While the Oscars get most of the buzz for movie awards (sorry, Golden Globes), let’s not forget about the Little Engine That Could—the Independent Spirit Awards. The less-pompous, more-accessible awards ceremony airs annually on the IFC channel, and features a slew of memorable underdogs. Sarah Silverman hosted last year, and her crude humor must have left an impression, since she’ll be returning for seconds.

According to Film Independent, the nominees for the 2007 Spirit Awards have been announced. You can check out the list below (minus the Special Awards), and don’t forget to watch the actual show on Saturday, February 24 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Some of these are givens (Altman not winning for his last film? Come on now) and some of them are surprises (haven’t seen the The Dead Girl, but due to the volume of nominations, it’s probably worth the effort). Here is the main list:

SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
David Lynch and Laura Dern

BEST FEATURE
American Gun
The Dead Girl
Half Nelson
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan’s Labyrinth

BEST DIRECTOR
Robert Altman - A Prairie Home Companion
Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris - Little Miss Sunshine
Ryan Fleck - Half Nelson
Karen Moncrieff - The Dead Girl
Steven Soderbergh - Bubble

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Day Night Day Night
Man Push Cart
The Motel
Sweet Land
Wristcutters: A Love Story

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (best feature made for under $500,000)
Chalk
Four Eyed Monsters
Old Joy
Quinceanera
Twelve and Holding

BEST SCREENPLAY
Neil Burger - The Illusionist
Nicole Holofcener - Friends with Money
Ron Nyswaner - The Painted Veil
Jason Reitman - Thank You For Smoking
Jeff Stanzler - Sorry, Haters

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Michael Arndt - Little Miss Sunshine
Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck - Half Nelson
Goran Dukic - Wristcutters: A Love Story
Dito Montiel - A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Gabrielle Zevin - Conversations with Other Women

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Shareeka Epps - Half Nelson
Catherine O’Hara - For Your Consideration
Elizabeth Reaser - Sweet Land
Michelle Williams - Land of Plenty
Robin Wright Penn - Sorry, Haters

BEST MALE LEAD
Aaron Eckhart - Thank You For Smoking
Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson
Edward Norton - The Painted Veil
Ahmad Razvi - Man Push Cart
Forest Whitaker - American Gun

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Melonie Diaz - A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Marcia Gay Harden - American Gun
Mary Beth Hurt - The Dead Girl
Frances McDormand - Friends with Money
Amber Tamblyn - Stephanie Daley

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
Raymond J. Barry - Steel City
Daniel Craig - Infamous
Paul Dano - Little Miss Sunshine
Channing Tatum - A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Arin Crumley - Four Eyed Monsters
Anthony Dod Mantle - Brothers of the Head
Guillermo Navarro - Pan’s Labyrinth
Aaron Platt - Wild Tigers I Have Known
Michael Simmonds - Man Push Cart

BEST DOCUMENTARY
A Lion in the House
My Country, My Country
The Road to Guantanamo
The Trials of Darryl Hunt
You’re Gonna Miss Me

BEST FOREIGN FILM
12:08 East of Bucharest (Romania)
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (Philippines)
Chronicle of an Escape (Argentina)
Days of Glory (France/Morocco/Algeria/Belgium)
The Lives of Others (Germany)