2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards

Best Feature 
"50/50"
"Beginners"
"Drive"
"Take Shelter"
WINNER: "The Artist"
"The Descendants"

Best Director
WINNER: 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"
WINNER: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash - "The Descendants"

Best First Feature 
Mike Cahill - "Another Earth"
Patrick Wang - "In the Family"
WINNER: J.C. Chandor - "Margin Call"
Sean Durkin - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Robbie Pickering - "Natural Selection"

Best First Screenplay 
Mike Cahill, Brit Marling - "Another Earth"
J.C. Chandor - "Margin Call"
Patrick deWitt - "Terri"
Phil Johnston - "Cedar Rapids"
WINNER: Will Reiser - "50/50"

John Cassavetes Award - Given to the best feature made for under $500,000 
"Bellflower"
"Circumstance"
"Hello Lonesome"
WINNER: "Pariah"
"The Dynamiter"

Best Female Lead
Lauren Ambrose - "Think of Me"
Rachael Harris - "Natural Selection"
Adepero Oduye - "Pariah"
Elizabeth Olsen - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
WINNER: Michelle Williams - "My Week with Marilyn"

Best Male Lead
Demián Bichir - "A Better Life"
WINNER: 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"
WINNER: Shailene Woodley - "The Descendants"

Best Supporting Male
Albert Brooks - "Drive"
John Hawkes - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
WINNER: 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"
WINNER: Guillaume Schiffman - "The Artist"
Jeffrey Waldron - "The Dynamiter"

Best Documentary
"An African Election"
"Bill Cunningham New York"
WINNER: "The Interrupters"
"The Redemption of General Butt Naked"
"We Were Here"

Best International Film 
WINNER: "A Separation" (Iran)
"Melancholia" (Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany) 
"Shame" (UK) 
"The Kid With a Bike" (Belgium/France/Italy) 
"Tyrannosaur" (UK)

Piaget Producers Award - The 15th annual Piaget Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget. 
Chad Burris - "Mosquita y Mari"
WINNER: Sophia Lin - "Take Shelter"
Josh Mond - "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

Someone To Watch Award - The 18th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. 
Simon Arthur - "Silver Tongues"
WINNER: Mark Jackson - "Without"
Nicholas Ozeki - "Mamitas"

Truer Than Fiction Award - The 17th annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. 
WINNER: Heather Courtney - "Where Soldiers Come From"
Danfung Dennis - "Hell and Back Again"
Alma Har'el - "Bombay Beach"

Robert Altman Award
"Margin Call"