I love the Independent Spirit Awards. They are always so fun, fresh, and real. They usually take place on Saturday before the Academy Awards, but this year they happened on a Thursday night. 

Melissa Villasenor hosted a hilarious and moving evening. Check out her opening monologue, and then skim the winners below!  

Who Won the 2021 Indie Spirit Awards? 

Best Feature

  • First Cow
  • Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • 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
  • Chloé Zhao, Nomadland (WINNER)

Best First Feature

  • I Carry You With Me
  • The 40 Year Old Version
  • Sound of Metal (WINNER)
  • Miss Juneteenth
  • 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, The 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

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

  • I Carry You With Me
  • The Invisible Man
  • Residue
  • Never Rarely Sometimes Always
  • Nomadland (WINNER)

Robert Altman Award

  • One Night in Miami

Best Documentary

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

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
  • Ensemble Cast: Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu, Weruche Opia
  • Stephen Wight
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