14 Reasons You Can’t Miss the Indie Spirit Awards

Because The Artist, as good as it is, probably won’t win everything

Because Nicolas Winding Refn has a very good shot at winning Best Director

Because when was the last time an Oscar speech was as good as this one?

Or this one:

Because the winners are encouraged to curse in their acceptance speeches

Because Shame is actually nominated for something

Because Shame might actually win something

Because who doesn’t like staring at Elizabeth Olsen for a few hours?

Because Jessica Chastain is a nominated for the movie she most deserves to be nominated for

Because the words “The Help” are no where to be found on the nominee list

Because A Separation, Melancholia, Shame, and Tyrannosaur are four-fifths of the Best International Film category

Because people will see Corey Stoll’s face and question that he’s actually the guy who played Ernest Hemingway

Because one of the nominated films is called The Redemption of General Butt Naked

Because these are the nominees:

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

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

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

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
Phil Johnston, Cedar Rapids
Will Reiser, 50/50
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Patrick deWitt, Terri

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

The Film Independent Spirit Awards will air tonight at 10 p.m. EST/PST on IFC.