The Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations will be announced online tomorrow at 10am ET / 7am PT on the Film Independent website and YouTube channel. Given her storied history with this voting body, expect Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow to do well, particularly after the warm embrace of the independent film by various critics groups throughout the season.
Also in the mix are assumably Nomadland, The Assistant – particularly for its lead performance by Julia Garner – Never Rarely Sometimes Always, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and Minari among others.
For your predictions, if you’re following along at home, not eligible for Spirit Awards nominations from Netflix are the following:
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
- Da 5 Bloods
- Mank
- The Midnight Sky
- The Prom
- Hillbilly Elegy
Additionally, Sophia Loren is not eligible for Best Actress given that her film, The Life Ahead, is in the international category.
Here are your last 10 winners of Best Feature at the Spirit Awards. Winners also nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars are bold. As you can see, it’s only very recently that the Spirit Awards winners haven’t gone on to be nominated at the Oscars.
- 2020: The Farewell
- 2019: If Beale Street Could Talk
- 2018: Get Out
- 2017: Moonlight
- 2016: Spotlight
- 2015: Birdman
- 2014: 12 Years a Slave
- 2013: Silver Linings Playbook
- 2012: The Artist
- 2011: Black Swan
Presents for this year’s nominations will include Laverne Cox (Promising Young Woman), Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk), and Olivia Wilde (Booksmart). Tomorrow’s nominations will also include television categories, a first for the Spirit Awards.
So, readers, what are your big predictions for tomorrow’s nominations? Sound off in the comments below!
Nominees:
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer)
FIRST COW
Producers: Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington, Dany Wolf
MINARI
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Producers: Sara Murphy, Adele Romanski
NOMADLAND
Producers: Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to director and producer)
I CARRY YOU WITH ME
Director/Producer: Heidi Ewing
Producers: Edher Campos, Mynette Louie, Gabriela Maire
THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION
Director/Producer: Radha Blank
Producers: Inuka Bacote-Capiga, Jordan Fudge, Rishi Rajani, Jennifer Semler, Lena Waithe
MISS JUNETEENTH
Director: Channing Godfrey Peoples
Producers: Toby Halbrooks, Tim Headington, Jeanie Igoe, James M. Johnston, Theresa Steele Page, Neil Creque Williams
NINE DAYS
Director: Edson Oda
Producers: Jason Michael Berman, Mette-Marie Kongsved, Matthew Linder, Laura Tunstall, Datari Turner
SOUND OF METAL
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, LapsisChanning Godfrey Peoples, 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)
THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS
Writer/Director/Producer: Robert MachoianProducers: Scott Christopherson, Clayne Crawford
LA LEYENDA NEGRA
Writer/Director: Patricia Vidal Delgado
Producers: Alicia Herder, Marcel Perez
LINGUA FRANCA
Writer/Director/Producer: Isabel Sandoval
Producers: Darlene Catly Malimas, Jhett Tolentino, Carlo Velayo
RESIDUE
Writer/Director: Merawi Gerima
SAINT FRANCES
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
Yu-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)
BACURAU (Brazil)
Director: Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho
THE DISCIPLE (India)
Director: Chaitanya Tamahane
NIGHT OF THE KINGS (Ivory Coast)
Director: Philippe Lacôte
PREPARATIONS TO BE TOGETHER FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME (Hungary)
Director: Lili Horvát
QUO VADIS, AIDA? (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Director: Jasmila Žbanić
BEST DOCUMENTARY
(Award given to the director and producer)
COLLECTIVE
Director/Producer: Alexander Nanau
Producers: Hanka Kastelicová, Bernard Michaux, Bianca Oana
CRIP CAMP
Directors/Producers: Jim LeBrecht, Nicole Newnham
Producer: Sara Bolder
DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD
Director/Producer: Kirsten Johnson
Producers: Katy Chevigny, Marilyn Ness
THE MOLE AGENT
Director: Maite Alberdi
Producer: Marcela Santibáñez
TIME
Director/Producer: Garrett Bradley
Producers: Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
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)
DAVID MIDELL
Director of The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
EKWA MSANGI
Director of Farewell Amor
ANNIE SILVERSTEIN
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)
CECILIA ALDARONDO
Director of Landfall
ELEGANCE BRATTON
Director of Pier Kids
ELIZABETH LO
Director of Stray
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
(Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)
ATLANTA’S MISSING AND MURDERED: THE LOST CHILDREN
Executive Producers: Jeff Dupre, Joshua Bennett, Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius
CITY SO REAL
Produced by: Zak Piper, Steve James
Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Jolene Pinder
IMMIGRATION NATION
Executive Producers: Christina Clusiau, Shaul Schwarz, Dan Cogan, Jenny Raskin, Brandon Hill, Christian Thompson
Co-Executive Producers: Andrey Alistratov, Jay Arthur Sterrenberg, Lauren Haber
LOVE FRAUD
Executive Producers: Rachel Grady, Heidi Ewing, Amy Goodman Kass, Vinnie Malhotra, Jihan Robinson, Michael Bloom, Maria Zuckerman
WE’RE HERE
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)
A TEACHER
Creator/Executive Producer: Hanna Fidell
Executive Producers: Michael Costigan, Kate Mara, Louise Shore, Jason Bateman, Danny Brocklehurst
Co-Executive Producer: Daniel Pipski
I MAY DESTROY YOU
Creator/Executive Producer: Michaela Coel
Executive Producers: Phil Clarke, Roberto Troni
LITTLE AMERICA
Executive Producers: Lee Eisenberg, Joshuah Bearman, Joshua Davis, Arthur Spector, Alan Yang, Siân Heder, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon
SMALL AXE
Executive Producers: Tracey Scoffield, David Tanner, Steve McQueen
UNORTHODOX
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
Conphidance, Little America
Adam Ali, Little America
Nicco Annan, P-Valley
Amit Rahav, Unorthodox
Harold Torres, ZeroZeroZero
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
I MAY DESTROY YOU
Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Wruche Opia, Stephen Wight
‘Nomadland’ could win both picture and director here though ‘Ma Rainey’ is a threat for Best Picture. Sidney Flannigan could win for ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’.