And just like that, as fast as it opened, the curtain on the awards season is about to close. As the years have passed, we’ve seen more overlap between the Film Independent Spirit Awards and the Oscars, with Spirit winners eventually winning the Academy’s Best Picture Award. So, as a voter, it’s an honor to help lift these titles so they can go on to much larger success.
On the television side, I don’t feel like I’m doing any lifting because “Shōgun” has already been showered with praise. But, it was by and far the best new series in the categories. In a distant second place was the Netflix phenomenon, “Baby Reindeer.” In the Non-Scripted or Documentary New Series, I loved the visuals of the “Photographer” series, but the “Hollywood Black” series did a great job of keeping my interest without breathtaking imagery.
Seven of my picks for features are Oscar nominees, four of which are odds-on favorites to win the awards they are nominated for. “Anora” was my favorite movie of 2024, so I picked it over many others. Most of my picks in the technical categories were standout favorites, like “September 5” for Best Editing and “Nickel Boys” for Best Cinematography. “Flow” stood out in the International Film category, and “No Other Land” is essential viewing as it sheds light on what is happening to Palestinians. “Dìdi” was a film I saw at last year’s Sundance, and it stuck with me throughout the entire year, while “My Old Ass” was one of the biggest surprises of the year.
There were a few categories that were tougher to choose. In Best Supporting Performance, I struggled to choose between Clarence Maclin and Yura Borisov. Both defied expectations and played against type in the greatest of ways. Ultimately, Clarence Maclin’s real-life story helped sway my decision toward him. In Lead Performance, I find Demi Moore’s role in “The Substance” incredibly strong, and if Margaret Qualley had gotten nominated, I would have voted for her in Best Supporting Performance. However, Mikey Madison was more impactful this year, with a breakout performance at such a young age that I went with her.
The awards will be handed out Saturday, February 22 at 2:00 pm, with Aidy Bryant hosting for the second year in a row, and we’ll see how many of these picks come to fruition.
BEST FEATURE
“Anora” • NEON
Directed by Sean Baker
Produced by Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
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2. “The Substance” | MUBI
3. “Sing Sing” | A24
4. “Nickel Boys” | Orion/Amazon MGM Studios
5. “I Saw the TV Glow” | A24
BEST FIRST FEATURE
“DÌDI” • Focus Features
Directed by Sean Wang
Produced by Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush, Sean Wang
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2. “The Piano Lesson” | Netflix”
3. “In The Summers” | Music Box Films
4. “Janet Planet” | A24
5. “Problemista” | A24
BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker
“Anora” • NEON
Produced by Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
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2. Brady Corbet – “The Brutalist” | A24
3. Ali Abbasi – “The Apprentice” | Briarcliff Entertainment
4. Alonso Ruizpalacios – “La Cocina” | WILLA
5. Jane Schoenbrun – “I Saw the TV Glow” | A24
BEST SCREENPLAY
“My Old Ass” • Amazon MGM Studios
Written by Megan Park
Directed by Megan Park
Produced by Tom Ackerley, Margot Robbie, Josey McNamara, Steven Rales
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2. “Heretic” – Scott Beck & Bryan Woods | A24
3. “I Saw the TV Glow” – Jane Schoenbrun | A24
4. “A Real Pain” – Jesse Eisenberg | Searchlight Pictures
5. “A Different Man” – Aaron Schimberg | A24
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
“DÌDI” • Focus Features
Written by Sean Wang
Directed by Sean Wang
Produced by Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters, Valerie Bush, Sean Wang
—
2. “Good One” – India Donaldson | Focus Features
3. “Janet Planet” – Annie Baker | A24
4. “The Feeling That The Time For Doing Something Has Passed” – Joanna Arnow | Magnolia Pictures
5. “Problemista” – Julio Torres | A24
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Mikey Madison
“Anora” • NEON
Directed by Sean Baker
Produced by Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
—
2. Demi Moore – “The Substance” | MUBI
3. Colman Domingo – “Sing Sing” | A24
4. Sebastian Stan – “The Apprentice” | Briarcliff Entertainment
5. Ryan Destiny – “The Fire Inside” | Amazon MGM Studios
6. Hunter Schafer – “Cuckoo” | NEON
7. Amy Adams – “Nightbitch” | Searchlight Pictures
8. June Squibb – “Thelma” | Magnolia Pictures
9. Keith Kupferer – “Ghostlight” | IFC Films
10. Justice Smith – “I Saw the TV Glow” | A24
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Clarence Maclin
“Sing Sing” • A24
Directed by Greg Kwedar
Produced by Monique Walton, Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
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2. Yura Borisov – “Anora” | NEON
3. Kieran Culkin – “A Real Pain” | Searchlight Pictures
4. Danielle Deadwyler – “The Piano Lesson” | Netflix
5. Joan Chen – “Dìdi” | Focus Features
6. Karren Karagulian – “Anora” | NEON
7. Kani Kusruti – “All We Imagine as Light” | Sideshow/Janus Films
8. Adam Pearson – “A Different Man” | A24
9. Brigette Lundy-Paine – “I Saw the TV Glow” | A24
10. Carol Kane – “Between The Temples” | Sony Pictures Classics
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Maisy Stella
“My Old Ass” • Amazon MGM Studios
Directed by Megan Park
Produced by Tom Ackerley, Margot Robbie, Josey McNamara, Steven Rales
—
2. Katy O’Brian – “Love Lies Bleeding” | A24
3. Mason Alexander Park – “National Anthem” | LD Entertainment
4. Isaac Krasner – “Big Boys” | Dark Star Pictures
5. René Pérez Joglar – “In The Summers” | Music Box Films
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Nickel Boys” • Orion/Amazon MGM Studios
Cinematography by Jomo Fray
Directed by RaMell Ross
Produced by Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine, Joslyn Barnes
—
2. “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” – Dinh Duy Hung | Kino Lorber
3. “La Cocina” – Juan Pablo Ramírez | WILLA
4. “The Fire Inside” – Rina Yang | Amazon MGM Studios
5. “Janet Planet” – Maria von Hausswolff | A24
BEST EDITING
“September 5” • Paramount Pictures
Editing by Hansjörg Weissbrich
Directed by Tim Fehlbaum
Produced by Sean Penn, Philipp Trauer, Thomas Wöbke, John Ira Palmer, John Wildermuth
—
2. “Dìdi” – Arielle Zakowski | Focus Features
3. “Nightbitch” – Anne McCabe | Searchlight Pictures
4. “The Apprentice” – Olivier Bugge Coutté, & Olivia Neergaard-Holm | Briarcliff Entertainment
5. “Jazzy” – Laura Colwell & Vanara Taing | The Film Arcade
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“No Other Land” • mTuckman Media
Directed by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Produced by Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
—
2. “Gaucho Gaucho” | Beautiful Stories Productions
3. “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” | Kino Lorber
4. “Hummingbirds” | Extra Terrestrial Films
5. “Patrice: The Movie” | Hulu
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
“Flow” • Sideshow/Janus
Directed by Gints Zilbalodis
Produced by Matīss Kaža, Gints Zilbalodis, Ron Dyens, Gregory Zalcman
—
2. “Black Dog” | Seventh Art Pictures
3. “All We Imagine As Light” | Sideshow/Janus Films
4. “Green Border” | Kino Lorber
5. “Hard Truths” | Bleecker Street
TELEVISION
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
“Shōgun” • FX/Hulu
Created/Executive Produced by Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
Executive Produced by Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell
Co-Executive Produced by Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich
—
2. “Baby Reindeer” • Netflix
3. “English Teacher” | FX/Hulu
4. “Diarra From Detroit” | BET+
5. “Fantasmas” | HBO Max
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
“Hollywood Black” • MGM+
Executive Produced by Shayla Harris, Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, Jon Kamen, Justin Simien, Kyle Laursen,
Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jeffrey Schwarz, Amy Goodman Kass, Michael Wright, Jill Burkhart
Co-Executive Produced by David C. Brown, Laurens Grant
—
2. “Photographer” | National Geographic
3. “Ren Faire” | HBO Max
4. “Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color” | National Geographic
5. “Social Studies” | FX
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Anna Sawai
“Shōgun” • FX/Hulu
Created/Executive Produced by Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
Executive Produced by Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell
Co-Executive Produced by Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich
—
2. Cristin Milioti – “The Penguin” | HBO Max
3. Hiroyuki Sanada – “Shōgun” | FX/Hulu
4. Kathryn Hahn – “Agatha All Along” | Disney+
5. Andrew Scott – “Ripley” | Netflix
6. Brian Jordan Alvarez – “English Teacher” | FX/Hulu
7. Lily Gladstone – “Under The Bridge” | Hulu
8. Richard Gadd – “Baby Reindeer” | Netflix
9. Julianne Moore – “Mary & George” | Starz
10. Julio Torres – “Fantasmas” | HBO Max
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Tadanobu Asano
“Shōgun” • FX/Hulu
Created/Executive Produced by Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
Executive Produced by Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell
Co-Executive Produced by Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich
—
2. Moeka Hoshi – “Shōgun” | FX/Hulu
3. Nava Mau – “Baby Reindeer” | Netflix
4. Betty Gilpin – “Three Women” | Starz
5. Patti LuPone – “Agatha All Along” | Disney+
6. Ruth Negga – “Presumed Innocent” | Apple TV+
7. Stephanie Koenig – “English Teacher” | FX/Hulu
8. Chloe Guidry – “Under The Bridge” | Hulu
9. Enrico Colantoni – “English Teacher” | FX/Hulu
10. Brian Tee – “Expats” | Amazon Prime Video
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Jessica Gunning
“Baby Reindeer” • Netflix
Directed by Richard Gadd
Produced by Wim De Greef, Petra Fried, Matt Jarvis, Ed Macdonald
—
2. Hoa Xuande – “The Sympathizer” | HBO
3. Joe Locke – “Agatha All Along” | Disney+
4. Diarra Kilpatrick – “Diarra From Detroit” | BET+
5. Megan Stott – “Penelope” | Netflix
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