The Spirit Awards honoring Independent Film announced Tuesday, nominees for it's 29th awards celebration with 12 Years a Slave leading. The antebellum era drama has nominations in major categories, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Male Lead, Best Supporting Male, and Best Supporting Female.

Directed by Steve McQueen, it is the tale of a free man who was abducted and sold into servitude, only to escape more than a decade later to tell his tale to the world. It is being said to be one of the best films of this or any other year. Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays the main character says, “Solomon Northup's story is an extraordinary, one of a kind. A real gift. It's a real insight into a time and a place”, moviefone.com reports.
“In that part of the South, at that time, there was nothing to challenge this way of thinking,“ Sarah Paulson said, who also stars in the drama, in regards to the scenes of brutality, according to mtv.com.

Also in the running for best feature is Alexander Payne's drama Nebraska along with thriller All Is Lost.

Photo Courtesy of WikiMedia Commons