Gay Drama ‘Moonlight’ Leads Independent Spirit Award Nominations: FULL LIST

Moonlight, the Barry Jenkins drama about three parts of a young gay black man’s life, received six Independent Spirit Award nominations today, co-leading the pack with American Honey.

The awards take place on February 25.

RELATED: ‘Moonlight’ Star on the Importance of Telling Black Gay Stories: ‘It’s Something That the World Needs’ 

The L.A. Times reports:

The last three movies to win the Spirits’ best film trophy — “Spotlight,” “Birdman” and “12 Years a Slave” — have gone on to win the Oscar.

That kind of outsized expectation might be a little much for an uncompromising film about a character, played by three different actors, learning to accept his sexual identity. But then, “Moonlight,” an indie hit and critics favorite, has done nothing but exceed expectations since premiering in September at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals.

“If you had sat me down six hours before that Telluride premiere and said, ‘Eleven weeks from now, this is going to happen,’ I would have said, ‘No, you’re wrong,’” Jenkins told The Times. “I never imagined this many people would care about this film.”

ALSO: Indie Drama ‘Moonlight’ Looks at What It’s Like to Grow Up Black and Gay in America – TRAILER

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Best Feature

American Honey
Chronic
Jackie
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Best Director

Andrea Arnold, American Honey
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Pablo Larrain, Jackie
Kelly Reichardt, Certain Women
Jeff Nichols, Loving

Best Screenplay

Moonlight
Manchester by the Sea
20th Century Women
Little Men
Hell or High Water

Best First Feature

The Childhood of a Leader
The Fits
Other People
Swiss Army Man
The Witch

Best First Screenplay

The Witch
Other People
Barry
Jean of the Joneses
Christine

Best Male Lead

Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
David Harewood, Free in Deed
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Jesse Plemons, Other People
Tim Roth, Chronic

Best Female Lead

Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Sasha Lane, American Honey
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie

Best Supporting Male

Ralph Fiennes, A Bigger Splash
Ben Foster, Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Shia LaBeouf, American Honey
Craig Robinson, Morris From America

Best Supporting Female

Edwina Findley, Free in Deed
Paulina Garcia, Little Men
Lily Gladstone, Certain Women
Riley Keough, American Honey
Molly Shannon, Other People

Best Documentary

13th
Cameraperson
I Am Not Your Negro
O.J.: Made in America
Sonita
Under the Sun