Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” won best feature at the 36th Independent Spirit Awards in a ceremony that turned the annual beach soiree into a virtual, mostly pre-taped event, and, possibly, an Oscar preview.
The Spirits, usually held in a giant tent on the Southern California coast, have sometimes been a laid back dress rehearsal for the Academy Awards. “Moonlight,” “Spotlight,” “Birdman” and “12 Years a Slave” all won at the Spirits before taking best picture at the Oscars the next day, though top winners (“The Farewell” won the Spirits’ top prize in 2020) have diverged the last few years. But many of the same contenders overlapped this year, including “Minari,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Promising Young Woman” and “Sound of Metal.”
And “Nomadland” has been on a steady march to the Oscars. The film’s Spirit win follows others at the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, the producers guild and the directors guild. Zhao also won best director Thursday at the Spirits, an honor she’s heavily favored to win at the Academy Awards. “Nomadland” also topped the cinematography (Joshua James Richards) and editing (Zhao) categories.
It was a fitting victory for Zhao’s modest drama about rootlessness and community in the American West. Three years earlier on the day of the Spirit Awards, Zhao and Frances McDormand first met to discuss the project.
Most of the other Oscar nominees went home with Spirit awards, too. Yuh-Jung Youn, the Academy Awards favorite, won best supporting female actor for “Minari.” Paul Raci, the 72-year-old veteran working actor who’s soaked up his moment in the sun, won best supporting male actor for “Sound of Metal.” Emerald Fennell, the writer-director, of “Promising Young Woman,” took best screenplay.
In one twist, best male lead actor went to Riz Ahmed for his performance in “Sound of Metal” — an award that has usually gone this year to the late Chadwick Boseman for his final performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) took best lead female actor in the category that’s perhaps most up for grabs at the Academy Awards. Previous awards have been split between Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), McDormand and Mulligan.
Put on by the nonprofit Independent Film, the Spirits were hosted by Melissa Villaseñor of “Saturday Night Live” and broadcast Thursday night on IFC. Independent Film did everything it could to virtually mimic the experience of the awards, including grouping Zoomed-in attendees by table, featuring virtual wine and bourbon bars and hosting a karaoke afterparty. Josh Welsh, president of Film Independent, called it “the first ever pants-optional Spirit Awards.”
The nominees were especially diverse. None of the best feature nominees — “Nomadland,” “Minari,” “First Cow,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” — were directed by white men. All of the directing nominees — Zhao, Fennell, Eliza Hittman (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”), Kelly Reichardt (“First Cow”) and Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) — were women or people of color.
Nominees at the Spirits, the premier independent film awards, have to be made for less than $22.5 million.
The Robert Altman Award, an honor for a film’s ensemble, went to Regina King’s feature film directorial debut “One Night in Miami…,” the fictional account of a 1960s meeting of Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown. The disability rights movement documentary “Crip Camp” won best documentary. Best first film went to Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal.”
The Spirit Awards also this year began expanding into television. Among those winners was Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” for best new scripted series and for best ensemble in a new scripted series.
2021 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD WINNERS
FEATURE CATEGORIES
BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
Nomadland
Producers: Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer)
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.)
Residue
Writer/Director: Merawi Gerima
BEST DIRECTOR
Chloé Zhao
Nomadland
BEST SCREENPLAY
Emerald Fennell
Promising Young Woman
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Andy Siara
Palm Springs
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Joshua James Richards
Nomadland
BEST EDITING
Chloé Zhao
Nomadland
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Carey Mulligan
Promising Young Woman
BEST MALE LEAD
Riz Ahmed
Sound of Metal
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Yuh-jung Youn
Minari
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Paul Raci
Sound of Metal
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)
Crip Camp
Directors/Producers: Jim LeBrecht, Nicole Newnham
Producer: Sara Bolder
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
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.
Gerry Kim
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.
Ekwa Msangi
Director of Farewell Amor
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.
Elegance Bratton
Director of Pier Kids
TV CATEGORIES
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)
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
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
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Shira Haas
Unorthodox
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Amit Rahav
Unorthodox
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
I May Destroy You
Ensemble Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Wruche Opia,
Stephen Wight
