The Awardist Ma Rainey, Nomadland score big Film Independent Spirit Award nominations Minari, Miss Juneteenth, Promising Young Woman also land major nods. By Joey Nolfi Joey Nolfi Entertainment Weekly's Oscars expert, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' beat reporter, host of 'Quick Drag' Twitter Spaces, and cohost of 'EW's BINGE' podcast. Almost all of the drag content on this site is my fault (you're welcome). EW's editorial guidelines Updated on January 26, 2021 11:30AM EST The Film Independent Spirit Awards are keeping the essence of indie cinema alive throughout the most chaotic awards calendars in history. Laverne Cox, Moonlight filmmaker Barry Jenkins, and actress-director Olivia Wilde announced this year's nominees in a virtual livestream presentation, continuing the momentum for key contenders in the race amid a crowded week for Oscar precursors. Though films with major stars picked up signifiant attention at the Indie Spirits, Eliza Hittman's Never Rarely Sometimes Always picked up the most overall nods with seven total, including Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Leading Female for breakout actress Sidney Flanigan's performance. Lee Isaac Chung's Minari is next with six nominations (including Best Director and Best Leading Male for Steven Yeun), followed by major Oscar contenders Nomadland and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom with five each, and Channing Godfrey Peoples' Miss Juneteenth with four. Among this year's nominees, 57 percent of the above-the-line contenders are women, and 48 percent are people of color. In the months ahead, for the first time in the awards show's 36-year history, the 2021 Indie Spirits broadcast will take place in primetime, having exited its traditionally held date of the Saturday before the Oscars. David Lee/Netflix; Joshua Richardson/Searchlight Pictures; Focus Features Across the last four decades, the Indie Spirits have honored achievements in movies made for roughly $20 million, though standards have fluctuated in recent years. The awards are voted on by members of Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the profile of independent cinema and diversity in the industry. While Film Independent's taste often aligns with the Academy's, its voting base is made up of anyone who chooses to pay to join, regardless of standing in or proximity to the filmmaking industry. It's not uncommon for the Indie Spirits' Best Feature winner to cross over into Oscar territory, like 2017's Moonlight, 2016's Spotlight, 2015's Birdman, and 2014's 12 Years A Slave, but it's not out of the question for a Best Feature prize holder to completely miss out on a Best Picture nomination, as Lulu Wang's The Farewell did last year. On the acting side, only Renée Zellweger won both the Indie Spirit and the Oscar, and competed at the Indie Spirits as the only acting contender with a corresponding nomination from the Academy. This year, several high-profile contenders were not eligible for Indie Spirit nominations, including many Netflix titles such as likely multi-category Oscar contenders The Trial of the Chicago 7, Da 5 Bloods, and Mank, while Glenn Close's supporting performance in Hillbilly Elegy is also ineligible, as is Sophia Loren's work in The Life Ahead, as that title is competing as an international work. See the full list of 2020-2021 Indie Spirit nominations below, and tune in to the ceremony on Thursday, April 22 at 10:00 p.m. ET on IFC. FILM AWARDS: BEST FEATURE(Award given to the producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.) First Cow Producers: Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington, Dany Wolf Minari Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh Never Rarely Sometimes Always Producers: Sara Murphy, Adele Romanski Nomadland 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 Nine Days 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 Residue 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 - Minari Emerald Fennell - Promising Young Woman Eliza Hittman - Never Rarely Sometimes Always Kelly Reichardt - First Cow Chloé Zhao - Nomadland BEST SCREENPLAY Lee Isaac Chung - Minari Emerald Fennell - Promising Young Woman 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 - Juneteenth Andy Siara - Palm Springs 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 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 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 BEST MALE LEAD Riz Ahmed - Sound of Metal 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 BEST SUPPORTING MALE Colman Domingo - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Orion Lee - First Cow Paul Raci - Sound of Metal Glynn Turman - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Benedict Wong - Nine Days 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 Crip Camp 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 Time Director/Producer: Garrett Bradley Producers: Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM(Award given to the director) Bacurau Brazil Directors: Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho The Disciple India Director: Chaitanya Tamhane Night of the Kings Ivory Coast Director: Philippe Lacôte Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time Hungary 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 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. David Midell - Director of The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain Ekwa Msangi - Director of Farewell Amor Annie Silverstein - Director of Bull 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 of Landfall Elegance Bratton - Director of Pier Kids Elizabeth Lo - Director of Stray TV AWARDS: 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 Small Axe Executive Producers: Tracey Scoffield, David Tanner, Steve McQueen A Teacher Creator/Executive Producer: Hanna Fidell Executive Producers: Michael Costigan, Kate Mara, Louise Shore, Jason Bateman, Danny Brocklehurst Co-Executive Producer: Daniel Pipski Unorthodox Creator/Executive Producer: Anna Winger Creator: Alexa Karolinski Executive Producer: Henning Kamm BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES Elle Fanning - The Great Shira Haas - Unorthodox Abby McEnany - Work in Progress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan - Never Have I Ever Jordan Kristine Seamón - We Are Who We Are BEST MALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES Conphidance - Little America Adam Ali - Little America Nicco Annan - P-Valley Amit Rahav - Unorthodox Harold Torres - Zero, Zero, Zero BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES I May Destroy You Ensemble Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Wruche Opia, Stephen Wight Related content: AFI top 10 boosts Soul, Nomadland, Da 5 Bloods in Oscar race Awards season tracker: Early winners before the 2021 Oscars EW's 2021 Oscar predictions: Nomadland, Da 5 Bloods bound ahead