Jordan Peele and ‘Get Out’ Score 5 Spirit Award Nominations

By Sameer Rao Nov 22, 2017

The independent film community recognized Jordan Peele‘s hit thriller, "Get Out" and other movies from creators of color with Film Independent Spirit Award nominations yesterday (November 21).

Actresses Tessa Thompson ("Thor: Ragnarok") and Lily Collins ("Okja") announced the nominees during a livestreamed event.

"Get Out" earned a total of five nominations, including one in the "Best Feature" group. Peele received two of the five nods for "Best Director" and "Best Screenplay." The remaining two went to actor Daniel Kaluuya for "Best Male Lead," for which he is the only contender of color, and Gregory Plotkin for "Best Editing."

"Get Out" tied with "Good Time" for the second-highest number of nominations. Only "Call Me By Your Name" garnered more, with six.

Several other projects from filmmakers of color scored nominations, including:

In addition, the ensemble cast of "Mudbound," the new feature film from Dee Rees ("Pariah") that addresses how Black World War II veterans confronted racism upon their return from service, won the Robert Altman Award ahead of the ceremony.

Film Independent, the nonprofit independent cinema organization responsible for the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, authorizes a committee of movie industry stakeholders to select each year’s nominees. Per Film Independent’s submission guidelines, eligible films must have budgets less than $20 million.

The organization also selects an honorary chair to oversee every ceremony. Ava DuVernay ("A Wrinkle in Time") will serve as this year’s chair.