Awards Season › 2021 › Spirit Awards
Film Independent Spirit Awards
36th Film Independent Spirit Awards
Nominations: January 26, 2021
Ceremony: April 22, 2021
And the Winner Goes To…
The Full Ballot
Film
Best Feature
First Cow
Minari
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland WINNER
Best Director
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Kelly Reichardt, First Cow
Chloe Zhao, Nomadland WINNER
Best First Feature
The 40 Year Old Version
Sound of Metal WINNER
Nine Days
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
Rob Morgan, Bull
Steven Yeun, Minari
Adarsh Gourav, The White Tiger
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 Turmann, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Benedict Wong, Nine Days
Best Screenplay
Bad Education
Minari
The Half of It
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Promising Young Woman WINNER
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
Residue
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Nomadland WINNER
Robert Altman Award
One Night in Miami… WINNER
Best Documentary
Collective
Crip Camp WINNER
Dick Johnson Is Dead
The Mole Agent
Best International Film
Bacurau
The Disciple
Night of the Kings
Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
Quo Vadis, Aida? WINNER
Piaget 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
John Cassavetes Awards
The Killing of Two Lovers
La Leyenda Negra
Lingua Franca
Residue WINNER
Saint Frances
Television
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 Scripted Series
I May Destroy You WINNER
Little America
Small Axe
A Teacher
Unorthodox
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, Zero, Zero, Zero
Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
I May Destroy You WINNER
Ensemble Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Weruche Opia
Stephen Wight