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Cast members Greg Kinnear (L) and Steve Carell attend the after-party for the screening of 'Little Miss Sunshine' at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival at the Wadsworth theatre in Los Angeles, California, July 2 , 2006. Reuters Photo/Mario Anzuoni

LOS ANGELES - The hit road comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" and the acclaimed drug-addiction drama "Half Nelson" led the list of contenders on Tuesday for the Independent Spirit Awards, the American art-house world's version of the Oscars.

Each film scored five nominations, including best feature and best director. Another contender in the latter category was maverick filmmaker Robert Altman, who died last week at age 81. The director, a major figure in independent filmmaking, was cited for his last film, "A Prairie Home Companion."

Four films, none of them with much name recognition, landed three nominations each: "American Gun," a drama detailing the consequences of gun-related violence; "The Dead Girl," an as-yet-unreleased drama about the female victims of a serial killer; "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints," a coming-of-age memoir set in New York; and "Man Push Cart," a U.S.-Iranian co-production about an immigrant coffee vendor.

The Spirit Awards, in their 22nd year, honor low-budget films based on such criteria as original, provocative subject matter and degree of independent financing. Winners will be unveiled on February 24, the day before the Academy Awards.

There is usually some crossover among nominees for the two awards, but little common ground among the winners. Last year was an exception because Oscar voters recognized a slew of low-budget films, such as "Crash," "Brokeback Mountain" and "Capote," which also were honored at the Spirit Awards.

STUDIO REJECTION

"Little Miss Sunshine," a crowd-pleaser starring Steve Carell and Greg Kinnear, revolves around a family's cross-country trip to attend a girls' beauty pageant. Five years in the making, it marked the feature directing debut of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, a husband-and-wife team whose day job is making TV commercials.

Faris said the project was turned down by six studios who were worried about the challenges marketing an ensemble movie that mixed both comedy and tragedy. Specialty distributor Fox Searchlight acquired the $7.7 million project, and it went on to make $58 million at the North American box office.

"It was truly independent and it made a lot of money," she said. "It's nice to see that can happen."

Two of its stars, Alan Arkin and Paul Dano, will compete against each other for the supporting male award. Arkin played a drug-addicted grandfather, and Dano a taciturn teen. Additionally, rookie screenwriter Michael Arndt was nominated for best first screenplay. Arndt wrote 100 drafts of the screenplay before he got it right.

The searing drama "Half Nelson" stars Ryan Gosling as a drug-addicted teacher who forms a special bond with one of his high school students. It earned $2.7 million at the box office.

First-time filmmaker Ryan Fleck was nominated for best director and first screenplay (along with co-writer Anna Boden). Gosling, who won raves several years ago for playing a Jewish neo-Nazi in "The Believer," was nominated for best male lead. Shareeka Epps, who plays a student with a troubled home life, was nominated for best female lead.

Other best feature nominees were "American Gun," "The Dead Girl" and the violent post-Spanish Civil War fantasy "Pan's Labyrinth." The other nominated directors were Karen Moncrieff for "The Dead Girl" and Steven Soderbergh for his study of mid-American ennui, "Bubble."

Besides Gosling, the male lead contenders were Aaron Eckhart ("Thank You For Smoking"), Edward Norton ("The Painted Veil"), Pakistani actor Ahmad Razvi ("Man Push Cart"), and Forest Whitaker ("American Gun").

In the female lead category, Epps will vie for honors with Catherine O'Hara ("For Your Consideration"), Elizabeth Reaser ("Sweet Land"), Michelle Williams ("Land of Plenty"), and Robin Wright Penn ("Sorry, Haters").

The event is organized by Film Independent, a Los Angeles-based group that fosters indie movies.