
Steven Soderbergh, The Limey (Artisan)


Best Male Lead
Richard Farnsworth, The Straight Story (Touchstone)

Other Nominees:
John Cusack, Being John Malkovich (USA Films)
Terence Stamp, The Limey (Artisan)
David Strathairn, Limbo (Screen Gems)
Noble Willingham, The Corndog Man


Best Female Lead
Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry (Fox Searchlight)

Other Nominees:
Diane Lane, A Walk On The Moon (Miramax)
Janet McTeer, Tumbleweeds (Fine Line)
Susan Traylor, Valerie Flake
Reese Witherspoon, Election (Paramount)


Best Female Supporting
Chloë Sevigny, Boys Don't Cry (Fox Searchlight)

Other Nominees:
Barbara Barrie, Judy Berlin
Vanessa A. Martinez, Limbo (Screen Gems)
Sarah Polley, Go (Columbia)
Jean Smart, Guinevere (Miramax)


Best Male Supporting
Steve Zahn, Happy, Texas (Miramax)

Other Nominees:
Charles S. Dutton, Cookie's Fortune (October)
Luis Guzman, The Limey (Artisan)
Terrence Howard, The Best Man (Universal)
Clark Gregg, The Adventures Of Sebastian Cole (Paramount Classics)


Best Debut Performance
Kimberly J. Brown, Tumbleweeds (Fine Line)

Other Nominees:
Jessica Campbell, Election (Paramount)
Jade Gordon, Sugar Town (October)
Toby Smith, Drylongso
Chris Stafford, Edge of Seventeen (Strand)


Best Screenplay
Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, Election (Paramount)

Other Nominees:
Lem Dobbs, The Limey (Artisan)
James Merendino, SLC Punk! (Sony Pictures Classics)
Kevin Smith, Dogma (Lions Gate)
Audrey Wells, Guinevere (Miramax)


Best First Screenplay
Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich (USA Films)

Other Nominees:
Kimberly Peirce & Andy Bienen, Boys Don't Cry (Fox Searchlight)
Anne Rapp, Cookie's Fortune (October)
John Roach & Mary Sweeney, The Straight Story (Touchstone)
Tod Williams, The Adventures Of Sebastian Cole (Paramount Classics)


Best Cinematography
Lisa Rinzler, Three Seasons (October)

Other Nominees:
Harlan Bosmajian, La Ciudad (The City) (Zeitgeist)
Anthony Dod Mantle, julien donkey-boy (Fine Line)
M. David Mullen, Twin Falls Idaho (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jeffrey Seckendorf, Judy Berlin


Best Foreign Film
Run Lola Run (Sony Pictures Classics)
Directed by Tom Tykwer [Germany]

Other Nominees:

All About My Mother (Sony Pictures Classics)
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar [Spain]
My Son The Fanatic (Miramax)
Directed by Udayan Prasad [England]
Rosetta (USA Films)
Directed by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne [Belgium-France]
Topsy-Turvy (USA Films)
Directed by Mike Leigh [England]

Truer Than Fiction Award
Night Waltz: The Music Of Paul Bowles
Directed by Owsley Brown

Other Nominees:

American Hollow
Directed by Rory Kennedy
On The Ropes
Directed by Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgan
Well Founded Fear
Directed by Michael Camerini and Shari Robertson

Movado Someone To Watch Award
Cauleen Smith, director of Drylongso

Other Nominees:
Dan Clark, director of The Item
Julian Goldberger, director of Trans
Lisanne Skyler, director of Getting To Know You


Motorola Producers Award
Pam Koffler, I'm Losing You (Strand) and Office Killer (Miramax)

Other Nominees:
Eva Kolodner, Boys Don't Cry (Fox Searchlight) and Hide And Seek
Paul Mezey, La Ciudad (The City) (Zeitgeist)
Christine Walker, Backroads and Homo Heights


IFP Nominating Committee
Sherman Alexie
Bill Condon
Frederick Elmes
Mali Finn
Geoffrey Gilmore
Vondie Curtis Hall
Jeff Kleeman
Elvis Mitchell
Lisa Onodera
Renee Zellweger


Eligibility for the awards are contingent upon a commercial theater screening during the calendar year of 1999, a screening at one of six top North American film festivals (New York, Seattle, Sundance, Telluride, Toronto, or New Directors/New Films) and the following four criteria:

Nominees are submitted by an 11-member committee. Balloting for the awards are made by the national membership (approx. 9000) of the Independent Feature Project.


Alex Fung (aw220@freenet.carleton.ca)

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