HOLLYWOOD—The 2015 nominees for the Independent Spirit Awards were announced on November 25. Leading the pack of this year’s nominees is the film “Birdman” starring Michael Keaton which earned six nominations.

Followed closely behind were the films “Boyhood,” “Selma” and “Nightcrawler” with five nominations apiece. A list of this year’s nominees can be seen below:

Best Feature
-“Birdman”
-“Boyhood”
-“Love Is Strange”
-“Selma”
-“Whiplash”

Best Director
-Damien Chazelle “Whiplash”
-Ava DuVernay “Selma”
-Alejandro G. Iñárritu “Birdman”
-Richard Linklater “Boyhood”
-David Zellner, Kumiko “The Treasure Hunter”

Best Female Lead
-Marion Cotillard “The Immigrant”
-Rinko Kikuchi “Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter”
-Julianne Moore “Still Alice”
-Jenny Slate “Obvious Child”
-Tilda Swinton “Only Lovers Left Alive”

Best Male Lead
-André Benjamin “Jimi: All Is By My Side”
-Jake Gyllenhaal “Nightcrawler”
-Michael Keaton “Birdman”
-John Lithgow “Love is Strange”
-David Oyelowo “Selma”

Best Supporting Female
-Patricia Arquette “Boyhood”
-Jessica Chastain “A Most Violent Year”
-Carmen Ejogo “Selma”
-Andrea Suarez Paz “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors”
-Emma Stone “Birdman”

Best Supporting Male
-Riz Ahmed “Nightcrawler”
-Ethan Hawke “Boyhood”
-Alfred Molina “Love is Strange”
-Edward Norton “Birdman”
-J.K. Simmons “Whiplash”

John Cassavetes Award – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000
-“Blue Ruin
-“It Felt Like Love
-“Land Ho!
-“Man From Reno”
-“Test”

Best Screenplay
-Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski “Big Eyes”
-J.C. Chandor “A Most Violent Year”
-Dan Gilroy “Nightcrawler”
-Jim Jarmusch “Only Lovers Left Alive”
-Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias “Love is Strange”

Best First Feature
-“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”
-“Dear White People”
-“Nightcrawler”
-“Obvious Child”
-“She’s Lost Control”

Best First Screenplay
-Desiree Akhavan “Appropriate Behavior”
-Sara Colangelo “Little Accidents”
-Justin Lader “The One I Love”
-Anja Marquardt “She’s Lost Control”
-Justin Simien “Dear White People”

The Independent Spirit Awards will be handed out on Saturday, February 21, 2015 in Santa Monica. The ceremony will be televised on IFC at 5 p.m. EST.

By David Miller