Lisa Cholodenko, her hit film The Kids Are All Right, the Natalie Portman starrer Black Swan and openly gay director John Cameron Mitchell are now certified players during the coming film awards season with numerous nominations for 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Cholodenko's comedy-drama about a lesbian couple forced to deal with the sudden appearance of their sperm donor received five nominations, including best feature, director, screenplay (Stuart Blumberg, Cholodenko), female lead (Annette Bening), and supporting male (Mark Ruffalo). Julianne Moore was a surprise omission.
Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller about a ballerina becoming too entrenched in her role as the swan queen, Black Swan, landed nods for best feature, best director and best female lead for Portman, whose character engages in a lesbian tryst.
Mitchell received a nomination for best director for Rabbit Hole, which is scheduled to open in limited release December 17. The film about a couple coping with the loss of their young son also received nominations for female lead (Nicole Kidman), male lead (Aaron Eckhart), and screenplay (David Lindsay-Abaire).
Other films with LGBT content that received nominations include Black Swan, which scored nominations for best feature, director (Darren Aronofsky), leading actress (Natalie Portman), and cinematography.
Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony February 26 on the beach in Santa Monica, Calif. The 26th annual awards show will air exclusively that night on IFC.
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