2021 Indie Spirit Awards Nominations: The Full List

Indie Spirit Awards
Netflix / Searchlight Pictures / A24

For the first time, this year's awards also include TV.

The spirit of independent filmmaking is all about making it work, so it should come as no surprise that even though the pandemic forced Hollywood to temporarily shut down, there were still plenty of films to choose from for the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

On Tuesday, Film Independent -- along with special presenters Laverne Cox, Barry Jenkins and Olivia Wilde -- unveiled this year's nominees. (Including, for the first time, television honorees!)

The Indie Spirit Awards ceremony itself was previously rescheduled due to COVID-19 and will take place on April 22 -- the Thursday before the Oscars, which is a break from tradition -- airing live on IFC.

Here is the full list of nominees:

Best Feature

First Cow
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Minari
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland

Best First Feature

I Carry You With Me
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Miss Juneteenth
Nine Days
Sound of Metal

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

Bad Education
The Half of It
Minari
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Promising Young Woman

Best First Screenplay

The Assistant
Lapsis
Miss Juneteenth
Palm Springs
Straight Up

John Cassavetes Award

Given to the best feature made for under $500,000

The Killing of Two Lovers
La Leyenda Negra

Lingua Franca
Residue
Saint Frances

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

The Assistant
Bull
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland
She Dies Tomorrow

Best Editing

I Carry You With Me
The Invisible Man
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland
Residue

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)

Best Documentary

Collective
Crip Camp
Dick Johnson Is Dead
The Mole Agent
Time

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 Awards

(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 Scripted Series

A Teacher
I May Destroy You
Little America
Small Axe
Unorthodox

Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series

Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
City So Real
Immigration Nation
Love Fraud
We're Here

Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series

Conphidance, Little America
Adam Ali, Little America
Nicco Annan, P-Valley
Amit Rahav, Unorthodox
Harold Torres, ZeroZeroZero

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 Ensemble Cast in a Scripted Series

I May Destroy You

Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Wruche Opia, Stephen Wight


The 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards will take place on April 22, airing live at 7:00 p.m. PT / 10:00 p.m. ET on IFC.

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