| 31st Independent Spirit Awards | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best in independent film |
| Date | February 27, 2016 |
| Site | Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Hosted by | Kate McKinnon Kumail Nanjiani |
| Highlights | |
| Best Feature | Spotlight |
| Most awards | Spotlight (5) |
| Most nominations | Carol (6) |
| Television coverage | |
| Channel | IFC |
The 31st Film Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best independent films of 2015, were presented by Film Independent on February 27, 2016. [1] The nominations were announced on November 24, 2015. [2] The ceremony was hosted by Kate McKinnon and Kumail Nanjiani, and broadcast live on IFC. [3]
| Nominations | Film |
|---|---|
| 6 | Carol |
| 5 | Beasts of No Nation |
| Tangerine | |
| 4 | Anomalisa |
| It Follows | |
| Spotlight | |
| 3 | The Diary of a Teenage Girl |
| James White | |
| Mediterranea | |
| Room | |
| Songs My Brothers Taught Me | |
| 2 | Bone Tomahawk |
| The End of the Tour | |
| Heaven Knows What | |
| Manos sucias |
| Awards | Film |
|---|---|
| 5 | Spotlight |
| 2 | Beasts of No Nation |
| Room |
(The award is given to its film director, casting director, and ensemble cast)
Recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl's since 1851.
Honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters.
Walton Sanders Goggins Jr. is an American actor. He has starred in a number of television series, including The Shield (2002-2008), Justified (2010-2015), Vice Principals (2016-2017), The Righteous Gemstones (2018-present) and The Unicorn (2020–2021). He has also starred in films, such as Predators (2010), Django Unchained (2012), The Hateful Eight (2015), as well as Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Tomb Raider, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Thomas Joseph McCarthy is an American film director, screenwriter, and actor who has appeared in several films, including Meet the Parents and Good Night, and Good Luck, and television series such as The Wire, Boston Public, Law & Order etc.
Kate McKinnon Berthold is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions on the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (2012–2022), of which she was a cast member for eleven seasons, and formerly The Big Gay Sketch Show (2007–2010). She has appeared in films such as Balls Out (2014), Ghostbusters (2016), Office Christmas Party (2016), Rough Night (2017), The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018), Yesterday (2019), and Bombshell (2019). In 2022, she played the role of Tiger King subject Carole Baskin in the miniseries Joe vs. Carole.
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The Big Sick is a 2017 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter and written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani. It stars Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Adeel Akhtar, and Anupam Kher. The film is inspired by the relationship between Nanjiani and Gordon, and follows an interethnic couple who must deal with cultural differences after Emily (Kazan) becomes ill.
Emily V. Gordon is an American writer, producer and podcast host. She co-wrote the 2017 romantic comedy film The Big Sick, based on her relationship with her husband and frequent collaborator, comic Kumail Nanjiani. Gordon and Nanjiani won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for The Big Sick; they were also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, among many other nominations.
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The Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl's, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
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