11th Independent Spirit Awards
# 11th Independent Spirit Awards

The 11th Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best in independent filmmaking for 1995, were announced on March 23, 1996. It was hosted by Samuel L. Jackson.

## Nominees and winners

| Best Feature | Best Director |
| - | - |
| Leaving Las Vegas The Addiction Living in Oblivion Safe The Secret of Roan Inish | Mike Figgis – Leaving Las Vegas Michael Almereyda – Nadja Ulu Grosbard – Georgia Todd Haynes – Safe John Sayles – The Secret of Roan Inish |
| Best Male Lead | Best Female Lead |
| Sean Penn – Dead Man Walking Nicolas Cage – Leaving Las Vegas Tim Roth – Little Odessa Jimmy Smits – My Family Kevin Spacey – Swimming with Sharks | Elisabeth Shue – Leaving Las Vegas Jennifer Jason Leigh – Georgia Elina Löwensohn – Nadja Julianne Moore – Safe Lili Taylor – The Addiction |
| Best Supporting Male | Best Supporting Female |
| Benicio del Toro – The Usual Suspects James LeGros – Living in Oblivion David Morse – The Crossing Guard Max Perlich – Georgia Harold Perrineau – Smoke | Mare Winningham – Georgia Jennifer Lopez – My Family Vanessa Redgrave – Little Odessa Chloë Sevigny – Kids Celia Weston – Dead Man Walking |
| Best Screenplay | Best First Screenplay |
| The Usual Suspects – Christopher McQuarrie Leaving Las Vegas – Mike Figgis Living in Oblivion – Tom DiCillo Safe – Todd Haynes The Secret of Roan Inish – John Sayles | Smoke – Paul Auster Kids – Harmony Korine Little Odessa – James Gray Post Cards from America – Steve McLean River of Grass – Kelly Reichardt |
| Best First Feature | Best Debut Performance |
| The Brothers McMullen Kids Little Odessa Picture Bride River of Grass | Justin Pierce – Kids Jason Andrews – Rhythm Thief Lisa Bowman – River of Grass Gabriel Casseus – New Jersey Drive Rose McGowan – The Doom Generation |
| Best Cinematography | Best Foreign Film |
| Leaving Las Vegas – Declan Quinn Little Odessa – Tom Richmond Nadja – Jim Denault The Underneath – Elliot Davis The Usual Suspects – Newton Thomas Sigel | Before the Rain • Macedonia The City of Lost Children • France Exotica • Canada I Am Cuba • Soviet Union Through the Olive Trees • Iran |

### Films that received multiple nominations

| Nominations | Film |
| - | - |
| 7 | Leaving Las Vegas |
| 5 | Little Odessa |
| 4 | Georgia |
| 4 | Kids |
| 4 | River of Grass |
| 4 | Safe |
| 4 | The Secret of Roan Irish |
| 3 | Living in Oblivion |
| 3 | Nadja |
| 3 | The Usual Suspects |
| 2 | The Addiction |
| 2 | Dead Man Walking |
| 2 | My Family |
| 2 | Smoke |

**Films that won multiple awards**

| Awards | Film |
| - | - |
| 4 | Leaving Las Vegas |
| 2 | The Usual Suspects |

## Special awards

### Someone to Watch Award

Christopher Münch – Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day

* Tim McCann – Desolation Angels
* Jennifer Montgomery – Art for Teachers of Children
* Kelly Reichardt – River of Grass
* Rafal Zielinski – Fun

### Special Distinction Award

* Samuel Fuller
