Spirit Awards Best Feature Nominees Include ‘Anora’, ‘I Saw The TV Glow’, ‘Nickel Boys’, ‘Sing Sing’ & ‘The Substance’

By Anthony D'Alessandro

The 40th edition of the Film Independent Spirit Awards unveiled nominations this morning, nominating Neon’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anora, A24’s I Saw the TV Glow, Amazon MGM Studios’ Nickel Boys, A24’s Sing Sing and Mubi’s Demi Moore body-swap horror movie The Substance for Best Feature.

Anora and I Saw the TV Glow equally lead all noms with six apiece. The Sean Baker-directed Anora landed Best Feature, Best Lead Performance (Mikey Madison), two Best Supporting Performance noms (Yuri Borisov and Karren Karagulian), Best Director, and the Producers Award.

I Saw the TV Glow, which made its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year, is quite the shocker, busting into the Best Feature category as it arguably hasn’t been on the lips of any awards prognosticator this year. The Jane Schoenbrun-directed-and-written drama horror title follows a teenager who is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs, and is introduced by a classmate to a mysterious late-night TV show. That movie pushed out other buzzy titles from Best Feature in the awards season conversation, i.e. Brady Corbet’s less than $10M three-hour-plus epic The Brutalist (which settled for simply Best Director) and Searchlight’s Jesse Eisenberg-directed A Real Pain which notched Best Screenplay for the filmmaker as well as Best Supporting Performance for Kieran Culkin. Another title this awards season overlooked in the Best Feature slot here at the Spirits is Paramount’s September 5 which only landed an editing nod.

A movie’s threshold for qualification at the Spirits is that its production cost can’t exceed $30M. Hence, you’ll notice several major titles not nominated, i.e. Netflix’s Emilia Perez, Searchlight’s A Complete Unknown, and Focus Features’ Conclave.

In 2022, the awards group decided to go with gender neutral acting categories. Instead of male and female lead acting and male and female supporting categories, they are now Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance. That consolidation has set up what is a fierce competition between actors. This year in the Lead Performance slot we have Demi Moore (The Substance), Amy Adams (Nightbitch), Mikey Madison (Anora), June Squibb (Thelma), Ryan Destiny (The Fire Inside), Hunter Schafer (Cuckoo) facing off with Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Keith Kupferer (Ghostlight), Justice Smith (I Saw the TV Glow) and Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice). That’s a Sophie’s Choice right there.

The organization, which previously held its ceremony the day before the Oscars and was something of a bellwether, hasn’t lined up with AMPAS for quite some time, though earlier this year there was some overlap, i.e. Best Screenplay went to Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, which went on to win the Original Screenplay Oscar. Earlier this year, the Spirits named Past Lives Best Feature and its filmmaker Celine Song, Best Director. That movie didn’t win at the Oscars after two nominations for Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Searchlight’s Poor Things didn’t qualify at last year’s Spirits due to its budget being north of $30M; that movie went on to win four Oscars.

Once again, A24 led all nominations with 19 this year, up from last year’s 11. They were far and away the leader over Netflix which counted 9 nominations this year.

The Independent Spirit Awards will take place on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 at the Santa Monica beach. Saturday Night Live alum Aidy Bryant returns as host. The in-person ceremony will stream live on IMDb and Film Independent YouTube channels, and across other social platforms.

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
- Gaucho Gaucho
Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Producers: Christos Konstantakopoulos, Cameron O’Reilly, Matthew Perniciaro
- Hummingbirds
Directors: Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
Co-Directors/Producers: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger
Producers: Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow
- No Other Land
Directors/Producers: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Producers: Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
- Patrice: The Movie
Director: Ted Passon
Producers: Kyla Harris, Innbo Shim, Emily Spivack
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Director: Johan Grimonprez
Producers: Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the producer)
- Anora
Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
- I Saw the TV Glow
Producers: Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall
- Nickel Boys
Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine
- Sing Sing
Producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton
- The Substance
Producers: Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to director and producer)
- Dìdi
Director/Producer: Sean Wang
Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters
- In the Summers
Director: Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio
Producers: Janek Ambros, Lynette Coll, Alexander Dinelaris, Cynthia Fernandez De La Cruz, Cristóbal Güell, Sergio Alberto Lira, Rob Quadrino, Jan Suter, Daniel Tantalean, Nando Vila, Slava Vladimirov, Stephanie Yankwitt
- Janet Planet
Director/Producer: Annie Baker
Producers: Andrew Goldman, Dan Janvey, Derrick Tseng
- The Piano Lesson
Director: Malcolm Washington
Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington
- Problemista
Director/Producer: Julio Torres
Producers: Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000 (Award given to the writer, director and producer)
- Big Boys
Writer/Director/Producer: Corey Sherman
Producer: Allison Tate
- Ghostlight
Writer/Director: Kelly O’Sullivan
Director/Producer: Alex Thompson
Producers: Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Chelsea Krant, Eddie Linker, Alex Wilson
- Girls Will Be Girls
Writer/Director/Producer: Shuchi Talati
Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne
- Jazzy
Writer/Director/Producer: Morrisa Maltz
Writer/Producer: Lainey Shangreaux
Writers: Andrew Hajek, Vanara Taing
Producers: Miranda Bailey, Tommy Heitkamp, John Way, Natalie Whalen, Elliott Whitton
- The People’s Joker
Writer/Director: Vera Drew
Writer: Bri LeRose
Producer: Joey Lyons

BEST DIRECTOR
- Ali Abbasi, The Apprentice
- Sean Baker, Anora
-Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
-Alonso Ruizpalacios, La Cocina
-Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow

BEST SCREENPLAY
-Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Heretic
-Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
-Megan Park, My Old Ass
-Aaron Schimberg, A Different Man
-Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
- Joanna Arnow, The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed
- Annie Baker, Janet Planet
- India Donaldson, Good One
- Julio Torres, Problemista
- Sean Wang, Dìdi

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
- Amy Adams, Nightbitch
- Ryan Destiny, The Fire Inside
- Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
- Keith Kupferer, Ghostlight
- Mikey Madison, Anora
- Demi Moore, The Substance
- Hunter Schafer, Cuckoo
- Justice Smith, I Saw the TV Glow
- June Squibb, Thelma
- Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
- Yura Borisov, Anora
- Joan Chen, Dìdi
- Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
- Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson
- Carol Kane, Between the Temples
- Karren Karagulian, Anora
- Kani Kusruti, Girls Will Be Girls
- Brigette Lundy-Paine, I Saw the TV Glow
- Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, Sing Sing
- Adam Pearson, A Different Man

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
- Isaac Krasner, Big Boys
- Katy O’Brian, Love Lies Bleeding
- Mason Alexander Park, National Anthem
- René Pérez Joglar, In the Summers
- Maisy Stella, My Old Ass

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Dinh Duy Hung, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
- Jomo Fray, Nickel Boys
- Maria von Hausswolff, Janet Planet
- Juan Pablo Ramírez, La Cocina
- Rina Yang, The Fire Inside

BEST EDITING
- Laura Colwell, Vanara Taing, Jazzy
- Olivier Bugge Coutté, Olivia Neergaard-Holm, The Apprentice
- Anne McCabe, Nightbitch
- Hansjörg Weissbrich, September 5
- Arielle Zakowski, Dìdi

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast
- His Three Daughters
Director: Azazel Jacobs
Casting Director: Nicole Arbusto
Ensemble Cast: Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Bracey, Carrie Coon, Jose Febus, Rudy Galvan, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Randy Ramos Jr., Jay O. Sanders

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
- All We Imagine as Light
France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg
Director: Payal Kapadia
- Black Dog
China
Director: Guan Hu
- Flow
Latvia, France, Belgium
Director: Gints Zilbalodis
- Green Border
Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
Director: Agnieszka Holland
- Hard Truths
United Kingdom
Director: Mike Leigh

PRODUCERS AWARD presented by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey – The Producers Award, now in its 28th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films.
- Alex Coco
- Sarah Winshall
- Zoë Worth

 SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD  – The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 31st year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.
- Nicholas Colia, Director of Griffin in Summer
- Sarah Friedland, Director of Familiar Touch
- Pham Thien An, Director of Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 30th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.
- Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, Directors of Sugarcane
- Carla Gutiérrez, Director of Frida
- Rachel Elizabeth Seed, Director of A Photographic Memory

BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)
- Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color
Executive Producers: Idris Elba, Johanna Woolford Gibbon, Jamilla Dumbuya, Jos Cushing, Khaled Gad, Matt Robins, Chris Muckle, Sean David Johnson, Simon Raikes
Co-Executive Producer: Annabel Hobley
- Hollywood Black
Executive Producers: Shayla Harris, Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, Jon Kamen, Justin Simien, Kyle Laursen, Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jeffrey Schwarz, Amy Goodman Kass, Michael Wright, Jill Burkhart
Co-Executive Producers: David C. Brown, Laurens Grant
- Photographer
Executive Producers: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Pagan Harleman, Betsy Forhan
Co-Executive Producers: Anna Barnes, Brent Kunkle
- Ren Faire
Executive Producers: Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Dani Bernfeld, Lance Oppenheim, David Gauvey Herbert, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez
Co-Executive Producers: Abigail Rowe, Christian Vasquez, Max Allman
- Social Studies
Creator/Executive Producer: Lauren Greenfield
Executive Producers: Wallis Annenberg, Regina K. Scully, Andrea van Beuren, Frank Evers, Caryn Capotosto

BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES (Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)
- Baby Reindeer
Creator/Executive Producer: Richard Gadd
Executive Producers: Wim De Greef, Petra Fried, Matt Jarvis, Ed Macdonald
- Diarra From Detroit
Creator/Executive Producer: Diarra Kilpatrick
Executive Producers: Kenya Barris, Miles Orion Feldsott, Darren Goldberg
Co-Executive Producers: Ester Lou, Mark Ganek
- English Teacher
Creator/Executive Producer: Brian Jordan Alvarez
Executive Producers: Paul Simms, Jonathan Krisel, Dave King
Co-Executive Producers: Kathryn Dean, Jake Bender, Zach Dunn
- Fantasmas
Creator/Executive Producer: Julio Torres
Executive Producers: Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Olivia Gerke, Alex Bach, Daniel
Powell
Co-Executive Producer: Ali Herting
- Shōgun
Creators/Executive Producers: Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks
Executive Producers: Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, Michaela Clavell
Co-Executive Producers: Shannon Goss, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
- Brian Jordan Alvarez, English Teacher
- Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer
- Lily Gladstone, Under the Bridge
- Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along
- Cristin Milioti, The Penguin
- Julianne Moore, Mary & George
- Hiroyuki Sanada, Shōgun
- Anna Sawai, Shōgun
- Andrew Scott, Ripley
- Julio Torres, Fantasmas

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
- Tadanobu Asano, Shōgun
- Enrico Colantoni, English Teacher
- Betty Gilpin, Three Women
- Chloe Guidry, Under the Bridge
- Moeka Hoshi, Shōgun
- Stephanie Koenig, English Teacher
- Patti LuPone, Agatha All Along
- Nava Mau, Baby Reindeer
- Ruth Negga, Presumed Innocent
- Brian Tee, Expats

BEST BREAKTRHOUGH PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
- Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer
- Diarra Kilpatrick, Diarra From Detroit
- Joe Locke, Agatha All Along
- Megan Stott, Penelope
- Hoa Xuande, The Sympathizer

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
- How to Die Alone
Ensemble Cast: Melissa DuPrey, Jaylee Hamidi, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Arkie Kandola, Elle Lorraine, Michelle McLeod, Chris “CP” Powell, Conrad Ricamora, Natasha Rothwell, Jocko Sims