Independent Spirit Awards 2015 Announced Nominations: Birdman heads the bunch while The Imitation Game was snubbed of any nomination

It's the start of the award's season once again. Hollywood Film Awards kicked off the occasion last November 14 and Cinema's biggest names are about to present and grab major awards soon.

The Independent Spirit Award nominees were announced by Rosario Dawson and Diego Luna on Tuesday.

Birdman is the leading film to get six nods from the award giving body. The movie stars Michael Keaton, Emma Stone and Edward Norton. Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the film will get a tough competition for the Best Feature Category with Selma, Love Is Strange, and Boyhood.

Other noteworthy nominees are the Jake Gyllenhaal starrer Nightcrawler, the Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette starrer Boyhood as directed by Richard Linklater and Selmaas directed by Ava DuVernay.

Two critically acclaimed films were snubbed of any nomination which is the Reese Witherspoon starrer, Wild and Benedict Cumberbatch starrer The Imitation Game. Cumberbatch won the Hollywood Film Awards for Best Actor recently, and it's quite a surprise for him to be left out. We are hoping he nabs the Oscars though.

The Independent Spirit Awards will be held on February 21 at a beach-front luncheon in Santa Monica, California. The ceremony is sort of a prelude to the Oscars that will be held on February 22.

Below are the list of major nominees:

BEST FEATURE

Birdman

Boyhood

Love is Strange

Selma

Whiplash

BEST DIRECTOR

Damien Chazelle, Whiplash

Ava DuVernay, Selma

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman

Richard Linklater, Boyhood

David Zellner Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST SCREENPLAY

Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski, Big Eyes

J.C. Chandor, A Most Violent Year

Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler

Jim Jarmusch, Only Lovers Left Alive

Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias, Love is Strange

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant
Rinko Kikuchi, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Jenny Slate, Obvious Child
Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive

BEST MALE LEAD

André Benjamin, Jimi: All Is By My Side
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton, Birdman
John Lithgow, Love is Strange
David Oyelowo, Selma

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Carmen Ejogo, Selma
Andrea Suarez Paz, Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
Emma Stone, Birdman

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Riz Ahmed, Nightcrawler
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Alfred Molina, Love is Strange
Edward Norton, Birdman
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash