Take the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which this morning announced the nominees of its 36th annual awards ceremony, set to air Thursday, April 22 at 10:00 pm ET and 7:00 pm PT — a temporary (and exciting!) break from the show’s usual spot as a live daytime event the day before the Oscars. Also new this year: for the first time in history, the Spirit Awards will be recognizing outstanding achievement in uniqueness of vision, innovation and boldness of vision in TV and streaming as well as feature film. The nominees were revealed on Film Independent’s YouTube channel this morning, courtesy of presenters Olivia Wilde, Barry Jenkins and Laverne Cox:
Conversely, we are grateful, too, for the things that never change—like the fact that Spirit Award winners are voted on exclusively by Film Independent Members. This year, join by February 11 to receive awards screeners and full Spirit Award Member benefits. And as of this morning, you have some added incentive… So! Without further delay, here are this year’s nominees:
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer) Producers: Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington, Dany Wolf Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh Producers: Sara Murphy, Adele Romanski Producers: Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to director and producer) Director/Producer: Heidi Ewing Producers: Edher Campos, Mynette Louie, Gabriela Maire Director/Producer: Radha Blank Producers: Inuka Bacote-Capiga, Jordan Fudge, Rishi Rajani, Jennifer Semler, Lena Waithe Director: Channing Godfrey Peoples Producers: Toby Halbrooks, Tim Headington, Jeanie Igoe, James M. Johnston, Theresa Steele Page, Neil Creque Williams Director: Edson Oda Producers: Jason Michael Berman, Mette-Marie Kongsved, Matthew Lindner, Laura Tunstall, Datari Turner Director: Darius Marder Producers: Bill Benz, Kathy Benz, Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche
BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Kelly Reichardt, First Cow Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
BEST SCREENPLAY
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Mike Makowsky, Bad Education Alice Wu, The Half of It
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Kitty Green, The Assistant Noah Hutton, Lapsis Channing Godfrey Peoples, Miss Juneteenth Andy Siara, Palm Springs James Sweeney, Straight Up
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; Award given to the writer, director and producer) Writer/Director/Producer: Robert Machoian Producers: Scott Christopherson, Clayne Crawford Writer/Director: Patricia Vidal Delgado Producers: Alicia Herder, Marcel Perez Writer/Director/Producer: Isabel Sandoval Producers: Darlene Catly Malimas, Jhett Tolentino, Carlo Velayo Writer/Director: Merawi Gerima Director/Producer: Alex Thompson Writer: Kelly O’Sullivan Producers: James Choi, Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Eddie Linker, Raphael Nash, Roger Welp
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 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 SUPPORTING MALE
Colman Domingo, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Orion Lee, First Cow Paul Raci, Sound of Metal Glynn Turman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Benedict Wong, Nine Days
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 CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jay Keitel, She Dies Tomorrow Shabier Kirchner, Bull Michael Latham, The Assistant Hélène Louvart, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Joshua James Richards, Nomadland
BEST EDITING
Andy Canny, The Invisible Man Scott Cummings, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Merawi Gerima, Residue Enat Sidi, I Carry You With Me Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
(Award given to the director) Director: Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho Director: Chaitanya Tamahane Director: Philippe Lacôte Director: Lili Horvát Director: Jasmila Žbanić
BEST DOCUMENTARY
(Award given to the director and producer) Director/Producer: Alexander Nanau Producers: Hanka Kastelicová, Bernard Michaux, Bianca Oana Directors/Producers: Jim LeBrecht, Nicole Newnham Producer: Sara Bolder Director/Producer: Kirsten Johnson Producers: Katy Chevigny, Marilyn Ness Director: Maite Alberdi Producer: Marcela Santibáñez Director/Producer: Garrett Bradley Producers: Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast) Director: Regina King Casting Directors: Kimberly R. Hardin Ensemble Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.
PRODUCERS AWARD
(The Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films) Lucas Joaquin Gerry Kim Kara Durrett
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
(The Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition) Director of The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain Director of Farewell Amor Director of Bull
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
(The 26th Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition) Director of Landfall Director of Pier Kids Director of Stray
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
(Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer) Executive Producers: Jeff Dupre, Joshua Bennett, Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius Produced by: Zak Piper, Steve James Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Jolene Pinder Executive Producers: Christina Clusiau, Shaul Schwarz, Dan Cogan, Jenny Raskin, Brandon Hill, Christian Thompson Co-Executive Producers: Andrey Alistratov, Jay Arthur Sterrenberg, Lauren Haber Executive Producers: Rachel Grady, Heidi Ewing, Amy Goodman Kass, Vinnie Malhotra, Jihan Robinson, Michael Bloom, Maria Zuckerman Creators/Executive Producers: Stephen Warren, Johnnie Ingram Executive Producers: Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Peter LoGreco Co-Executive Producers: Erin Haglund, Sabrina Mar
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
(Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer) Creator/Executive Producer: Michaela Coel Executive Producers: Phil Clarke, Roberto Troni Executive Producers: Lee Eisenberg, Joshuah Bearman, Joshua Davis, Arthur Spector, Alan Yang, Siân Heder, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon Executive Producers: Tracey Scoffield, David Tanner, Steve McQueen Creator/Executive Producer: Hannah Fidell Executive Producers: Michael Costigan, Kate Mara, Louise Shore, Jason Bateman, Danny Brocklehurst Co-Executive Producer: Daniel Pipski Creator/Executive Producer: Anna Winger Creator: Alexa Karolinski Executive Producer: Henning Kamm
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 MALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Adam Ali, Little America Nicco Annan, P-Valley Conphidance, Little America Amit Rahav, Unorthodox Harold Torres, ZeroZeroZero
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Weruche Opia, Stephen Wight Said Josh Welsh, President Film Independent: “2020 was Hell on Earth. But one glorious lifeline these past months has been the ability to watch so many great films and shows.” He added, “In an unbelievably challenging year, this year’s Spirit Award nominees inspired us, connected us and have been a source of urgently needed light in the darkness. And even though we’re still stuck at home, let’s come together to celebrate this great work!”
The 2021 Film Independent Sprit Awards will be broadcast Thursday, April 22 at 10:00 pm ET/7:00 pm PT exclusively on IFC and AMC+. To learn more about supporting Film Independent’s mission and programs, contact Jennifer Murby at jmurby@filmindependent.org. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Stephanie Terifay at sterifay@filmindependent.org. The Spirit Awards are sponsored by Premier Sponsor IFC. FIJI Water is the Official Water. Getty Images is the Official Photographer. We are also honored to be partnering with the Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) SeeHer, the leading global movement for gender equality in media, advertising, marketing and entertainment and AMC Networks to further celebrate and act as a catalyst for accurate and meaningful representation in storytelling.
More Film Independent…
Spirit Awards Film Independent Presents Artist Development Upcoming Events Education and Resources
