The synergies between independent filmmakers on both sides of the Atlantic seem to be more noticeable than ever, as the Film Independent Spirit Awards feature a bunch of European flicks among their nominees once again this year. The 38th edition of the awards, the ceremony for which will take place on 4 March 2023 in Hollywood, has made room for European talent such as Charlotte Wells, Luca Guadagnino, Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic and Araceli Lemos.

Aftersun [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], by Scottish director Charlotte Wells, and co-produced by the company run by US director Barry Jenkins, leads the pack of the US-Europe co-productions in the nominations, with a total of five nods (including Best First Feature, Best Lead Performance for Paul Mescal and Breakthrough Performance for Frankie Corio). Close behind it is the latest effort by Italy’s Luca Guadagnino, his Venice Best Director winner Bones and All [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], with a total of three nominations (including Best Feature, Best Lead Performance for Taylor Russell, already awarded with the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Talent at Venice, and Breakthrough Performance for Mark Rylance).

More unexpectedly, three nominations also went to Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s Cannes Caméra d’Or winner from last year, Murina [+lire aussi :
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interview : Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović
interview : Gracija Filipovic
fiche film]. The Croatian-language film pops up in the Best First Feature, Breakthrough Performance (for Gracija Filipović’s work) and Best Cinematography (for Hélène Louvart’s work) categories. The film by the Dubrovnik-born, New York-based filmmaker is a co-production by Croatia, Slovenia, Brazil and the USA, thanks to Martin Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions and his own participation as an executive producer.

On the other hand, Araceli Lemos’ Holy Emy [+lire aussi :
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interview : Araceli Lemos
fiche film], another non-English-language, mostly European film, managed to get two nominations, in the John Cassavetes Award (presented to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $500,000) and the Someone to Watch Award categories. The film by the Athens-born, Los Angeles-based filmmaker is a co-production between Greece, France and the USA, through production company Nonetheless.

In the categories that are usually more open to European films, Alice Diop’s Saint Omer [+lire aussi :
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interview : Alice Diop
interview : Kayije Kagame
fiche film] and Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage [+lire aussi :
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interview : Marie Kreutzer
interview : Marie Kreutzer
fiche film], the French and Austrian Oscar submissions, respectively, have a good chance of receiving the Best International Film Award, alongside Davy Chou’s Return to Seoul [+lire aussi :
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interview : Davy Chou
fiche film] , a mainly European production representing Cambodia, while Simon Lereng Wilmont’s A House Made of Splinters [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] and Shaunak Sen’s Cannes Golden Eye winner All That Breathes [+lire aussi :
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interview : Shaunak Sen
fiche film] are vying for the Best Documentary gong.

The nominees are as follows:

Best Feature
Bones and All [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] – Luca Guadagnino (USA/Italy)
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Our Father, the Devil – Ellie Foumbi
TÁR – Todd Field
Women Talking – Sarah Polley

Best Director
Todd Field – TÁR
Kogonada – After Yang
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Sarah Polley – Women Talking
Halina Reijn – Bodies Bodies Bodies

Best First Feature
Aftersun [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] – Charlotte Wells (UK/USA)
Emily the Criminal – John Patton Ford
The Inspection – Elegance Bratton
Murina [+lire aussi :
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interview : Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović
interview : Gracija Filipovic
fiche film] – Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic (Croatia/Slovenia/Brazil/USA)
Palm Trees and Power Lines – Jamie Dack

Best Lead Performance
Cate Blanchett – TÁR
Dale Dickey – A Love Song
Mia Goth – Pearl
Regina Hall – Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul
Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Aubrey Plaza – Emily the Criminal
Jeremy Pope – The Inspection
Taylor Russell – Bones and All
Andrea Riseborough – To Leslie
Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Supporting Performance
Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway
Nina Hoss – TÁR
Brian d’Arcy James – The Cathedral
Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Trevante Rhodes – Bruiser
Theo Rossi – Emily the Criminal
Mark Rylance – Bones and All
Jonathan Tucker – Palm Trees and Power Lines
Gabrielle Union – The Inspection

Breakthrough Performance
Frankie Corio – Aftersun
Gracija Filipović – Murina
Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Lily McInerny – Palm Trees and Power Lines
Daniel Zolghadri – Funny Pages

Best Screenplay
After Yang
Catherine Called Birdy [+lire aussi :
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Everything Everywhere All at Once
TÁR
Women Talking

Best First Screenplay
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Emergency
Emily the Criminal
Fire Island
Palm Trees and Power Lines

Best Cinematography
Aftersun
Murina
Neptune Frost
Pearl
TÁR

Best Editing
Aftersun
The Cathedral
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
TÁR

Robert Altman Award
Women Talking

Best International Film
Corsage [+lire aussi :
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interview : Marie Kreutzer
interview : Marie Kreutzer
fiche film] – Marie Kreutzer (Austria/Luxembourg/Germany/France)
Joyland – Saim Sadiq (Pakistan)
Leonor Will Never Die – Martika Ramirez Escobar (Philippines)
Return to Seoul [+lire aussi :
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interview : Davy Chou
fiche film] – Davy Chou (France/Germany/Belgium/Qatar/Cambodia)
Saint Omer [+lire aussi :
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interview : Alice Diop
interview : Kayije Kagame
fiche film] – Alice Diop (France)

Best Documentary
A House Made of Splinters [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] – Simon Lereng Wilmont (Denmark/Sweden/Ukraine)
All That Breathes [+lire aussi :
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interview : Shaunak Sen
fiche film] – Shaunak Sen (India/UK)
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed – Laura Poitras
Midwives – Hnin Ei Hlaing (Canada/Germany/Myanmar)
Riotsville USA – Sierra Pettengill

Someone to Watch Award
Adamma Ebo - Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul
Nikyatu Jusu – Nanny
Araceli Lemos - Holy Emy [+lire aussi :
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interview : Araceli Lemos
fiche film] (Greece/France/USA)

Truer Than Fiction Award
Isabel Castro - Mija
Reid Davenport - I Didn’t See You There
Rebeca Huntt - Beba (Bayba)

John Cassavetes Award
The African Desperate – Martine Syms
A Love Song – Max Walker-Silverman
The Cathedral – Ricky D'Ambrose