Gonzalez Iñarritu’s “Birdman” heads Spirit Awards nominations

The film “Birdman,” directed by Mexico’s Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, on Tuesday received six nominations for the 30th edition of the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the organization announced.

“Birdman” received nominations for best film, best actor (Michael Keaton), best director, best supporting actress (Emma Stone), best supporting actor (Edward Norton) and best cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki).

In the best picture category, the film will go up against “Boyhood,” “Love is Strange,” “Selma” and “Whiplash,” while Gonzalez Iñarritu will vie with Damien Chazelle (“Whiplash”), Ava DuVernay (“Selma”), Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”) and David Zellner (“Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter”) for the best director award.

The other favorites for multiple awards include “Boyhood,” “Nightcrawler” and “Selma,” each of which has received five nominations.

The nominations were announced by actors Rosario Dawson and Diego Luna from Hollywood’s W Hotel.

The winners will be announced next Feb. 21, one day before the Academy Awards ceremony, in a gala to be held at Santa Monica Beach in California.

The Spirit Awards recognize achievements in independent film and each category regularly contains potential Oscar winners.