The Film Independent Spirit Awards is the premier awards event for the independent film and television community.
Each year, the Spirit Awards brings together top talent from throughout the world of film and television. In addition to traditional categories such as Best Feature and Best Director, the Spirit Awards features a number of unique honors such as Best First Screenplay and the John Cassavetes Award (best feature under $1,000,000). In 2021, the show introduced new categories honoring outstanding television storytelling and performances and this year, two Best Breakthrough Performance categories make their debut.
Celebrating the year’s most exceptional films, TV series and artists, right next door to the world famous Santa Monica Pier
In keeping with its Los Angeles roots, the Spirit Awards takes place in a beachside tent, steps from the sand & surf in beautiful Santa Monica (well, except for when the show takes place virtually due to a pandemic, which was the case for the 2021 edition).
This year marks the show’s 38th anniversary – closing in on the big 4-0! – and it remains as exciting and original as the films, series and filmmakers honored.
Film Categories
BEST FEATURE(Award given to the producer)
ALL OF US STRANGERS
PRODUCERS: Graham Broadbent, Pete
Czernin, Sarah Harvey
AMERICAN FICTION
PRODUCERS: Cord Jefferson, Jermaine
Johnson, Nikos Karamigios, Ben LeClair
MAY DECEMBER
PRODUCERS: Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell,
Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler
W. Konney, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman,
Christine Vachon
PASSAGES
PRODUCERS: Michel Merkt, Saïd Ben Saïd
PAST LIVES
PRODUCERS: David Hinojosa, Pamela
Koffler, Christine Vachon
WE GROWN NOW
PRODUCERS: Minhal Baig, Joe Pirro
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the director and producer)
ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT
DIRECTOR: Raven Jackson
PRODUCERS: Maria Altamirano, Mark
Ceryak, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski
CHRONICLES OF A WANDERING SAINT
DIRECTOR: Tomás Gómez Bustillo
PRODUCERS: Gewan Brown,
Amanda Freedman
EARTH MAMA
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Savanah Leaf
PRODUCERS: Sam Bisbee, Shirley O’Connor,
Medb Riordan, Cody Ryder
A THOUSAND AND ONE
DIRECTOR: A.V. Rockwell
PRODUCERS: Julia Lebedev, Rishi Rajani,
Eddie Vaisman, Lena Waithe, Brad Weston
UPON ENTRY
DIRECTORS: Alejandro Rojas,
Juan Sebastián Vásquez
PRODUCERS: Sergio Adrià, Carlos Juárez,
Alba Sotorra, Carles Torras, Xosé Zapata
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
(Award given to the best feature made for
under $1,000,000; award given to the
writer, director, and producer)
THE ARTIFICE GIRL
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Franklin Ritch
PRODUCERS: Aaron B. Koontz,
Ashleigh Snead
CADEJO BLANCO
WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER:
Justin Lerner
PRODUCERS: Mauricio Escobar, Ryan
Friedkin, Jack Patrick Hurley
FREMONT
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Babak Jalali
WRITER: Carolina Cavalli
PRODUCERS: Rachael Fung, Chris Martin,
Marjaneh Moghimi, George Rush, Sudnya
Shroff, Laura Wagner
ROTTING IN THE SUN
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Sebastián Silva
WRITER: Pedro Peirano
PRODUCER: Jacob Wasserman
THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY
WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER:
Morrisa Maltz
WRITER: Lily Gladstone
WRITERS/PRODUCERS: Lainey Bearkiller
Shangreaux, Vanara Taing
PRODUCERS: Katherine Harper,
Laura Heberton, Tommy Heitkamp
BEST DIRECTOR
ANDREW HAIGH – All of Us Strangers
TODD HAYNES – May December
WILLIAM OLDROYD – Eileen
IRA SACHS – Passages
CELINE SONG – Past Lives
BEST SCREENPLAY
DAVID HEMINGSON – The Holdovers
CORD JEFFERSON – American Fiction
LAURA MOSS, BRENDAN J. O’BRIEN –
Birth/Rebirth
EMMA SELIGMAN, RACHEL SENNOTT –
Bottoms
CELINE SONG – Past Lives
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
SAMY BURCH; STORY BY SAMY BURCH,
ALEX MECHANIK – May December
NOAH GALVIN, MOLLY GORDON, NICK
LIEBERMAN, BEN PLATT – Theater Camp
TOMÁS GÓMEZ BUSTILLO – Chronicles of
a Wandering Saint
LAUREL PARMET – The Starling Girl
ALEJANDRO ROJAS, JUAN SEBASTIÁN
VÁSQUEZ – Upon Entry
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
JESSICA CHASTAIN – Memory
GRETA LEE – Past Lives
TRACE LYSETTE – Monica
NATALIE PORTMAN – May December
JUDY REYES – Birth/Rebirth
FRANZ ROGOWSKI – Passages
ANDREW SCOTT – All of Us Strangers
TEYANA TAYLOR – A Thousand and One
JEFFREY WRIGHT – American Fiction
TEO YOO – Past Lives
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
ERIKA ALEXANDER – American Fiction
STERLING K. BROWN – American Fiction
NOAH GALVIN – Theater Camp
ANNE HATHAWAY – Eileen
GLENN HOWERTON – BlackBerry
MARIN IRELAND – Eileen
CHARLES MELTON – May December
DA’VINE JOY RANDOLPH – The Holdovers
CATALINA SAAVEDRA – Rotting in the Sun
BEN WHISHAW – Passag