2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards Winners List

The 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards is handing out the trophies tonight.

This ceremony represents the last stop before this Sunday's Oscars (which would normally take place the day before the Oscars, but Film Independent decided a primetime ceremony would work better this year.

Melissa Villaseñor of Saturday Night Live fame is hosting the ceremony, which is how Film Independent fundraises for many of the programs the organization hosts throughout the year. The show starts at 7 PM Pacific.

As we head into the show, Never Rarely Sometimes Always has seven nominations, followed by Minari with six nominations and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Nomadland tied with five. All four films are nominated for Best Feature.

Announced previous to the show is that Regina King's One Night in Miami will be honored with the Robert Altman Award, which will be given to one film's director, casting director, and the ensemble cast.

The 2021 nominees include TV categories for the very first time.

Winners are selected by members of Film Independent (of which I am one). To determine eligibility, Film Independent defines an independent film as any film with a budget under $22.5 million, making many Oscar nominees ineligible.

The list of 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards winners will be updated as they are announced. Refresh for the latest.

Best Feature

Image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

  • First Cow
  • Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Minari
  • Never Rarely Sometimes Always
  • Nomadland (WINNER)

Best First Feature

Image courtesy of Amazon Studios

John Cassavettes Award – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000

Image courtesy of Neon

  • The Killing of Two Lovers
  • La Leyenda Negra
  • Lingua Franca
  • Residue (WINNER)
  • Saint Frances

Best Director

Image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

  • 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

Image courtesy of Focus Features

  • 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

SOUND OF METALCourtesy of Amazon Studios

Best Supporting Female

Image courtesy of A24

  • 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

Image courtesy of Amazon Studios

  • 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

Image courtesy of Focus Features

  • 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

(Photo by: Jessica Perez/Hulu)

Kitty Green - The Assistant
Noah Hutton - Lapsis
Channing Godfrey Peoples - Miss Juneteenth
Andy Siara - Palm Springs (WINNER)
James Sweeney - Straight Up

Best Documentary

Image courtesy of Amazon Studios

  • Collective
  • Crip Camp (WINNER)
  • Dick Johnson is Dead
  • The Mole Agent
  • Time

Best International Film (Award given to the director)

Image courtesy of Super LTD

  • Bacurau
  • The Disciple
  • Night of the Kings
  • Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time
  • Quo Vadis, Aida? (WINNER)

Best Cinematography

Image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

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

Image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

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 New Scripted Series

Image courtesy of HBO

  • I May Destroy You (WINNER)
  • Little America
  • Small Axe
  • A Teacher
  • Unorthodox

Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series

Image courtesy of Netflix

  • Elle Fanning - The Great
  • Shira Haas - Unorthodox (WINNER)
  • Abby McEnany - Work in Progress
  • Maitreyi Ramakrishan - Never Have I Ever

Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series

Image courtesy of Netflix

  • Adam Ali - Little America
  • Nicco Annan - P-Valley
  • Conphidance - Little America
  • Amit Rahav - Unorthodox (WINNER)

Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series

Image courtesy of HBO

  • I May Destroy You (WINNER)

Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series

Image courtesy of Netflix

  • Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
  • City So Real
  • Immigration Nation (WINNER)
  • Love Fraud
  • I'm Here

Truer than Fiction Award

Image courtesy of Film Independent

  • Cecilia Aldarondo - Landfall
  • Elegance Bratton - Pier Kids (WINNER)
  • Elizabeth Lo - Stray

Robert Altman Award

Image courtesy of Amazon Studios

One Night in Miami (WINNER)

Someone to Watch Award

Image courtesy of IFC Films

  • David Midell - The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
  • Ekwa Msangi - Farewell Amor (WINNER)
  • Annie Silverstein - Bull

Producers Award

Image courtesy of Film Independent

  • Kara Durrett
  • Lucas Joaquin
  • Gerry Kim - I'm No Longer Here (WINNER)

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2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards Predictions: Who Will Win and Who Should Win?