Amreeka, Fifty Dead Men Walking and Anvil! The Story of Anvil are all up for Independent Spirit Awards, as nominees for the 25th annual honors were unveiled in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.

Amreeka, a U.S./Canada/Kuwait copro, produced on this side of the border by Buffalo Gal Pictures in Manitoba and Toronto’s Alcine Pictures, is up for the top prize, best feature, alongside recent indie hits (500) Days of Summer, Precious, Sin Nombre and The Last Station.

The story of a Palestinian family’s struggle to adapt to life in the U.S. also earned nods for writer/director Cherien Dabis, up for the best first screenplay prize, and female lead Nisreen Faour. The picture arrived in the U.S. over the Labor Day weekend and in Canada in late October via E1 Entertainment.

Producer Christina Piovesan credits the film’s appeal at home and abroad to its take on the immigrant experience. ‘At its heart it’s the story of a single mom looking for a second chance and a better life for her son,’ she tells Playback Daily. ‘To see a single mom triumph, I think that has broad and international appeal.’

Natalie Press, meanwhile, is up for best supporting actress for her turn in Kari Skogland’s IRA drama Fifty Dead Men Walking, while Anvil! is among the nominees for best documentary, a prize that will go to first-time director Sacha Gervasi if it wins on March 5. The U.S.-made doc follows the Canadian heavy metal band and was last month left off the short list of nominees for best documentary at next year’s Oscars — prompting some grumbling from the music press.

The Last Station and Precious lead the Independent Spirit nominations with five each, followed by the post-war drama The Messenger with four.