40th Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: ‘Anora,’ ‘I Saw the TV Glow,’ ‘Shōgun,’ ‘English Teacher’ Lead

The Film Independent Spirit Awards celebrated their 40th edition with nominations for the best in independent film and television for 2024 where Sean Baker’s Anora and Jane Shoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow led the film side with six nods apiece.

“Since we held our first ceremony in 1985 at a restaurant on La Cienega to last year’s show when viewers around the world joined us at the Santa Monica Beach to celebrate the work of so many artists, Film Independent has continued to support independent filmmakers and enable them to achieve their vision at every stage of their career,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent. “As with the legendary artists from that inaugural event, and the countless others we’ve had the privilege to work with since, we’re thrilled to be honoring this group of creatives as they continue this proud legacy.”

Anora earned nominations for Best Feature, Best Director, Lead Performance for Mikey Madison and two Supporting Performance nominations, for Yura Borisov and Karren Karagulian in Baker’s screwball comedy tale of a dancer aiming to turn her life around with the son of a Russian billionaire. Shoenbrun’s film nods: Feature, Director, Screenplay, Lead for Justice Smith and Supporting for Brigette Lundy-Paine. Both films earned a Producers Award nod.

Both films will compete against Nickel Boys, Sing Sing and The Substance in the Best Feature category while Baker and Shoenbrun will face off with Ali Abbasi for The Apprentice, Brady Corbet for The Brutalist and Alonso Ruizpalacios for La Cocina in Best Director.

The Lead Performance nominees are: Ryan Destiny for The Fire Inside, Colman Domingo for Sing Sing, Keith Kupferer for Ghostlight, Mikey Madison for Anora, Demi Moore for The Substance, Hunter Schafer for Cuckoo for Justice Smith, for I Saw the TV Glow, June Squibb for Thelma and Sebastian Stan for The Apprentice.

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

For television, the record-breaking Emmy winner Shōgun from FX led with five nominations, including Best New Scripted Series plus two lead nods for Emmy winners Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada and two supporting performance nominations from Tadanobu Asano and Moeka Hoshi. Another FX series earned top noms, the Brian Jordan Alvarez-created English Teacher. Alvarez earned nominations for New Scripted Series and for his lead performance and the show also nabbed two supporting performance nominations, for Enrico Colantoni and Stephanie Koenig.

“This year’s inspiring group of Spirit Award nominated artists show the essential nature of independent art being produced today,” said Brenda Robinson, Chair of the Board of Directors for Film Independent. “Through their dedication, bravery and unique voices they have created indelible works that will be celebrated for years to come, and we’re honored to be supporting them on that journey.”

2025 Best New Scripted Series nominees are: Baby Reindeer, Diarra From Detroit, English Teacher, Fantasmas and Shōgun. In the Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series category, the nominees are Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color, Hollywood Black, Photographer, Ren Faire and Social Studies.

This year the Spirit Awards Film nominating committees said the films it considered ranged in budget from $112,000 to $28 million while the television categories were not limited by budget, only by a release eligibility period from January 1 to December 31, 2024, where shows like Agatha All Along (which earned three acting nods), Ripley and Shōgun flourished. Of all the 2025 nominees, 46% are women and 30% are BIPOC. Within the nominated writers, directors, producers and technical artists, 43% are women and 24% are BIPOC. The nominated performers are 54% women and 48% BIPOC.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees are comprised of writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, actors, critics, casting directors, film festival programmers and other working film professionals. This year, the Spirit Awards nominating committees are 47% female, 10% Nonbinary, 7% Transgender, and 66% BIPOC; 45% identify as LGBTQ+ and 13% identify as people with disabilities (PWD).

A24 was the most nominated distributor with 19 nods. It was followed by FX, which earned 10 nominations.

The 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards, which will be overseen by returning host and Saturday Night Live alum Aidy Bryant, will take place on Saturday, February 22, 2025. The in-person show, held at the beach in Santa Monica, will be streamed live on the IMDb and Film Independent YouTube channels, and across other social platforms. The Spirit Awards are the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round slate of programs, which cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and celebrate creative independence, diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision in independent film and television.

Here is the full list of nominees for the 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards.

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 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 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  – 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 BREAKTHROUGH 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

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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• 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: ‘Anora,’ ‘I Saw the TV Glow,’ ‘Shōgun,’ ‘English Teacher’ Lead - December 4, 2024