The best female lead category features nominations for Annette Bening for 20th Century Women, Sasha Lane (American Honey), Ruth Negga (Loving), Natalie Portman (Jackie) and Isabelle Huppert for Paul Verhoeven’s controversial drama Elle.
Those three films are joined by the Jackie Kennedy Onassis biopic Jackie, which stars Natalie Portman, and the end-of-life drama Chronic in the best film category.
Andrea Arnold’s American Honey and Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight head up the nominations at this year’s Film Independent Spirit awards, with six nominations each, while Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea managed five.
Pablo Larrain (Jackie), Jeff Nichols (Loving), and Kelly Reichardt (Certain Women) all join Jenkins and Arnold in the best director category.