The 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards return to slightly more normal circumstances this year, with an in-person event set to take place on the Santa Monica beach on Saturday, March 6. That means the nominations are here, amid a busy awards season week that has included the reveal of the revamped Golden Globes and the Critics Choice nominations for film. Below, see the full list of Independent Spirit nominees, as revealed by Beanie Feldstein, Regina Hall, and Naomi Watts, and watch the announcement video below.
Traditionally held the Saturday before the Oscars, the 2022 date marks a shift in the season, placing the Spirit Awards squarely in the corridor leading into Oscar voting (with final voting beginning on March 17). While historically an early afternoon affair, the 2022 ceremony will be held at 5 pm PST / 8 pm EST. The show will, as usual, be broadcast on the IFC channel.
A24 reigned supreme with 13 nominations total for films including “C’mon, C’mon,” “Zola,” “The Humans,” and “Red Rocket.” Notably, four women featured in the Best Director category this year, including Janicza Bravo for “Zola,” Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter,” Lauren Hadaway for “The Novice,” and Ninja Thyberg for “Pleasure.”
The 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards took place in a virtual ceremony hosted by “Saturday Night Live” breakout star Melissa Villaseñor. For the first time in its history, the 2021 Spirit Awards also honored exceptional content in TV.
Last year’s Spirit Awards were dominated by “Nomadland,” which won Best Feature, Best Director for Chloe Zhao, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. It went on to repeat three of those wins at the Academy Awards. Last year, Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”), Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Yuh-jung Youn (“Minari”), and Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”) all took home the top acting prizes. On the TV side, “I May Destroy You” and “Unorthodox” won big.
The cutoff budget for eligible films is $22.5 million, which means we won’t see Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog,” “Tick, Tick, Boom,” “Don’t Look Up,” or “The Harder They Fall” on this list. Focus’ “Belfast” was also ineligible, though it cleaned up yesterday in terms of Golden Globes and Critics Choice nominations.
Best Feature
“A Chiara”
“C’mon C’mon”
“The Lost Daughter”
“The Novice”
“Zola”
Best Director
Janicza Bravo, “Zola”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Lost Daughter”
Lauren Hadaway, “The Novice”
Mike Mills, “C’mon, C’mon”
Ninja Thyberg, “Pleasure”
Best First Feature
“7 Days”
“Holler”
“Queen of Glory”
“Test Pattern”
“Wild Indian”
Best Female Lead
Isabelle Fuhrman, “The Novice”
Brittany S. Hall, “Test Pattern”
Patti Harrison, “Together Together”
Taylour Paige, “Zola”
Taylor Reece, “Catch the Fair One”
Best Male Lead
Clifton Collins, Jr., “Jockey”
Frankie Faison, “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain”
Michael Greyeyes, “Wild Indian”
Udo Kier, “Swan Song”
Simon Rex, “Red Rocket”
Best Supporting Female
Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”
Amy Forsyth, “The Novice”
Ruth Negga, “Passing”
Revika Anne Reustle, “Pleasure”
Suzanna Son, “Red Rocket”
Best Supporting Male
Colman Domingo, “Zola”
Meeko Gattuso, “Queen of Glory”
Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
Will Patton, “Sweet Thing”
Chaske Spencer, “Wild Indian”
Best Screenplay
“C’mon, C’mon”
“The Lost Daughter”
“Swan Song”
“Together Together”
“Zola”
Best First Screenplay
“Cicada”
“Mass”
“Pig”
“Test Pattern”
“Wild Indian”
Best Cinematography
“A Chiara”
“Blue Bayou”
“The Humans”
“Passing”
“Zola”
Best Editing
“A Chiara”
“The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain”
“The Novice”
“The Nowhere Inn”
“Zola”
Robert Altman Award
The Director, Cast, and Casting Director of “Mass”
Best Documentary
“Ascension”
“Flee”
“In the Same Breath”
“Procession”
“Summer of Soul”
Best International Film
“Compartment No. 6”
“Drive My Car”
“Parallel Mothers”
“Pebbles”
“Petite Maman”
“Prayers for the Stolen”
Someone to Watch Award
Alex Camilleri, “Luzzu”
Gillian Wallace Horvat, “I Blame Society”
Michael Sarnoski, “Pig”
Truer Than Fiction Award
“North by Current”
“Faya Dayi”
“Try Harder!”
John Cassavetes Award
“Cryptozoo”
“Jockey”
“Shiva Baby”
“Sweet Thing”
“This Is Not a War Story”
Producers Award
Brad Becker-Parton
Pin-Chun Liu
Lizzie Shapiro
Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
“Black and Missing”
“The Choe Show”
“The Lady and the Dale”
“Nuclear Family”
“Philly D.A.”
Best New Scripted Series
“Blindspotting”
“It’s a Sin”
“Reservation Dogs”
“The Underground Railroad”
“We Are Lady Parts”
Best Female Performance in a Scripted Series
Thuso Mbedu, “The Underground Railroad”
Anjana Vasan, “We Are Lady Parts”
Jana Schmieding, “Rutherford Falls”
Jasmine Cephas Jones, “Blindspotting”
Deborah Ayorinde, “THEM: Covenant”
Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series
Ollie Alexander, “It’s a Sin”
Murray Bartlett, “The White Lotus”
Michael Greyeyes, “Rutherford Falls”
Ashley Thomas, “THEM: Covenant”
Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”
Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
“Reservation Dogs”
Traditionally held the Saturday before the Oscars, the 2022 date marks a shift in the season, placing the Spirit Awards squarely in the corridor leading into Oscar voting (with final voting beginning on March 17). While historically an early afternoon affair, the 2022 ceremony will be held at 5 pm PST / 8 pm EST. The show will, as usual, be broadcast on the IFC channel.
A24 reigned supreme with 13 nominations total for films including “C’mon, C’mon,” “Zola,” “The Humans,” and “Red Rocket.” Notably, four women featured in the Best Director category this year, including Janicza Bravo for “Zola,” Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter,” Lauren Hadaway for “The Novice,” and Ninja Thyberg for “Pleasure.”
The 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards took place in a virtual ceremony hosted by “Saturday Night Live” breakout star Melissa Villaseñor. For the first time in its history, the 2021 Spirit Awards also honored exceptional content in TV.
Last year’s Spirit Awards were dominated by “Nomadland,” which won Best Feature, Best Director for Chloe Zhao, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. It went on to repeat three of those wins at the Academy Awards. Last year, Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”), Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Yuh-jung Youn (“Minari”), and Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”) all took home the top acting prizes. On the TV side, “I May Destroy You” and “Unorthodox” won big.
The cutoff budget for eligible films is $22.5 million, which means we won’t see Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog,” “Tick, Tick, Boom,” “Don’t Look Up,” or “The Harder They Fall” on this list. Focus’ “Belfast” was also ineligible, though it cleaned up yesterday in terms of Golden Globes and Critics Choice nominations.
Best Feature
“A Chiara”
“C’mon C’mon”
“The Lost Daughter”
“The Novice”
“Zola”
Best Director
Janicza Bravo, “Zola”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Lost Daughter”
Lauren Hadaway, “The Novice”
Mike Mills, “C’mon, C’mon”
Ninja Thyberg, “Pleasure”
Best First Feature
“7 Days”
“Holler”
“Queen of Glory”
“Test Pattern”
“Wild Indian”
Best Female Lead
Isabelle Fuhrman, “The Novice”
Brittany S. Hall, “Test Pattern”
Patti Harrison, “Together Together”
Taylour Paige, “Zola”
Taylor Reece, “Catch the Fair One”
Best Male Lead
Clifton Collins, Jr., “Jockey”
Frankie Faison, “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain”
Michael Greyeyes, “Wild Indian”
Udo Kier, “Swan Song”
Simon Rex, “Red Rocket”
Best Supporting Female
Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”
Amy Forsyth, “The Novice”
Ruth Negga, “Passing”
Revika Anne Reustle, “Pleasure”
Suzanna Son, “Red Rocket”
Best Supporting Male
Colman Domingo, “Zola”
Meeko Gattuso, “Queen of Glory”
Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
Will Patton, “Sweet Thing”
Chaske Spencer, “Wild Indian”
Best Screenplay
“C’mon, C’mon”
“The Lost Daughter”
“Swan Song”
“Together Together”
“Zola”
Best First Screenplay
“Cicada”
“Mass”
“Pig”
“Test Pattern”
“Wild Indian”
Best Cinematography
“A Chiara”
“Blue Bayou”
“The Humans”
“Passing”
“Zola”
Best Editing
“A Chiara”
“The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain”
“The Novice”
“The Nowhere Inn”
“Zola”
Robert Altman Award
The Director, Cast, and Casting Director of “Mass”
Best Documentary
“Ascension”
“Flee”
“In the Same Breath”
“Procession”
“Summer of Soul”
Best International Film
“Compartment No. 6”
“Drive My Car”
“Parallel Mothers”
“Pebbles”
“Petite Maman”
“Prayers for the Stolen”
Someone to Watch Award
Alex Camilleri, “Luzzu”
Gillian Wallace Horvat, “I Blame Society”
Michael Sarnoski, “Pig”
Truer Than Fiction Award
“North by Current”
“Faya Dayi”
“Try Harder!”
John Cassavetes Award
“Cryptozoo”
“Jockey”
“Shiva Baby”
“Sweet Thing”
“This Is Not a War Story”
Producers Award
Brad Becker-Parton
Pin-Chun Liu
Lizzie Shapiro
Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
“Black and Missing”
“The Choe Show”
“The Lady and the Dale”
“Nuclear Family”
“Philly D.A.”
Best New Scripted Series
“Blindspotting”
“It’s a Sin”
“Reservation Dogs”
“The Underground Railroad”
“We Are Lady Parts”
Best Female Performance in a Scripted Series
Thuso Mbedu, “The Underground Railroad”
Anjana Vasan, “We Are Lady Parts”
Jana Schmieding, “Rutherford Falls”
Jasmine Cephas Jones, “Blindspotting”
Deborah Ayorinde, “THEM: Covenant”
Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series
Ollie Alexander, “It’s a Sin”
Murray Bartlett, “The White Lotus”
Michael Greyeyes, “Rutherford Falls”
Ashley Thomas, “THEM: Covenant”
Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”
Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
“Reservation Dogs”