The nominations for The Spirit Awards, which honours independent film and is generally seen as a warm-up for the Oscars, have been announced. The event will take place in LA on 5 March. Best Female Actress Nominees
Maria Bello - Downloading Nancy
Nisreen Faour - Amreeka
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Gwyneth Paltrow - Two Lovers
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious
Best Male Actor Nominees
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 Director Nominees
Ethan and Joel Coen - A Serious Man
Lee Daniels - Precious
Cary Joji Fukunaga - Sin Nombre
James Gray - Two Lovers
Michael Hoffman - The Last Station
Best Picture Nominees
The Last Station
Precious
Sin Nombre
(500) Days of Summer
Amreeka
Ethan and Joel's Coen's 'A Serious Man' recieves the Robert Altman prize (named after legendary director Robert Altman who died in 2006) for best filmmaker, casting director and acting ensemble.
