2016 Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: 'Carol,' 'Beasts Of No Nation,' 'Spotlight,' And 'Anomalisa' Lead The Pack

The Independent Spirit Awards have always been Oscar's younger, hipper cousin, casting a light on films that don't always have a shot at the more prestigious end-of-the-year movie awards. This year's nominations may be one of the strongest line-ups in a long time. There are the films everyone excepted to make a strong showing here, like Carol and Spotlight, but there are also plenty of pleasant surprises, including nominations for Tangerine, It Follows, and Bone Tomahawk. And that's before you dive into the more niche awards, where gems like Son of Saul and Krisha snagged nominations.

Find the complete list of 2016 Independent Spirit Awards nominations after the jump.

Todd Haynes' Carol helped lead the pack with six nominations, with stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara both nabbing nods for Best Female Lead. The critically lauded LGBT romance also scored nominations for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

The only other film to receive six nominations was Cary Joji Fukunaga's Beast of No Nation, which is up for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. Idris Elba getting a nod was a given, but Abraham Attah also receiving recognition is a reason to cheer. Will this pave the road to a Netflix-distributed movie making a serious play at the Oscars? Maybe. What a weird world we live in.

Tom McCarthy's Spotlight received four nominations, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Editing. The lack of any acting nods stings until you realize it will receive the Robert Altman Award for the entire ensemble cast. Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson's truly brilliant stop-motion drama Anomalisa also received four nods: Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Female for Jennifer Jason Leigh's moving performance.

The most pleasant surprise in the "four nominations club" is Tangerine, which walked away with nods for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Not bad for a movie that was shot on an iPhone. Hopefully, the imitators will concentrate on the film's infectious energy and wonderful characters, not the fact that it was shot on a consumer smartphone.

Other deserving films received recognition, including David Robert Mitchell's It Follows, which scored nods for Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. Considering how most awards completely ignore horror movies, this is a pleasant surprise. Speaking of horror movies receiving welcome nominations, Bone Tomahawk was nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (huzzah for the great Richard Jenkins!), quite a feat for a bloody cannibal western.

The 2016 Independent Spirit Awards will air on February 27. Here is the complete list of nominees:

BEST FEATURE

Anomalisa

Beasts of No Nation

Carol

Spotlight

Tangerine

BEST DIRECTOR

Cary Joji Fukunaga – Beasts of No Nation

Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson – Anomalisa

David Robert Mitchell – It Follows

Sean Baker – Tangerine

Todd Haynes – Carol

Tom McCarthy – Spotlight

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Bel Powley – The Diary of a Teenage Girl

Brie Larson – Room

Cate Blanchett – Carol

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez – Tangerine

Rooney Mara – Carol

BEST MALE LEAD

Abraham Attah – Beasts of No Nation

Ben Mendelsohn – Mississippi Grind

Christopher Abbott – James White

Jason Segel – The End of the Tour

Koudous Seihon – Mediterranea

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Cynthia Nixon – James White

Jennifer Jason Leigh – Anomalisa

Marin Ireland – Glass Chin

Mya Taylor – Tangerine

Robin Bartlett – H.

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation

Kevin Corrigan – Results

Michael Shannon – 99 Homes

Paul Dano – Love & Mercy

Richard Jenkins – Bone Tomahawk

BEST SCREENPLAY

Anomalisa

Bone Tomahawk

Carol

End of the Tour

Spotlight

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Best of Enemies

Heart of a Dog

Look of Silence

Meru

Russian Woodpecker

(T)error

BEST FIRST FEATURE

The Diary of a Teenage Girl

James White

Manos Sucas

Mediterranea

Songs My Brothers Taught Me

BEST EDITING

Beasts of No Nation

Heaven Knows What

It Follows

Room

Spotlight

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Beasts of No Nation

Carol

It Follows

Meadowland

Songs My Brothers Taught Me

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM

Embrace of the Serpent

Girlhood

Mustang

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

Son of Saul

JOHN CASSAVETTES AWARD (Best Feature Made For Under $5,000)

Advantageous

Christmas, Again

Heaven Knows What

Krisha

Out of My Hand

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Best Ensemble)

Spotlight

KIEHL'S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD

Chloe Zhoa

Felix Thompson

Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck