The biggest names of the entertainment industry were honoured for the excellence in cinema at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Thursday, April 22.
Among the winners was Riz Ahmed, who won Best Male Lead for Sound of Metal, and Nomadland who claimed four major prizes.
While accepting his award, Ahmed said, “Sound of Metal is about how a health crisis can throw your life off track, and on the other side of that, there can be a lot of discomfort but also some clarity,” he shared. “And for everyone who’s gone through some upheaval this year, I wish you peace on the other side of it.”
Check the full list of winners of Film Independent Spirit Awards 2021 here
Best Feature
First Cow
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Minari
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
WINNER: Nomadland
Best First Feature
I Carry You With Me
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Miss Juneteenth
Nine Days
WINNER: Sound Of Metal
Best Director
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Kelly Reichardt, First Cow
WINNER: Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Best Screenplay
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
WINNER: 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, Miss Juneteenth
WINNER: Andy Siara, Palm Springs
James Sweeney, Straight Up
John Cassavetes Award
The Killing Of Two Lovers
La Leyenda Negra
Lingua Franca
WINNER: Residue
Saint Frances
Best Male Lead
WINNER: Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Adarsh Gourav, The White Tiger
Rob Morgan, Bull
Steven Yeun, Minari
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
WINNER: Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Best Supporting Male
Colman Domingo, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Orion Lee, First Cow
WINNER: Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Glynn Turman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Benedict Wong, Nine Days
Best Supporting Female
Alexis Chikaeze, Miss Juneteenth
Yeri Han, Minari
Valerie Mahaffey, French Exit
Talia Ryder, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
WINNER: Yuh-jung Youn, Minari
Minari, Yeri Han, Steven Yeun
Best Cinematography
Jay Keitel, She Dies Tomorrow
Shabier Kirchner, Bull
Michael Latham, The Assistant
Hélène Louvart, Never Rarely Sometimes Always
WINNER: 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
WINNER: Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Best International Film
Bacurau (Brazil)
The Disciple (India)
Night Of The Kings (Ivory Coast)
Preparations To Be Together For An Unknown Period Of Time (Hungary)
WINNER: Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia And Herzegovina)
Best Documentary
Collective
WINNER: Crip Camp
Dick Johnson Is Dead
The Mole Agent
Time
One Night In Miami
Robert Altman Award
One Night In Miami
Producers Award
Kara Durrett
Lucas Joaquin
WINNER: Gerry Kim
Someone To Watch Award
David Midell, The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain
WINNER: Ekwa Msangi, Farewell Amor
Annie Silverstein, Bull
Truer Than Fiction Award
Cecilia Aldarondo, Landfall
WINNER: Elegance Bratton, Pier Kids
Elizabeth Lo, Stray
Best New Non-Scripted Or Documentary Series
Atlanta’s Missing And Murdered: The Lost Children
City So Real
WINNER: Immigration Nation
Love Fraud
We’re Here
Best New Scripted Series
WINNER: I May Destroy You
Little America
Small Axe
A Teacher
Unorthodox
Best Female Performance In A New Scripted Series
Elle Fanning, The Great
WINNER: 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
Adam Ali, Little America
Nicco Annan, P-Valley
Conphidance, Little America
WINNER: Amit Rahav, Unorthodox
Harold Torres, ZeroZeroZero
Best Ensemble Cast In A New Scripted Series
I May Destroy You