Awards

36th Film Independent Spirit Awards 2021

The Film Independent Spirit Awards are annual honors presented by Film Independent to celebrate the best in independent film and television. The 36th ceremony recognized the standout independent films and television series of 2020 and took place on April 22, 2021. The event was televised on IFC, streamed on AMC+, and hosted by Melissa Villaseñor.

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Highlights

View the highlights from the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Total movie nominations

Total movie wins

Total people nominations

Total people wins

Most Nominations

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Drama

7 nominations

Most Wins

Nomadland

Drama

4 wins

Most recognized genres

Drama

26 nominations 3 wins

Comedy

8 nominations 0 win

Thriller

6 nominations 0 win

Most Nominations

Emerald Fennell

2 nominations

Best Feature

Find out who won the Best Feature category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Nomadland

Nominees

First Cow

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Minari

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Best Director

Find out who won the Best Director category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Nomadland

Nominees

Minari

Promising Young Woman

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

First Cow

Best Male Lead

Find out who won the Best Male Lead category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Sound of Metal

Nominees

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

The White Tiger

Bull

Minari

Best Female Lead

Find out who won the Best Female Lead category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Promising Young Woman

Nominees

Miss Juneteenth

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

The Assistant

Nomadland

Best Supporting Male

Find out who won the Best Supporting Male category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Sound of Metal

Nominees

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

First Cow

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Nine Days

Minari

Best Supporting Female

Find out who won the Best Supporting Female category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Miss Juneteenth

Nominees

Minari

French Exit

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Best Screenplay

Find out who won the Best Screenplay category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Promising Young Woman

Nominees

Minari

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Bad Education

The Half of It

Palm Springs

Best First Screenplay

Find out who won the Best First Screenplay category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

The Assistant

Nominees

Lapsis

Miss Juneteenth

Straight Up

Best First Feature

Find out who won the Best First Feature category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Sound of Metal

Nominees

The Forty-Year-Old Version

I Carry You with Me

Nine Days

Miss Juneteenth

Best Documentary Feature

Find out who won the Best Documentary Feature category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

Nominees

Collective

Dick Johnson Is Dead

The Mole Agent

Time

Best Cinematography

Find out who won the Best Cinematography category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Nomadland

Nominees

She Dies Tomorrow

Bull

The Assistant

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Best Editing

Find out who won the Best Editing category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Nomadland

Nominees

The Invisible Man

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Residue

I Carry You with Me

Best International Film

Find out who won the Best International Film category at the 36th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

WINNER

Quo Vadis, Aida?

Nominees

Bacurau

The Disciple

Night of the Kings

Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time

All winners and nominees

Best Feature

WINNER

Nomadland

NOMINEES

First Cow

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Minari

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Best Director

WINNER

Nomadland Chloé Zhao

NOMINEES

Minari Lee Isaac Chung

Promising Young Woman Emerald Fennell

Never Rarely Sometimes Always Eliza Hittman

First Cow Kelly Reichardt

Best Male Lead

WINNER

Sound of Metal Riz Ahmed

NOMINEES

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Chadwick Boseman

The White Tiger Adarsh Gourav

Bull Rob Morgan

Minari Steven Yeun

Best Female Lead

WINNER

Promising Young Woman Carey Mulligan

NOMINEES

Miss Juneteenth Nicole Beharie

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Viola Davis

Never Rarely Sometimes Always Sidney Flanigan

The Assistant Julia Garner

Nomadland Frances McDormand

Best Supporting Male

WINNER

Sound of Metal Paul Raci

NOMINEES

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Colman Domingo

First Cow Orion Lee

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Glynn Turman

Nine Days Benedict Wong

Minari Youn Yuh-jung

Best Supporting Female

WINNER

Miss Juneteenth Alexis Chikaeze

NOMINEES

Minari

French Exit Valerie Mahaffey

Never Rarely Sometimes Always Talia Ryder

Best Screenplay

WINNER

Promising Young Woman Emerald Fennell

NOMINEES

Minari Lee Isaac Chung

Never Rarely Sometimes Always Eliza Hittman

Bad Education

The Half of It Alice Wu

Palm Springs

Best First Screenplay

WINNER

The Assistant Kitty Green

NOMINEES

Lapsis Noah Hutton

Miss Juneteenth Channing Godfrey Peoples

Straight Up James Sweeney

Best First Feature

WINNER

Sound of Metal Darius Marder

NOMINEES

The Forty-Year-Old Version Radha Blank

I Carry You with Me Heidi Ewing

Nine Days Edson Oda

Miss Juneteenth Channing Godfrey Peoples

Best Documentary Feature

WINNER

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

NOMINEES

Collective

Dick Johnson Is Dead

The Mole Agent

Time

Best Cinematography

WINNER

Nomadland

NOMINEES

She Dies Tomorrow

Bull

The Assistant

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Best Editing

WINNER

Nomadland Chloé Zhao

NOMINEES

The Invisible Man

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Residue Merawi Gerima

I Carry You with Me

Best International Film

WINNER

Quo Vadis, Aida?

NOMINEES

Bacurau

The Disciple

Night of the Kings

Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time

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