The nominees for the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards have arrived, marking the start of the awards season as they call it. Out of the bunch there are only a few groups of awards I take real notice of, and one of them is the Independent Spirit Awards. That's because in practical terms they don't look to the box office, the big names or the studio system, they look to the quality of the films, that's one reason why I like the BAFTA's so much, these awards tend to be deserved.

So it's with excitement that I mention the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards Nominees, and reveal to you the list of films that you should have seen this year, and that goes for me too, for I have to admit I've seen a shockingly small amount of these films this year.

Take Shelter (Filmstalker review) is hitting the high spots with five nominations, alongside The Artist, and I'd tend to agree with that. Although I think the ultimate ending put a damper on the film, the rest of it was a superb thriller.

There's a strong list there for Best Feature, although I'm not so convinced about 50/50 (Filmstalker review), and the Best First Feature list is also an interesting one to see. This is definitely a great list of films, the problems will be picking winners.

So here are the nominees for the 2011 Independent Spirit Awards:

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

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

Best First Feature:
Another Earth
In The Family
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natural Selection

Best Male Lead:
Demian Bichir, A Better Life
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Woody Harrelson, Rampart
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Best Female Lead:
Lauren Ambrose, Think of Me
Rachel Harris, Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye, Pariah
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

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 Supporting Female:
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston, 50/50
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana, Gun Hill Road
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

John Cassavetes Award for films made under $500,000:
Bellflower
Circumstance
Hello Lonesome
Pariah
The Dynamiter

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

Best Cinematography:
Joel Hodge, Bellflower
Benjamin Kasulke, The Off Hours
Darius Khondji, Midnight in Paris
Guillaume Shiffman, The Artist
Jeffrey Waldron, The Dynamiter

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

Best Screenplay:
Joseph Cedar, Footnote
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Tom McCarthy, Win Win
Mike Mills, Beginners
Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Best Foreign Film:
A Separation
Melancholia
Shame
The Kid With a Bike
Tyrannosaur

Robert Altman Award for ensemble:
Margin Call