Friends star Jennifer Aniston has emerged as one of the biggest names nominated for the independent film world's version of The Oscars, the Independent Spirit Awards.

Aniston is up for a gong with her role in the film The Good Girl, about the choices of a frustrated bride.

Comedy Lovely & Amazing and 50s drama Far From Heaven topped the list for the awards, which have been running for 18 years and usually salute small-budget films featuring mainly unknown actors.

Jennifer Aniston is making more of her movie career

Lovely & Amazing, directed by Nicole Holofcener, leads the field with six nominations, leading the field. The film is a comedy based on female insecurity.

Far From Heaven, starring Julianne Moore as a woman who finds her husband in bed with another man, has five.

The awards have snubbed the most successful independent film of all time, however.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which was written by and starred Nia Vardalos, only receives one nomination.

Vardalos is up for the best debut award.

Provocative subjects

It cost $5m (�3.2m) to make, but has taken more than $213m (�140m) in ticket sales in North America alone.

Traditionally the nominations do crossover with the Oscar awards, but their selection is based on different criteria to the academy's.

Films are rated on original, provocative subject matter, budget and the degree of independent financing.

The awards are announced on March 22, the day before the Academy Awards.

Lovely & Amazing is up for best picture against Far From Heaven, The Good Girl, the thriller Secretary and the family drama Tully.

Three of the film's actors have been nominated for awards: Catherine Keener (female lead), Emily Mortimer (supporting female) and Raven Goodwin (debut performance).

Far From Heaven's nominations include one for Moore (female lead) and another for Denis Quaid (supporting male).

Other films featuring in the nominations include the serial-killer thriller Dahmer, romance Kissing Jessica Stein and Michael Moore's gun-culture documentary Bowling For Columbine.

This year the awards voted Christopher Nolan's labyrinthine thriller Memento as best film.