BEST FEATURE
“A Chiara”
Jonas Carpignano
Paolo Carpignano
Jon Coplon
Ryan Zacarias
(Neon)
“C’mon C’mon”
Chelsea Barnard
Andrea Longacre-White
Lila Yacoub
(A24)
“The Lost Daughter”
Charles Dorfman
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Osnat Handelsman Keren
Talia Kleinhendler
(Netflix)
“The Novice”
Ryan Hawkins
Kari Hollend
Steven Sims
Zack Zucker
(IFC Films)
“Zola”
Kara Baker
Dave Franco
Elizabeth Haggard
David Hinojosa
Vince Jolivette
Christine Vachon
Gia Walsh
(A24)
BEST FIRST FEATURE
“7 Days”
Roshan Sethi
Liz Cardenas
Mel Eslyn
(—)
“Holler”
Nicole Riegel
Adam Cobb
Rachel Gould
Katie Mcneill
Jamie Patricof
Christy Spitzer Thornton
(IFC Films)
“Queen of Glory”
Nana Mensah
Baff Akoto
Anya Migdal
Kelley Robins Hicks
Jamund Washington
(Magnolia Pictures)
“Test Pattern”
Shatara Michelle Ford
Pin-Chun Liu
Yu-Hao Su
(Kino Lorber)
“Wild Indian”
Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr.
Thomas Mahoney
Eric Tavitian
(Vertical Entertainment)
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
“Cryptozoo”
Dash Shaw
Tyler Davidson
Kyle Martin
Jane Samborski
Bill Way
(Magnolia Pictures)
“Jockey”
Clint Bentley
Greg Kwedar
Nancy Schafer
(Sony Pictures Classics)
“Shiva Baby”
mma Seligman
Kieran Altmann
Katie Schiller
Lizzie Shapiro
(Utopia)
“Sweet Thing”
Alexandre Rockwell
Louis Anania
Haley Anderson
Kenan Baysal
(Film Movement)
“This is Not a War Story”
Talia Lugacy
Noah Lang
Julian West
(HBO Max)
BEST DIRECTOR
Janicza Bravo
“Zola”
(A24)
Maggie Gyllenhaal
“The Lost Daughter”
(Netflix)
Lauren Hadaway
“The Novice”
(IFC Films)
Mike Mills
“C’mon C’mon”
(A24)
Ninja Thyberg
“Pleasure”
(Neon)
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Isabelle Fuhrman
“The Novice”
(IFC Films)
Brittany S. Hall
“Test Pattern”
(Kino Lorber)
Patti Harrison
“Together Together”
(Bleecker Street)
Taylour Paige
“Zola”
(A24)
Kali Reis
“Catch the Fair One”
(IFC Films)
BEST MALE LEAD
Clifton Collins Jr.
“Jockey”
(Sony Pictures Classics)
Frankie Faison
“The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain”
(Gravitas Ventures)
Michael Greyeyes
“Wild Indian”
(Vertical Entertainment)
Udo Kier
“Swan Song”
(Magnolia Pictures)
Simon Rex
“Red Rocket”
(A24)
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Jessie Buckley
“The Lost Daughter”
(Netflix)
Amy Forsyth
“The Novice”
(IFC Films)
Ruth Negga
“Passing”
(Netflix)
Revika Reustle
“Pleasure”
(Neon)
Suzanna Son
“Red Rocket”
(A24)
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Colman Domingo
“Zola”
(A24)
Meeko Gattuso
“Queen of Glory”
(Magnolia Pictures)
Troy Kotsur
“CODA”
(Apple Original Films)
Will Patton
“Sweet Thing”
(Film Movement)
Chaske Spencer
“Wild Indian”
(Vertical Entertainment)
BEST SCREENPLAY
“C’mon C’mon”
Mike Mills
(A24)
“The Lost Daughter”
Maggie Gyllenhaal
(Netflix)
“Swan Song”
Todd Stephens
(Magnolia Pictures)
“Together Together”
Nikole Beckwith
(Bleecker Street)
“Zola”
Janicza Bravo
Jeremy O. Harris
(A24)
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
“Cicada”
Matt Fifer
Sheldon D. Brown
(Strand Releasing)
“Mass”
Fran Kranz
(Bleecker Street)
“Pig”
Michael Sarnoski
Vanessa Block
(Neon)
“Test Pattern”
Shatara Michelle Ford
(Kino Lorber)
“Wild Indian”
Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr.
(Vertical Entertainment)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Blue Bayou”
Ante Cheng
Matthew Chuang
(Focus Features)
“A Chiara”
Tim Curtin
(Neon)
“The Humans”
Lol Crawley
(A24)
“Passing”
Edu Grau
(Netflix)
“Zola”
Ari Wegner
(A24)
BEST EDITING
“A Chiara”
Affonso Gonçalves
(Neon)
“The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain”
Enrico Natale
(Gravitas Ventures)
“The Nowhere Inn”
Ali Greer
(IFC Films)
“The Novice”
Lauren Hadaway
Nathan Nugent
(IFC Films)
“Zola”
Joi McMillon
(A24)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Ascension”
Jessica Kingdon
Kira Simon-Kennedy
Nathan Truesdell
(MTV Documentary Films)
“Flee”
Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Monica Hellström
Signe Byrge Sørensen
(Neon)
“In the Same Breath”
Nanfu Wang
Christopher Clements
Julie Goldman
Carolyn Hepburn
Jialing Zhang
(HBO Original Documentary)
“Procession”
Robert Greene
Susan Bedusa
Bennett Elliott
Douglas Tirola
(Netflix)
“Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
David Dinerstein
Robert Fyvolent
Joseph Patel
(Searchlight Pictures)
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
“Compartment No. 6”
(Finland/Russia)
Juho Kuosmanen
(Sony Pictures Classics)
“Drive My Car”
(Japan)
Ryusuke Hamaguchi
(Janus Films)
“Parallel Mothers”
(Spain)
Pedro Almodóvar
(Sony Pictures Classics)
“Pebbles”
(India)
P S Vinothraj
(Rowdy Pictures)
“Petite Maman”
(France)
Céline Sciamma
(—)
“Prayers for the Stolen”
(Mexico)
Tatiana Huezo
(Netflix)
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
“Mass”
Directed by Fran Kranz
Casting by Henry Russell Bergstein and Allison Estrin
Ensemble Cast: Kagen Albright, Reed Birney, Michelle N. Carter, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Breeda Wool
Bleecker Street
TELEVISION
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
“Blindspotting”
Rafael Casal
Daveed Diggs
Jess Wu Calder
Keith Calder
Ken Lee
Tim Palen
Emily Gerson Saines
Seith Mann
(Starz)
“It’s a Sin”
Russell T Davies
Peter Hoar
Nicola Shindler
(HBO)
“Reservation Dogs”
Sterlin Harjo
Taika Waititi
Garrett Basch
(FX)
“The Underground Railroad”
Barry Jenkins
Adele Romanski
Mark Ceryak
Brad Pitt
Dede Gardner
Jeremy Kleiner
Colson Whitehead
Richard Heus
Jacqueline Hoyt
(Amazon Studios)
“We Are Lady Parts”
Nida Manzoor
Tim Bevan
Eric Fellner
Surian Fletcher-Jones
Mark Freeland
(Peacock Original)
Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
“Black and Missing”
Soledad O’Brien
Geeta Gandbhir
Jo Honig
Patrick Conway
Nancy Abraham
Lisa Heller
Sara Rodriguez
(HBO)
“The Choe Show”
David Choe
Matt Revelli
Christopher C. Chen
Hiro Murai
Nate Matteson
(FX)
“The Lady and The Dale”
Mark Duplass
Jay Duplass
Mel Eslyn
Allen Bain
Andre Gaines
Nick Cammilleri
Alana Carithers
Zackary Drucker
Nancy Abraham
Lisa Heller
(HBO)
“Nuclear Family”
Ry Russo-Young
Liz Garbus
Julie Gaither
Jon Bardin
Leah Holzer
Peter Saraf
Alex Turtletaub
Jenny Raskin
Geralyn White Dreyfous
Lauren Haber
Maria Zuckerman
Christine Connor
Ryan Heller
Barbara Dobkin
Eric Dobkin
Andrea Van Beuren
Joe Landauer
(HBO)
“Philly D.A.”
Ted Passon
Yoni Brook
Nicole Salazar
Dawn Porter
Sally Jo Fifer
Lois Vossen
Ryan Chanatry
Gena Konstantinakos
Jeff Seelbach
Patty Quillin
Nion McEvoy
Leslie Berriman
(PBS)
Best Female Performance in a Scripted Series
Deborah Ayorinde
“THEM: Covenant”
(Amazon Studios)
Jasmine Cephas Jones
“Blindspotting”
(Starz)
Thuso Mbedu
“The Underground Railroad”
(Amazon Studios)
Jana Schmieding
“Rutherford Falls”
(Peacock)
Anjana Vasan
“We Are Lady Parts”
(Peacock Original)
Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series
Olly Alexander
“It’s a Sin”
(HBO)
Murray Bartlett
“The White Lotus”
(HBO)
Michael Greyeyes
“Rutherford Falls”
(Peacock)
Lee Jung-jae
“Squid Game”
(Netflix)
Ashley Thomas
“THEM: Covenant”
(Amazon Studios)
Best Ensemble Cast in a Scripted Series
“Reservation Dogs”
Ensemble Cast: Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, Paulina Alexis, Sarah Podemski, Zahn McClarnon, Lil Mike, FunnyBone
FX Networks
Filmmaker Grant Nominees
Producers Award
(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.)
Brad Becker-Parton
Pin-Chun Liu
Lizzie Shapiro
Someone to Watch Award
(Recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.)
Alex Camilleri
“Luzzu”
Michael Sarnoski
“Pig”
Gillian Wallace Horvat
“I Blame Society”
Truer Than Fiction Award
(Presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.)
Jessica Beshir
“Faya Dayi”
Debbie Lum
“Try Harder!”
Angelo Madsen Minax
“North By Current”
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.
