The SPIRIT AWARDS did it again! (Handed out awards.) And SAGindie was there! (From our homes.) Melissa Villaseñor hosted the virtual show – which aired live on IFC – where Film Independent honored the best films, series, filmmakers, and performances of the past year. This year’s awards shifted away from some previous traditions (a Thursday primetime slot instead of a Saturday daytime ceremony, virtual instead of in a tent on the beach, and the addition of TV categories), but the underlying mission of supporting indie voices remains.
Joining SAGindie at our virtual table were actors Sarah Baker (The Kominski Method), Olivia Cheng (Warrior), William Jackson Harper (The Good Place), Bianca Lawson (Queen Sugar), Rob Morgan (Bull), Kendrick Sampson (Miss Juneteenth), and Tracy Vilar (Maid); and filmmakers/Someone To Watch Award nominees David Midell (The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain), Ekwa Msangi (Farewell Amor), and Annie Silverstein (Bull); plus a few special guest drop-ins by Benedict Wong (Nine Days) and Heidi N Closet (RuPaul’s Drag Race)!
Even though we couldn’t carouse in person, we still want to thank our guests for joining us virtually and give a big congrats to all of this year’s nominees and winners! See the full list below.
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2021 Spirit Awards Nominees & Winners
Feature Awards
Best Feature
Best First Feature
John Cassavetes Award (for best film made for under $500,000)
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 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)
Best Screenplay
- Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)
- Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) – WINNER
- 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 International Feature
- 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
Best Documentary
Robert Altman Award (for best ensemble casting)
- One Night in Miami – WINNER
Spirit Awards Grants
Someone to Watch Award
- David Midell (The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain)
- Ekwa Msangi (Farewell Amor) – WINNER
- Annie Silverstein (Bull)
Producers Award
- Lucas Joaquin
- Gerry Kim – WINNER
- Kara Durrett
Truer Than Fiction Award
- Cecilia Aldarondo (Landfall)
- Elegance Bratton (Pier Kids) – WINNER
- Elizabeth Lo (Stray)
TV Awards
Best New Scripted Series
Best New Non-Scripted/Documentary Series
- Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
- City So Real
- Immigration Nation – WINNER
- Love Fraud
- We’re Here
Best Female Performance in a 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 Scripted Series
- Conphidance (Little America)
- Adam Ali (Little America)
- Nicco Annan (P-Valley)
- Amit Rahav (Unorthodox) – WINNER
- Harold Torres (ZeroZeroZero)
Best Ensemble in a Scripted Series
- I May Destroy You – WINNER
CONGRATS TO ALL THE 2021 WINNERS!
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