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I'm Not There, an artful look at the life of singer Bob Dylan, has claimed a leading five Spirit Award nominations for independent movies, including best film and best supporting actress for Australian Cate Blanchett. Other nominations went to the film's director, Todd Haynes, and supporting actor Marcus Carl Franklin, 14, who plays another version of Dylan.
As Hollywood launched its annual award season, I'm Not There also claimed the first Robert Altman Award, named after the iconoclastic director of MASH, who championed independent movies before his death in 2006. The Spirit Awards are given out by the Los Angeles-based group Film Independent, which supports moviemakers working outside Hollywood's major studios or within the studios' specialty film divisions. Angelina Jolie was nominated for best leading actress playing Daniel Pearl's wife in A Mighty Heart.