The Independent Spirit Awards have always been the more-enjoyable prelude to the Oscars, with stars, some big some a little offbeat, all hanging out and having a stress free time. Hopefully, those events can come back soon. For now, it’s another virtual affair for the 2021 ceremony, which turned out to be a tremendous showing for Chloe Zhao and Nomadland.
Nomadland came away with four Indie Spirit Awards including Best Director for Zhao, Best Film, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography. It’s a little more wind in the sails behind what is expected to be a busy night of Oscars this weekend.
I don’t know if this should be categorized as a surprise, but some are labeling that for Carey Mulligan’s Best Actress win for Promising Young Woman. This is her second Indie Spirit victory, having joined the Mudbound ensemble in winning the Robert Altman Award in 2017.
Another win that I see as a precursor to this weekend, Riz Ahmed took Best Actor for Sound of Metal, besting Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, who many see as the Oscars frontrunner. Yuh-jung Youn continues her commanding run with another Best Supporting Actress win for Minari. And in the only place where it’s likely to pull a major win, Palm Springs earned Andy Siara the Best First Screenplay.
The full list of Independent Spirit Award winners is below.
FILM CATEGORIES
BEST FEATURE
First Cow
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Minari
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland [WINNER]
BEST FIRST FEATURE
I Carry You With Me
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Miss Juneteenth
Nine Days
Sound of Metal [WINNER]
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
The Killing of Two Lovers
La Leyenda Negra
Lingua Franca
Residue [WINNER]
Saint Frances
BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung, “Minari”
Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman”
Eliza Hittman, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
Kelly Reichardt, “First Cow”
Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” [WINNER]
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” [WINNER]
James Sweeney, “Straight Up”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jay Keitel, “She Dies Tomorrow”
Shabier Kirchner, “Bull”
Michael Latham, “The Assistant”
Hélène Louvart, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
Joshua James Richards, “Nomadland” [WINNER]
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” [WINNER]
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” [WINNER]
BEST MALE LEAD
Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal” [WINNER]
Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Adarsh Gourav, “The White Tiger”
Rob Morgan, “Bull”
Steven Yeun, “Minari”
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Alexis Chikaeze, “Miss Juneteenth”
Yeri Han, “Minari”
Valerie Mahaffey, “French Exit”
Talia Ryder, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
Yuh-jung Youn, “Minari” [WINNER]
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Colman Domingo, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Orion Lee, “First Cow”
Paul Raci, “Sound of Metal” [WINNER]
Glynn Turman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Benedict Wong, “Nine Days”
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.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Collective
Crip Camp [WINNER]
Dick Johnson is Dead
The Mole Agent
Time
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Bacurau (Brazil)
The Disciple (India)
Night of the Kings (Ivory Coast)
Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time (Hungary)
Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina) [WINNER]
PRODUCERS AWARD
Kara Durrett
Lucas Joaquin
Gerry Kim [WINNER]
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD–.
David Midell, “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain”
Ekwa Msangi, “Farewell Amor” [WINNER]
Annie Silverstein, “Bull”
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Cecilia Aldarondo, “Landfall”
Elegance Bratton, “Pier Kids” [WINNER]
Elizabeth Lo, “Stray”
TV CATEGORIES
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
City So Real
Immigration Nation [WINNER]
Love Fraud
We’re Here
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
I May Destroy You [WINNER]
Little America
Small Axe
A Teacher
Unorthodox
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Elle Fanning, “The Great”
Shira Haas, “Unorthodox” [WINNER]
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” [WINNER]
Harold Torres, “Zero, Zero, Zero”
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
I May Destroy You
Ensemble Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Wruche Opia, Stephen Wight
