Fox Searchlight's InAmerica dominated the 2004 IFPIndependent Spirit Awards nominations with six nominations in the US indieworld's equivalent of the Oscars.

Jim Sheridan's film wasfollowed by HBO Films/Fine Line Features' American Splendor (this year's Grand Jury Prize winner at Sundance) andSamuel Goldwyn Films/ Fireworks' Raising Victor Vargas with five nominations each.

All three are in the runningfor best feature along with Focus features' Lost In Translation and Lions Gate's Shattered Glass, which picked up four nominations apiece.

More than 190 submissionswere viewed by the nominating committee, whose chair Jeff Kleeman warned thatnext year's nominations protocol may not function if the screener ban remainsin place for everybody except Academy Award voters.

American Splendor's Paul Giamatti is among best male lead contendersalongside Peter Dinklage for The Station Agent, Ben Kingsley for House Of Sand And Fog, Bill Murray for Lost In Translation and Lee Pace for Soldier's Girl.

In America's Samantha Morton will vie for best female leadhonours with Agnes Bruckner for Blue Car, Zooey Deschanel for All The Real Girls, Elisabeth Moss for Virgin and Charlize Theron for Monster.

Supporting female contendersinclude Sarah Bolger for In America,Patricia Clarkson for Pieces Of April and Frances McDormand for Laurel Canyon, while the male roster boasts Troy Garity for Soldier'sGirl and Peter Sarsgaard for ShatteredGlass.

Shari Springer Berman andRobert Pulcini picked up a best director nomination for American Splendor, where they will face stiff competition from JimSheridan for In America, SofiaCoppola for Lost In Translationand Gus Van Sant for his Palme d'Or winning Elephant.

Peter Hedges was nominatedfor Pieces Of April in thescreenplay category, which included Billy Ray for Shattered Glass and Coppola.

Errol Morris' The Fog OfWar and George Hickenlooper's MayorOf The Sunset Strip are amongdocumentary nominees, while a quality foreign film category features FernandoMeirelles' City Of God (Brazil),Lukas Moodysson's Lilya 4-Ever(Denmark), Peter Mullan's The Magdalene Sisters (England/Ireland), Sylvian Chomet's The TripletsOf Belleville (France) and NikiCaro's Whale Rider (New Zealand).

Alejandro GonzalezInarritu's 21 Grams, which wasineligible for individual awards because its budget exceeded committeeguidelines, will receive a Special Distinction Award.

The tenth annual TurningLeaf Someone To Watch Award finalists in honour of film-makers who have notreceived sufficient recognition are Andrew Bujalski for Funny Ha Ha, Ben Coccio for Zero Day and Ryan Eslinger for Madness And Genius.

The eighth annualDIRECTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction award finalists for emerging documentarians areLinda Goode Bryant and Laura Poitras for Flag Wars, Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk for Lost Boys Of Sudan, Nathaniel Kahn for My Architect and Robb Moss for The Same River Twice.

The seventh annual ProducersAward finalists for film-makers on limited resources are Callum Greene andAnthony Katagas for Happy Here And Now and Homework, Lauren Moewsfor Cabin Fever and BriarPatch and Mary Jane Skalski for TheStation Agent and The Jimmy Show.

"The nominations speak ofthe range and vibrancy of independent and world cinema today with so manydifferent voices from so many different places," Kleeman told ScreenDaily.

Kleeman and his 11 jurymembers were fortunate in that most of the preview screeners were sent outbefore the MPAA abruptly announced its ban on Sept 30. All tapes were keptunder lock and key and committee members had to sign them out for viewingpurposes. Extra screenings were arranged for titles that were affected by theban

This year's committeeincluded Kleeman, a former producer and studio executive; IFP/Los Angelesexecutive director Dawn Hudson; cinematographer John Bailey; director Tony Bui;director Patricia Cardoso; casting director Aisha Coley; nominations presenterand actor Daryl Hannah; producer Meg LaFauve; screenwriter Jose Rivera;producer Stacy Sher; director David Siegel; and LA Times critic Kenneth Turan.

The awards willbe presented at the traditional gala ceremony on Santa Monica beach on Feb 282004.

2004 IFP INDEPENDENTSPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS:

BEST FEATURE (award given to the producer)
American Splendor (Ted Hope)
In America (Jim Sheridan and Arthur Lappin)
Lost In Translation (SofiaCoppola and Ross Katz)
Raising Victor Vargas (Alain dela Mata, Robin O'Hara, Scott Macauley and Peter Sollett)
Shattered Glass (CraigBaumgarten, Tove Christensen, Gaye Hirsch and Adam Merims)

BEST FIRST FEATURE (award given to the director and producer)
Bomb The System (dir: Adam Bhala Lough; prods: Ben Rekhiand Sol Tryon)
House Of Sand And Fog (dir: VadimPerelman; prods: Michael London and Vadim Perelman)
Monster (dir: Patty Jenkins;prods: Mark Damon, Donald Kushner, Clark Peterson, Charlize Theron and BradWyman)
Quattro Noza (dir: Joey Curtis;prods: Fredric King)
Thirteen (dir: CatherineHardwicke; prods: Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Michael London)

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD for the best feature made under $500,000 (award given tothe writer, director and producer)
Anne B. Real (dir: Lisa France; scr:Lisa France and Antonio Macia; prods: Josselyne Herman, Luis Moro and JeanineRohn)
Better Luck Tomorrow (dir: JustinLin; scr: Ernesto M Foronda, Justin Lin and Fabian Marquez; prods: Julie Asato,Ernesto M Foronda and Justin Lin)
Pieces of April (dir/scr: PeterHedges; prods: Alexis Alexanian, John S Lyons and Gary Winick)
The Station Agent (dir/scr:Thomas McCarthy; prods: Mary Jane Skalski, Robert May and Kathryn Tucker)
Virgin (dir/scr: DeborahKampmeier; prod: Sarah Schenck)

BEST DIRECTOR
Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini American Splendor
Sofia Coppola Lost In Translation
Jim Sheridan In America
Peter Sollett Raising Victor Vargas
Gus Van Sant Elephant

BEST SCREENPLAY
Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini American Splendor
Sofia Coppola Lost In Translation
Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy and the cast of A Mighty Wind A Mighty Wind
Peter Hedges Pieces of April
Billy Ray Shattered Glass

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Karen Moncrieff Blue Car
Patty Jenkins Monster
Peter Sollett and Eva Vives Raising Victor Vargas
Thomas McCarthy The Station Agent
Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed Thirteen

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Agnes Bruckner Blue Car
Zooey Deschanel All The RealGirls
Samantha Morton In America
Elisabeth Moss Virgin
Charlize Theron Monster

BEST MALE LEAD
Peter Dinklage The Station Agent
Paul Giamatti American Splendor
Ben Kingsley House of Sand And Fog
Bill Murray Lost In Translation
Lee Pace Soldier's Girl

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Shohreh Aghdashloo House Of Sand And Fog
Sarah Bolger In America
Patricia Clarkson Pieces Of April
Hope Davis The Secret Lives Of Dentists
Frances McDormand Laurel Canyon

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Judah Friedlander American Splendor
Troy Garity Soldier's Girl
Djimon Hounsou In America
Alessandro Nivola Laurel Canyon
Peter Sarsgaard Shattered Glass

BEST DEBUT PERFORMANCE
Anna Kendrick Camp
Judy Marte Raising Victor Vargas
Victor Rasuk Raising Victor Vargas
Nikki Reed Thirteen
Janice Richardson Anne B. Real

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Derek Cianfrance Quattro Noza
M David Mullen Northfolk
Declan Quinn In America
Harris Savides Elephant
Mandy Walker Shattered Glass

BEST DOCUMENTARY (award given to thedirector)
The Fog of War (dir: Errol Morris)
Mayor Of The Sunset Strip (dir: GeorgeHickenlooper)
My Architect (dir: Nathaniel Kahn)
OT: Our Town (dir: Scott HamiltonKennedy)
Power Trip (dir: Paul Devlin)

BEST FOREIGN FILM (award given to the director)
City Of God (Brazil/dir: FernandoMeirelles)
Lilya 4-Ever (Denmark/dir: LukasMoodysson)
The Magdalene Sisters (UK/Ireland/dir: Dir:Peter Mullan)
The Triplets Of Belleville (France/dir:Sylvian Chomet)
Whale Rider (New Zealand/dir: Niki Caro)