But despite the ban, this year's nominations proved to contain numerous suprises. Indie films had a strong showing, with nominations in all the top categories. Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles received a Best Director nomination for the foreign language film "City of God." In the same category, Sofia Coppola made history by being the first American woman ever to be nominated. (Italy's Lina Wertmuller was nominated in 1976 for "Seven Beauties," and New Zealander Jane Campion in 1993 for "The Piano.") "Lost in Translation," her low key study of love and loneliness in a foreign country, received an impressive four nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (for Bill Murray) and another nomination for Coppola for Best Original Screenplay.
For Best Actress, four out of the five nominations were awarded to performances in non-studio films. South African actress Charlize Theron is considered a top contender for Best Actress in Patty Jenkin's "Monster." Theron transformed herself for her performance as Florida serial murderer Aileen Wuornos by gaining thirty pounds, donning prosthetic teeth and brown contact lenses. New Zealand teen Keisha Castle-Hughes also went down in the record books for her nomination for "Whale Rider"; at thirteen, she is the youngest actress ever to receive the honor. Naomi Watts, ignored by the Golden Globes, was nominated for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "21 Grams," and Samantha Morton got a nod for her performance in Jim Sheridan's tender drama "In America." (Diane Keaton is the only actress nominated for a studio picture, Nancy Meyer's "Something's Gotta Give.")
Other nominated indie performers include Bill Murray for his subtly hilarious role in "Lost in Translation," Patricia Clarkson for Best Supporting Actress as wise talking mother dying of cancer in "Pieces of April," Benicio del Toro for his menacing presence as a reformed convict in "21 Grams," Alec Baldwin as an old school casino boss in "The Cooler," Djimon Hounsou as a dying artist in "In America," and Holly Hunter as a hip but clueless mother in Catherine Hardwicke's "Thirteen."
The nominations for Best Foreign Film proved to be a big suprise. Only one of the four films, Denys Arcand's "The Barbarian Invasions" (Canada) has been released in theaters so far. The other nominees are "Zelary" from the Czech Republic, "The Twilight Samurai" from Japan, "Twin Sisters" from the Netherlands, and "Evil" from Sweden. (See also our complete list of past Foreign Film winners.)
Independent films also received recognition for excellence in writing. For Best Adapted screenplay, Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman were nominated for "American Splendor," and Braulio Mantovani was nominated for "City of God." In the Best Original Screenplay category, Jim Sheridan and his two daughters were nominated for "In America," along with Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation," Steven Knight's "Dirty Pretty Things," and Denys Arcand's "Barbarian Invasions."
The drama "Girl with a Pearl Earring," starring Scarlett Johansson as the inspiration for the infamous Vermeer painting, also received three nominations for Best Costume Design, Cinematography, and Best Art Direction. The young actress, who received two Golden Globe nominations for her "Pearl Earring" and "Lost In Translation," was ignored by the Academy, perhaps because two strong performances in one year often cancel each other out. Sean Penn risked the same fate with the independent "21 Grams" and Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River."
