- The Film Independent Spirit Awards is the premier awards event for the independent film community.
- Awards are given for Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best Feature Made for Under $500,000 (the John Cassavetes Award) and many more.
- Winners are chosen by those in the know: Film Independent Members. Voting Members receive select nominee screeners and are invited to attend free screenings of all nominated films before choosing the winners.
- The Film Independent Spirit Awards will be held Saturday, February 8, 2020 in Santa Monica, CA and broadcast live EXCLUSIVELY on IFC.
- “The Lighthouse” and “Uncut Gems” have the most nominations with 5 each.
BEST FEATURE
- “Clemency”
- “The Farewell”
- “A Hidden Life”
- “Marriage Story”
- “Uncut Gems”
BEST FIRST FEATURE
- “Booksmart”
- “The Climb”
- “Diane”
- “The Last Black Man In San Francisco”
- “The Mustang”
- “See You Yesterday”
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
- “Burning Cane”
- “Colewell”
- “Give Me Liberty”
- “Premature”
- “Wild Nights With Emily”
BEST DIRECTOR
- Robert Eggers — “The Lighthouse”
- Alma Har’el — “Honey Boy”
- Julius Onah — “Luce”
- Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie — “Uncut Gems”
- Lorene Scafaria — “Hustlers”
BEST FEMALE LEAD
- Karen Allen — “Colewell”
- Hong Chau — “Driveways”
- Elisabeth Moss — “Her Smell”
- Mary Kay Place — “Diane”
- Alfre Woodard — “Clemency”
- Renée Zellweger — “Judy”
BEST MALE LEAD
- Chris Galust — “Give Me Liberty”
- Kelvin Harrison Jr. — “Luce”
- Robert Pattinson — “The Lighthouse”
- Adam Sandler — “Uncut Gems”
- Matthias Schoenaerts — “The Mustang”
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
- Jennifer Lopez — “Hustlers”
- Taylor Russell — “Waves”
- Zhao Shuzhen — “The Farewell”
- Lauren “Lolo” Spencer — “Give Me Liberty”
- Octavia Spencer — “Luce”
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
- Willem Dafoe — “The Lighthouse”
- Noah Jupe — “Honey Boy”
- Shia Labeouf — “Honey Boy”
- Jonathan Majors — “The Last Black Man In San Francisco”
- Wendell Pierce — “Burning Cane”
BEST SCREENPLAY
- “Clemency” — Chinonye Chukwu
- “High Flying Bird” — Tarell Alvin Mccraney
- “Marriage Story” — Noah Baumbach
- “To Dust” — Jason Begue & Shawn Snyder
- “Uncut Gems” — Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, & Josh Safdie
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
- “Blow The Man Down” — Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy
- “Driveways” — Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen
- “Greener Grass” — Jocelyn Deboer & Dawn Luebbe
- “See You Yesterday” — Fredrica Bailey & Stefon Bristol
- “The Vast Of Night” — James Montague & Craig W. Sanger
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- “Honey Boy” — Natasha Braier
- “Hustlers” — Todd Banhazl
- “The Lighthouse” — Jarin Blaschke
- “Midsommar” — Pawel Pogorzelski
- “The Third Wife” — Chananun Chotrungroj
BEST EDITING
- “Give Me Liberty” — Kirill Mikhanovsky
- “The Lighthouse” — Louise Ford
- “Sword Of Trust” — Tyler L. Cook
- “The Third Wife” — Julie Béziau
- “Uncut Gems” — Ronald Bronstein & Benny Safdie
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- “American Factory”
- “Apollo 11”
- “For Sama”
- “Honeyland”
- “Island of the Hungry Ghosts”
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
- “Invisible Life” (Brazil)
- “Les Miserables” (France)
- “Parasite” (South Korea)
- “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (France)
- “Retablo” (Peru)
- “The Souvenir” (United Kingdom)
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
“Marriage Story”
DIRECTOR: Noah Baumbach
CASTING DIRECTORS: Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
ENSEMBLE CAST: Alan Alda, Laura Dern, Adam Driver, Julie Hagerty, Scarlett Johansson, Ray Liotta, Azhy Robertson, Merritt Wever
Filmmaker Grant Nominees
Producers Award
(The Producers Award, now in its 23rd year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.)
- Mollye Asher
- Krista Parris
- Ryan Zacarias
Someone to Watch Award
(The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 26th year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.)
- Rashaad Ernesto Green — “Premature”
- Ash Mayfair — “The Third Wife”
- Joe Talbot — “The Last Black Man In San Francisco”
Bonnie Award
(Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo joined American Airlines in 1973 at age 24, becoming the first female pilot to fly for a major U.S. airline. In her honor, now in its 3rd year, the Bonnie Award will recognize a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant sponsored by American Airlines.)
- Marielle Heller
- Lulu Wang
- Kelly Reichardt
Truer Than Fiction Award
(The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 25th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.)
- Khalik Allah — “Black Mother”
- Davy Rothbart — “17 Blocks”
- Nadia Shihab — “Jaddoland”
- Erick Stoll & Chase Whiteside — “América”
