Bob Dylan movie leads indie Spirit Awards

By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "I'm Not There," an artful look at the life of singer Bob Dylan, claimed a leading five Spirit Award nominations for independent movies, including best film as Hollywood launched its annual award season on Tuesday.

The movie, in which several actors represent different stages of the musician's life and work, also earned nominations for director Todd Haynes, supporting actress Cate Blanchett, who plays one version of Dylan, and supporting actor Marcus Carl Franklin, 14, who plays another.

"I'm Not There" also claimed the first Robert Altman Award, named after the iconoclastic director of "MASH" who long-championed independent movies before his death in 2006.

Director Julian Schnabel's drama, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," about a paralyzed French journalist who dictates a book by blinking, and Jason Reitman's comedy "Juno," which tells of a young woman facing an unplanned pregnancy, earned four nominations each, including best movie and best director.

Also taking best film and director nods was Gus Van Sant's teenage skateboard drama, "Paranoid Park." The final nomination among best films went to "A Mighty Heart," about the search for slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

The final director nominee was Tamara Jenkins for drama "The Savages," the story of two adult siblings who move their father to a nursing home. It earned four nominations overall.

'TALENTED FILMMAKERS'

"We have a huge array of talented filmmakers with movies in many different genres. It has been an exciting year for independent film and this shows a deep pool of talent," said Dawn Hudson, executive director of Los Angeles-based group Film Independent, which gives out the Spirit Awards.