(In alphabetical order) - Nominees announced 1/10/97, winners announced 3/22/97.
| Best Picture |
Dead Man Fargo WINNER! The Funeral Lone Star Welcome to the Dollhouse |
|---|---|
| Best Director | Joel Coen (Fargo) WINNER! Abel Ferrara (The Funeral) David O. Russell (Flirting with Disaster) Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse) Robert M. Young (Caught) |
| Best First Feature Film | Big Night (Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci) I Shot Andy Warhol (Marry Herron) Manny & Lo (Lisa Krueger) Sling Blade (Billy Bob Thornton) WINNER! Steve Buscemi (Trees Lounge) |
| Best Actor |
Chris Cooper (Lone Star) William H. Macy (Fargo) WINNER! Chris Penn (The Funeral) Tony Shalhoub (Big Night) Stanley Tucci (Big Night) |
| Best Actress |
Maria Conchita Alonso (Caught) Scarlett Johnson (Manny & Lo) Catherine Keener (Walking and Talking) Frances McDormand (Fargo) WINNER! Renee Zellwegger (The Whole Wide World) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Levin Corrigan (Walking and Talking) Benicio Del Toro (Basquiat) WINNER! Matthew Faber (Welcome to the Dollhouse) Gary Farmer (Dead Man) Richard Jenkins (Flirting with Disaster) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Queen Latifah (Set it Off) Elizabeth Pena (Lone Star) WINNER! Mary Kay Place (Manny & Lo) Lili Taylor (Girls Town) Lily Tomlin (Flirting with Disaster) |
| Best Cinematography | Roger Deakins (Fargo) WINNER! Ken Kelsh (The Funeral) Robby Muller (Dead Man) Bill Pope (Bound) Rob Sweeney (Color of a Brisk and Learing Day) |
| Best Screenplay | Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo) WINNER! Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man) David O. Russell (Flirting with Disaster) John Sayles (Lone Star) Nicholas St. John (The Funeral) |
| Best First Feature | Big Night (Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci) I Shot Andy Warhol (Mary Harron) Manny & Lo (Lisa Krueger) Sling Blade (Billy Bob Thornton) WINNER! Trees Lounge (Steve Buscemi) |
| Best First Screenplay | Suzan-Lori Parks (Girl 6) Lisa Krueger (Manny & Lo) Michael Scott Myers (The Whole Wide World) Steve Buscemi (Trees Lounge) Joseph Tropiano & Stanley Tucci (Big Night) WINNER! |
| Best Debut Performance | Jena Malone (Bastard out of Carolina) Heather Matarazzo (Welcome to the Dollhouse) WINNER! Brendan Sexton, Jr. (Welcome to the Dollhouse) Arie Vereen (Caught) Jeffrey Wright (Basquiat) |
| Best Foreign Film | Breaking the Waves Denmark Chungking Express (Hong Kong) L'America (Italy) Secrets & Lies (United Kingdom) WINNER! Trainspotting (United Kingdom) |