2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: The Complete List

Spirit Awards
Spirit Awards

The 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards will be handed out on Sunday, March 6, 2022.

On Tuesday, Beanie Feldstein, Naomi Watts and Regina Hall revealed the nominees for the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honor and celebrate independent filmmakers. And for a second year in a row, the awards also recognized the best in television.

This year’s top film nominees include A Chiara, C’mon C’mon, The Lost Daughter, The Novice and Zola, all of which are vying in the Best Feature category. Meanwhile, Blindspotting, It’s a Sin, Reservation Dogs, The Underground Railroad and We Are Lady Parts are all competing in the Best New Scripted Series category on the TV side.  
 
Additionally, Mass, written and directed by Fran Kranz and starring Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton, was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. 

Amid several changes to the 2021-2022 awards season, the 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards have vacated its traditional Saturday presentation, the night before the Oscars. This year, the ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 6, 2022, “placing the Spirit Awards squarely in the corridor leading into Oscar voting.” (The 94th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 27, 2022.)

"Congratulations to this year's nominees – visual storytellers who have made the most original, daring and provocative film and television shows of the year," said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. "The Spirit Awards once again plants its flag on the beach at Santa Monica, and on IFC. We're thrilled to be back and celebrating art that continues to inspire, enlighten and entertain us.”

Here is the full list of nominees:

Best Feature

A Chiara 
C’mon C’mon 
The Lost Daughter 
The Novice
Zola

Best First Feature

7 Days
Holler
Queen of Glory
Test Pattern 
Wild Indian

Best Director

Janicza Bravo, Zola 
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
Lauren Hadaway, The Novice
Mike Mills, C’mon C’mon
Ninja Thyberg, Pleasure

Best Screenplay

Nikole Beckwith, Together Together
Janicza Bravo, Jeremy O. Harris, Zola
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter 
Mike Mills, C’mon C’mon
Todd Stephens, Swan Song

Best First Screenplay

Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr., Wild Indian  
Matt Fifer; Story by Sheldon D. Brown, Cicada
Shatara Michelle Ford, Test Pattern 
Fran Kranz, Mass 
Michael Sarnoski; Story by Vanessa Block, Michael Sarnoski, Pig

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 Female Lead

Isabelle Fuhrman, The Novice
Brittany S. Hall, Test Pattern
Patti Harrison, Together Together
Taylour Paige, Zola
Kali Reis, Catch the Fair One

Best Supporting Male

Colman Domingo, Zola
Meeko Gattuso, Queen of Glory
Troy Kotsur, CODA 
Will Patton, Sweet Thing
Chaske Spencer, Wild Indian

Best Supporting Female

Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
Amy Forsyth, The Novice
Ruth Negga, Passing
Revika Reustle, Pleasure
Suzanna Son, Red Rocket

Best Cinematography

Ante Cheng, Matthew Chuang, Blue Bayou 
Lol Crawley, The Humans
Tim Curtin, A Chiara
Edu Grau, Passing
Ari Wegner, Zola

Best Editing

Affonso Gonçalves, A Chiara  
Ali Greer, The Nowhere Inn
Lauren Hadaway, Nathan Nugent, The Novice
Joi McMillon, Zola 
Enrico Natale, The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain

Best International Film

Compartment No. 6 (Finland/Russia)
Drive My Car (Japan)
Parallel Mothers (Spain)
Pebbles (India)
Petite Maman (France)
Prayers for the Stolen (Mexico)

Best Documentary

Ascension
Flee
In the Same Breath
Procession
Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
 

John Cassavetes Award

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

Cryptozoo
Jockey
Shiva Baby
Sweet Thing
This is Not a War Story

Robert Altman Award

Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast

Mass
Director: Fran Kranz
Casting Directors: Henry Russell Bergstein, Allison Estrin
Ensemble Cast: Kagen Albright, Reed Birney, Michelle N. Carter, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Breeda Wool

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)

Brad Becker-Parton 
Pin-Chun Liu
Lizzie Shapiro

Someone to Watch Award

(The Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition)

Alex Camilleri, Luzzu
Michael Sarnoski, Pig
Gillian Wallace Horvat, I Blame Society

Truer Than Fiction Award

(The Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition)

Angelo Madsen Minax, North By Current
Jessica Beshir, Faya Dayi
Debbie Lum, Try Harder!

Best New Scripted Series

Blindspotting
It’s a Sin
Reservation Dogs
The Underground Railroad
We Are Lady Parts

Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series

Black and Missing
The Choe Show
The Lady and The Dale
Nuclear Family
Philly D.A.

Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series

Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game 
Olly Alexander, It’s a Sin 
Michael Greyeyes, Rutherford Falls
Murray Bartlett, The White Lotus
Ashley Thomas, THEM: Covenant

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 Ensemble Cast in a Scripted Series

Reservation Dogs
Ensemble Cast: Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, Paulina Alexis, Sarah Podemski, Zahn McClarnon, Lil Mike, FunnyBone


The 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards will be handed out on Sunday, March 6, 2022 beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. 

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