Typically, the Spirit Awards are not a good barometer of how the Academy will nominate. The Spirit Awards typically go for smaller, “independent” movies while the Academy will attempt to include both smaller movies as well as box office hits with populist appeal. But 2020 didn’t really have box office hits past February, and that has allowed smaller movies to try and garner attention.
With that in mind, this year’s Spirit Awards may provide some key insight into how Academy voters may go when they announce their nominees in the months ahead. It’s not a big leap to see the Academy recognize films likeNomadlandandMinari, but I’m curious if they’ll also go for something likeNever Rarely Sometimes Always, which managed to rack up seven nominations including Best Feature.
The Spirit Awards are also branching out into television, and will work to recognize both scripted and unscripted series. Interestingly, they’ve decided to includeSmall Axeamong television shows even though it’s clearly five separate movies connected by setting and theme. On the one hand, I’m glad for any recognitionSmall Axegets, but I suspect that when it comes to the Emmys and the Oscars, neither will want to recognize it because they’ll argue it falls outside their purview.
Check out the full list of nominees below. Winners will be announced on Thursday, April 22nd.
FEATURE CATEGORIES
BEST FEATURE(Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
Producers: Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington, Dany Wolf
Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Producers: Sara Murphy, Adele Romanski
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
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
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD– Given to the best feature made for under $500,000 (Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
The Killing of Two Lovers
Writer/Director/Producer: Robert Machoian
Producers: 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
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 DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung
Emerald Fennell
Promising Young Woman
Eliza Hittman
Kelly Reichardt
Chloé Zhao
BEST SCREENPLAY
Mike Makowsky
Bad Education
The Half of It
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Kitty Green
The Assistant
Noah Hutton
Channing Godfrey Peoples
Andy Siara
Palm Springs
James Sweeney
Straight Up
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jay Keitel
She Dies Tomorrow
Shabier Kirchner
Michael Latham
Hélène Louvart
Joshua James Richards
BEST EDITING
Andy Canny
The Invisible Man
Scott Cummings
Merawi Gerima
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Nicole Beharie
Viola Davis
Sidney Flanigan
Julia Garner
Frances McDormand
Carey Mulligan
BEST MALE LEAD
Chadwick Boseman
Adarsh Gourav
The White Tiger
Rob Morgan
Steven Yeun
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Alexis Chikaeze
Valerie Mahaffey
French Exit
Talia Ryder
Yuh-jung Youn
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Colman Domingo
Glynn Turman
Benedict Wong
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(Award given to the director and producer)
Collective
Director/Producer: Alexander Nanau
Producers: Hanka Kastelicová, Bernard Michaux, Bianca Oana
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
Director/Producer: Garrett Bradley
Producers: Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM(Award given to the director)
Directors: Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho
The Disciple
Director: Chaitanya Tamhane
Night of the Kings
Ivory Coast
Director: Philippe Lacôte
Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
Director: Lili Horvát
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Director: Jasmila Žbanić
PRODUCERS AWARD– The Producers Award, now in its 24th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films.
Kara Durrett
Lucas Joaquin
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD– The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 27th year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
David Midell
Director ofThe Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
Ekwa Msangi
Director ofFarewell Amor
Annie Silverstein
Director ofBull
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD– The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 26th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
Cecilia Aldarondo
Director ofLandfall
Elegance Bratton
Director ofPier Kids
Elizabeth Lo
Director ofStray
TV CATEGORIES
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)
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
Executive Producers: Tracey Scoffield, David Tanner, Steve McQueen
Creator/Executive Producer: Hanna Fidell
Executive Producers: Michael Costigan, Kate Mara, Louise Shore, Jason Bateman, Danny Brocklehurst
