The Film Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced this morning online, with Olivia Wilde, Barry Jenkins, and Loverne Cox announcing the nominees via their homes and Zoom cameras. A new feature to this year’s Spirit Awards is the television category, which honors series in their debut seasons. The ceremony departs from its usual Saturday before the Oscars time slot, instead airing Thursday, April 22 (the Thursday before the Oscars). This year’s most awarded films were “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” with seven nominations, “Minari” with six nominations, and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Nomadland” with five nominations.
BEST FEATURE
“First Cow”
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
“Minari”
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
“Nomadland”
BEST FIRST FEATURE
“I Carry You With Me”
“The Forty-Year-Old Version”
“Miss Juneteenth”
“Nine Days”
“Sound Of Metal”
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
“The Killing of Two Loves”
“La Leyenda Negra”
“Lingua Franca”
“Residue”
“Saint Frances”
BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung — “Minari”
Emerald Fennell — “Promising Young Woman”
Eliza Hittman — ”Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
Kelly Reichardt — “First Cow”
Chloé Zhao — “Nomandland”
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Nicole Beharie — “Miss Juneteenth”
Viola Davis — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Sidney Flanigan — “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
Julia Garner — “The Assistant”
Frances McDormand — “Nomadland”
Carey Mulligan — “Promising Young Woman”
BEST MALE LEAD
Riz Ahmed — “Sound Of Metal”
Chadwick Boseman — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Adarsh Gourav — “The White Tiger”
Rob Morgan — “Bull”
Steven Yeun — “Minari”
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Alexis Chikaeze — “Miss Juneteenth”
Yeri Han — “Minari”
Valerie Mahaffey — “French Exit”
Talia Ryder — “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
Yuh-Jung Youn — “Minari”
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Coleman Domingo — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Orion Lee — “First Cow”
Paul Raci — “Sound Of Metal”
Glynn Turmann — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Benedict Wong — “Nine Days”
BEST SCREENPLAY
“Bad Education” — Mike Makowsky
“The Half Of It” — Alice Wu
“Minari” — Lee Isaac Chung
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” — Eliza Hittman
“Promising Young Woman” — Emerald Fennell
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
“The Assistant” — Kitty Green
“Lapsis” — Noah Hutton
“Miss Juneteenth” — Channing Godfrey Peeples
“Palm Springs” — Andy Siara
“Straight Up” — James Sweeney
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Assistant” — Michael Latham
“Bull” — Shabier Kirchner
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” — Hélène Louvart
“Nomadland” — Joshua James Richards
“She Dies Tomorrow” — Jay Kietel
BEST EDITING
“I Carry You With Me” — Enat Sidi
“The Invisible Man” — Andy Canny
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” — Scott Cummings
“Nomadland” — Chloé Zhao
“Residue” — Merawi Gerima
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Collective”
“Crip Camp”
“Dick Johnson Is Dead”
“The Mole Agent”
“Time”
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
“Bacurau” (Brazil)
“The Disciple” (India)
“Night of the Kings” (Ivory Coast)
“Preparations To Be Together For An Unknown Period Of Time” (Hungary)
“Quo Vadis, Aida?” (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
“ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…”
Director: Regina King Casting Director: Kimberly R. Hardin Ensemble Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.
TELEVISION
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
“I May Destroy You”
“Little America”
“Small Axe”
“A Teacher”
“Unorthodox”
Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
“Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children”
“City So Real”
“Immigration Nation”
“Love Fraud”
“We’re Here”
Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series
Adam Ali — “Little America”
Nicco Annan — “P-Valley”
Conphidance — “Little America”
Amit Rahav — “Unorthodox”
Harold Torres — “ZeroZeroZero”
Best Female Performance in a Scripted Series
Elle Fanning — “The Great”
Shira Haas — “Unorthodox”
Abby McEnany — “Work In Progress”
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan — “Never Have I Ever”
Jordan Kristine Seamón — “We Are Who We Are”
Best Ensemble Cast in a Scripted Series
“I MAY DESTROY YOU”
Ensemble Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Weruche Opia, Stephen Wight
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.)
Kara Durrett
Lucas Joaquin
Gerry Kim
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.)
David Midell
Ekwa Msangi
Annie Silverstein
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.)
Cecilia Aldarondo
Elegance Bratton
Elizabeth Lo
ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT
Film Independent is the nonprofit arts organization that champions creative independence in visual storytelling and supports a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision. Film Independent helps filmmakers make their movies, builds an audience for their projects and works to diversify the film industry. Film Independent’s Board of Directors, filmmakers, staff and constituents are comprised of an inclusive community of individuals across ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race and sexual orientation. Anyone passionate about film can become a Member, whether you are a filmmaker, industry professional or a film lover.
In addition to producing the Spirit Awards, Film Independent produces Film Independent Presents, a year-round screening series for its members that offers unique cinematic experiences for the Los Angeles creative community and the general public. Through annual screenings and events, Film Independent provides access to a network of like-minded artists who are driving creativity in the film industry.
Film Independent’s Artist Development program offers free labs for selected writers, directors, producers and documentary filmmakers and presents year-round networking opportunities. Project Involve is Film Independent’s signature program dedicated to fostering the careers of talented filmmakers from communities traditionally underrepresented in the film industry.
The winners of the Film Independent Spirit Awards are voted upon by Film Independent Members. Membership is open to the public.
