Awards 2011 — Part 1

Like the Presidential primaries, the end-of-year movie award lists get earlier all the time.  Here’s what’s come in so far:

Gotham Awards (for independent films)

Best feature: “Tree of Life” and “Beginners”

Best ensemble: “Beginners” New York Film Critics Best film: “The Artist”

Best actor: Brad Pitt in “Moneyball” and “Tree of Life”

Best actress: Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”

Best supporting actor: Albert Brooks in “Drive”

Best supporting actress: Jessica Chastain in three performances — “Take Shelter,” “Help,” and “The Tree of Life”

Best screenplay: “Moneyball”

Best documentary: “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”

Best foreign language: “A Separation”

Best cinematography: “Tree of Life”

Independent Spirit Nominations (for independent films)

Best feature “The Artist” “Beginners” “The Descendants” “Drive” “50/50” “Take Shelter”

Best director: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist” Mike Mills, “Beginners” Jeff Nichols, “Take Shelter” Alexander Payne, “The Descendants” Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”

Best screenplay Joseph Cedar, “Footnote” Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist” Tom McCarthy, “Win Win” Mike Mills, “Beginners” Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, “The Descendants”

Best first feature “Another Earth” “In the Family” “Margin Call” “Martha Marcy May Marlene” “Natural Selection”

Best first screenplay Mike Cahill, Brit Marling, “Another Earth” J.C. Chandor, “Margin Call” Patrick deWitt, “Terri” Phil Johnston, “Cedar Rapids” Will Reiser, “50/50”

John Cassavetes award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000) “Bellflower” “Circumstance” “Hello Lonesome” “Pariah” “The Dynamiter”

Best female lead Lauren Ambrose, “Think of Me” Rachael Harris, “Natural Selection” Adepero Oduye, “Pariah” Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”

Best male lead Demian Bechir, “A Better Life” Jean Dujardin, “The Artist” Ryan Gosling, “Drive” Woody Harrelson, “Rampart” Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter”

Best supporting female Jessica Chastain, “Take Shelter” Anjelica Huston, “50/50” Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs” Harmony Santana, “Gun Hill Road” Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best supporting male Albert Brooks, “Drive” John Hawkes, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” Christopher Plummer, “Beginners” John C. Reilly, “Cedar Rapids” Corey Stoll, “Midnight in Paris”

Best cinematography Joel Hodge, “Bellflower” Benjamin Kasulke, “The Off Hours” Darius Khondji, “Midnight in Paris” Guillame Schiffma, “Pariah” Jeffrey Waldron, “The Dynamiter”

Best documentary “An African Election” “Bill Cunningham New York” “The Interrupters” “The Redemption of General Butt Naked” “We Were Here” Best international film “A Separation” “Melancholia” “Shame” “The Kid With a Bike” “Tyrannosaur”

Piaget Producer’s award Chad Burris, “Mosquita y Mari” Sophia Lin, “Take Shelter” Josh Mond, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Someone to watch award Simon Arthur, “Silver Tongues” Mark Jackson, “Without” Nicholas Ozeki, “Mamitas”

Truer than fiction award Heather Courtney, “Where Soldiers Come From” Danfung Dennis, “Hell and Back Again” Alma Har’El, “Bombay Beach”